"Trance has a great ability to evolve over time": DS resident Will Holland

Hi Will - how are you?

I'm good thanks, just wrapping up the week at the Enhanced office in London.

DJ, Producer, Label boss - how do you manage to do it all? 

If you love what you do then it never feels like too much hard work. It's something I have a huge passion for, and it's what I always wanted to do so I consider myself to be very lucky. 

You're performing at the Digital Society 6th Birthday this weekend. You've been on almost every line up in the past six years and were one of the first ever DJs to spin a track there - can you tell us a bit about how it all began and the first DS event? 

Yeah I think I've played at all but one event in the six years! Like many events, it was the coming together of a group of friends that shared the same vision and believed they could put on nights to remember. Dan and the guys have done just that over the years and now it's THE night to go to in the North of England.

Did you ever expect the events to grow as much as they have six years on? 

With the demise of so many celebrated brands and venues over the years, there definitely would have been some raised eyebrows if you'd have said it would get this far when it first started out. But I think those involved in the events could feel that special atmosphere and excitement around what DS was doing, so to me it's no surprise.

How has the Trance landscape changed over the last 6 years? Have you noticed any peaks and troughs in its popularity as a genre, and if so, what would you put that down to?

In terms of events in the UK, it's now all about the one off events rather than weekly and monthly sessions, but that could be said for much of our clubbing scene across all musical genres today. Musically, trance had its commercial heyday around 2000 but it's still incredibly strong globally. Trance has had a great ability to evolve over time which has kept it fresh and current, which is why it will continue to be such a strong genre.

How has DS helped with your DJ career? We see that you played at the infamous ASOT550 last year in Den Bosch. What other gigs are you looking forward to this year?

I've been resident for several of the big brands over the years, and that always connects you with the clubbers - which is great. 550 was an amazing show last year! Enhanced are off to Australia in April for a five date tour, which I really can't wait for. As well as this we have other global tours and a first Enhanced show at Ministry Of Sound in a few months time which will be fantastic. I always love playing there so it will be good to put on our own party with The Gallery.

DS-R is a highly rated part of the massive Enhanced Music empire - can you tell us about any big releases on the label, and what's coming up?

DS-R has come into its own lately, with its 'British' sounding Trance. The most recent release from Photographer stormed into the Beatport Top 10 in just a few days and the next release from Fast Distance has already had a couple of airings on Armin van Buuren's ASOT. We have around 250 releases a year across the Enhanced labels and you can check them all out at www.enhancedmusic.com.

Digital Society welcome back Markus Schulz, John O'Callahgan, yourself and many more on February 8th at the incredible O2 Academy Leeds. In your opinion what makes these night such a success?  

Great crowd, brilliant production and clever line-ups that always bring something fresh and something for everyone.

Finally, can you remember what you got for your 6th birthday present?

Haha, I wish I could remember! I was a massive Lego geek when I was little so probably something like that!

Thanks for the chat Will, see you at The 6th Birthday!

Thank you for speaking to me, and see you on the dance floor! 

Catch Will at Digital Society's 6th birthday this Friday with Markus Schulz, John O'Callaghan, and more. Tickets are still available through Skiddle below. 

Tickets are no longer available for this event