Five For the Funk: Simon Patterson

Photo: Simon Patterson

May 22nd sees master craftsman of melancholic melodies and razor sharp beats - Simon Patterson bring his hugely popular Open Up brand to Leeds' O2 Academy alongside leading trance aficionados Digital Society.

A major player on the trance circuit, Simon Patterson has been finding both mainstream and underground success with his searing productions, whilst his wide ranging sets make him an unique force in the scene.

His reputation and success saw Ministry of Sound hook him in to supply the latest in their long running Trance Nation series, which see Patterson unleash two CDs worth of the hottest sounds in trance, techno, psy trance, house and even breaks. We caught up with him to find out his five favourite Trance Nation big hitters ahead of his Leeds show.

Simon Patterson 'Time Stood Still'

‘Time Stood Still’ is my new single out now on Armin van Buuren’s Armind Recordings. I found it quite difficult to work with a male vocal but I think I nailed it in the end.

The original 'Time Stands Still' is featured on Matt Adey's album, it's a rock version as that's his background. I had Matt re-sing some sections to fit around the production I was building. I'm a big fan of Matt's - I really like his approach to lyric writing. I'm thankful to John Askew for connecting me with someone outside of my comfort zone.

Hard-Fi 'Fire In The House' (Simon Patterson Remix)

I loved the original of ‘Fire In The House’ so much so that I asked Hard-Fi for the parts of this track to remix. As with all my remixes I like to build the production and almost make the track my own by taking small elements from the original.

I had a fun couple of days with this track as Richard's vocals were great to work with. Thankfully the band liked the remix and allowed me to use it on my Trance Nation compilation as an exclusive. I'm happy it's out there.

Tempo Giusto 'Benzin'

Tempo Giusto's 'Benzin' has been in my sets for months and I had to include it on my Trance Nation compilation, it was one of the first tracks I picked. I played it in my set at ASOT 700 in Utrecht and it got one of the biggest reactions. Tempo is making some great music and this is no different. Check him out.

Astrix 'Sapana'

'Sapana' is another track I’ve been playing out a lot that had to be included. What can I say. Astrix is a genius, friend and someone I look up to. His productions are next level. I've been thankful to release a collaboration with him and have him play at some of my Open Up events including Leeds next month. A true don of the psy trance scene.

Gaudium 'Wrong Theory'

I opened CD2 with ‘Wrong Theory’ from Gaudium - it’s a great psy track to bridge from the first CD and take it up a notch in the second. I programmed both CDs by building on momentum of sound and styles from track to track. Trance is the main focus but I tried not to be pigeon-holed to that sound. You'll hear a mix of styles including uplifting, psy and the 140 bpm banging stuff later on.

Catch Simon Patterson in action for Digital Society on May 22nd. Get your tickets here.

Tickets are no longer available for this event