Off The Cuff with Jordan Suckley

Photo: Jordan Suckley

Whilst trance was ubiquitous at the end of the nineties and into the 2000s thanks to a number of hits crossing over into the mainstream in a big way, the sound has since returned to its underground roots, leading to a thriving scene that is more authentic and religiously followed than ever. The UK in particular has been a haven for some of the most exciting talents in the genre, whilst the scene on home soil continues to blossom.

One of the trailblazers at the centre of trance in the UK is Jordan Suckley (hear him in action a last year's GlobalGathering above). 

Renowned for his technical wizardry and pounding tech trance productions, Suckley has consistently injected the trance scene with manic energy and euphoric bliss, something that brought him to the attention of clubbing superbrands like Cream and Gatecrasher very early in his career. A Radio One residency soon followed along with a healthy run of releases, earning him plaudits from the international community. 

We caught up with Jordan Suckley ahead of his appearance for Rong at Venus in Manchester on January 30th to find out more about his new label Damaged, his history in trance, and potentially signing a Justin Bieber remix. 

Hello! Thanks for chatting to us. How was your Xmas and New Year's? 

Amazing thanks, I spent Christmas with my family and New Year's Eve in Sweden for Mondaybar and Technostate!

You're set to appear for Rong in Manchester on January 30th. With all your globe trotting, do you still look forward to playing in the UK? What is special about the trance heads here?

Yeah of course, Rong has a very loyally following and they are always up for the madness! I find the UK in general very educated with music, which means I can play a nice mixture and they just go with it! 

Tell us about your journey from a young lad in Ellesmere Port to internationally acclaimed DJ - how did your love of music start out, and what moment lead to your love affair with trance?

I started off listening to the Gatecrasher & Cream CDs and my love for trance developed from there. I don't think there are too many trance fans in Ellesmere Port though unfortunately! 

And from then, how did your DJing career come about?

I moved to Swansea University and then started to get some gigs across the UK. I got signed to a DJ agency in 2009, and things have snowballed since then! I started making music in 2009 and since then I have done remixes for Armin van Buuren, Paul van Dyk, Paul Oakenfold, Gareth Emery, John O'Callaghan, Simon Patterson and Giuseppe Ottaviani. 

In your career you've had a lot of fantastic moments, there’s been the BBC Radio 1 slots, high praise from Van Buuren and co and playing every major dance music festival in the UK, but what stands out to you as your personal highlight?

I think my personal highlight was doing an Essential Mix on BBC Radio 1. I had followed the Essential mixes for a long time prior, so it was very surreal to actually do one myself!

You’re clearly gifted on the decks, anyone that’s seen you live, on the DJsounds show (above) or rocking the RMX-1000 on YouTube can see that you've mastered bringing the latest technologies into your DJing arsenal. Is it important for you to stay at the forefront of new technical innovations, and how do you feel your sets benefit as a result?

Well I tend to do FX and scratching for my own entertainment to be honest! It's just something I enjoy and tend to do things off the cuff, but each DJ has there own vibe I guess. Some DJs prefer to stand there like they are at the library and mix out at the last few seconds of each track. Buzzing!

Haha! This year you started your own imprint - Damaged (Listen to Jordan Suckley and Paul Webster's track 'HELP!' below). There have already been a load of releases on the label, how is it all going? And do you have any new releases in the pipeline, either from yourself or other artists on the roster?

Yeah I have been surprised how its all gone down really, I wasn't too keen on the idea of starting my own label at first, but my management convinced me and it seems to have worked out well! I have my releases lined up for the first six months of this year, with a mixture of sounds and styles, so keep a look out for those on my Facebook and Twitter! 

In between the label running, the DJing and the producing, what do you do to unwind?

Making music is like playing a computer game for me, so that is kind of unwinding. If not then I see friends and rave! Always something to do with music anyway! 

Final question, and its hypothetical - If you could sign any record in history to Damaged, what would it be, and why?

Justin Bieber - He's A Tool (Bryan Kearney Remix) - CLASSIC! 

Ha! We'll take your word for that. See Jordan Suckley in action when Rong heads to Venus on January 30th.

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