1. EDM Canada: Tell me a bit about your history and
how you got into DJ/Producing?
Will Atkinson: For those that don't know it was
actually my Mom that had gotten me into the whole thing when I was
about 6-7. I've never really been a fan of commercial, mainstream
music, so it was my Mom who suggested that I listen to Judge Jules
Radio 1 show, back then I think he was on Friday nights. So I
listened to that after school and I would stay up really late. That's
how it started. From there I got a bit obsessed about Judge Jules
actually and I was kind of a borderline stalker (laughs). I really
looked up to the guy and he was a good role model for me.
In 2002 when I was 12, a big club had
opened in my town and Judge Jules was playing the first night there.
Me and my Mom and dog waited outside of the club at about 3 am on a
Saturday night and it was freezing cold just to get a glimpse of
Jules. I brought down a record with me which was DJ Elite's remix of
“That Fuct Camera”, a track that Jules had been playing for ages.
I bought it off of EBAY for around 25 quid. Finally the doors opened
at around 3:30 am and there he was, my Mom got to him first and gave
her a hug, then I spoke to him and he gave me his email address,
signed the vinyl, and the rest was history as they say. Judge Jules
played a lot of my stuff on his Radio 1 show, and took me under his
wing. So my Mom and Judge Jules kicked started it for me.
2. Were you a DJ or producer first?
DJ first. I was mixing when I was about
7-8 when I had gotten my first pair of decks. Then I kind of dabbled
with some very basic software at 12-13 years old. I got into the
production side when I was about 14 when I bought a copy of
Propellerhead's Reason software. That's when it all started.
3. Describe your style.
Right now?
Yes.
For sets or for just all around?
That's a good question, both.
I'm making tracks that I'm playing in
my own sets. The music that I'm playing in my sets reflects the stuff
that I'm making in the studio and vice versa. Right now I'm getting
tired of the same old structure, the same formulas which are so
stale. I'm really going back to the roots, more raw, because
everything is so over produced now. So I'm trying to change it up,
going industrial, and stripping it back. Big ideas, big hooks, and
just energetic driving underground club music is something that I'm
all about at the moment. I've never been so happy than with my music
at the moment. I've got a vision, I've got a plan so it's exciting
times. It's all about energetics, industrial, and back to the roots
at the moment.
4. You've been on a real roll lately by
releasing such great tracks like "Deep Impact", and your 5000 Remix of
"Symbols" – do you feel that you are coming into your own in terms of
production skills and vision?
Absolutely. It's all falling into place
now. I'm getting my own sound and not worrying what everyone is
doing. Something I used to do is worry about “he sounds like this,
he's doing that, why can't I sound like that?” - that's gone now
and I'm not even bothered anymore. I'm focusing where I want to be as
I couldn't care less what everyone else is doing now. Since I've
taken that approach I've really started to enjoy my music and there
has been so many ideas now that I'm concentrating on what I'm doing
rather than whate everyone else is doing.
5. What is your view on the state of
trance music in 2013?
It's definitely coming back, there's
definitely a renaissance happening. Give it one or two years and I
think it will be back on top. It's certainly coming back, people are
getting tired of the watered down, diluted commercial shit that's
being pumped into this scene over the last 5-6 years. We're going
back to the roots, it's not only me as there is a big pack of
producers that are pushing this new underground sound. It's exciting
times.
6. Do you consider trance music as
underground music?
Depends on what sort of trance you
mean. The stuff I'm playing now I consider underground, but not all
of it is trance. It's hard to gauge what trance is now, but for me
trance is that moment where you get lost in the music, forget where
you are – for me that's trance. But for others people might say
trance is a big build and a big dirty drop. It's subjective and
everyone has their own opinion.
7. What else do we have to look forward
to from Will Atkinson in 2013/2014?
I'm absolutely smashing the studio at
the moment. I've got so many ideas and I've really cut back on the
ghost writing. Sometimes I was getting bogged down earlier on in the
year where I was writing too much for other people, not focusing on
myself. There's people leapfrogging me, people that I'm writing with.
So I've got my head down now, getting in the groundwork done ready
for next year.
8. So you were a ghost writer? I didn't
know that.
That's the way it goes, if you're a
ghost writer, you keep it under wraps. People know that I write,
there's no money in music anymore so I only do that to put food on
the table. I've got bills to pay just like everyone else. That's just
to make ends meet really.
