The Mix
Tell us about the podcast - where was it recorded?
"For this podcast I have chosen a section of the recording of my recent set at Fabric in London. Adam Beyer and myself played all night long in Room 1, which was an amazing experience. Not only was it is the first time either of us have played in that room at Fabric but we also got to program the whole evening from when the doors opened at 11pm through until when the club closed around 9am. I had heard so much about how great the sound is in that room and what a special atmosphere you get when it was packed full and I am pleased to confirm that it is all true! It will definitely go down as one of my absolute favorite gigs of 2012."
Talk us through the track selection in the mix.
"The section of the recording which I have chosen is from the middle hour of my 3 hour set, roughly from midnight until around 1am. As I was playing in Room 1 I started a little deeper than I would have if I was playing a more straight techno set in Room 2, which was great for me as I buy a lot of music that I really like but rarely get to play unless I am playing a really long set or an after hours set. So the set is quite different from a standard Alan Fitzpatrick set with some really beautiful deep tracks by artists like Deepchild and Dubspeeka as well as more funky cuts such as Paul Ritch's remix of Nic Fanciulli & Rolando and Santos's Chicago plus a few more typical techno bombs like Mike Dehnert's Refillable and Gary Beck's Before The Crash tracks. There is also a few exclusives with the opening track being my forthcoming remix of a new Adam Beyer track called Take Me Away which will come out on Truesoul in February as well as a couple of unreleased tracks from my good friend Reset Robot."
Do you see yourself as a representative of the 'proper' techno scene?
"That is kind of a funny question seeing as I have done a podcast that is much less typically techno than what people might expect from me. I don't really look at things in a sense of being proper or not. I mean who would decide who is classed as proper techno? I really just think of myself as a DJ and a producer and I try to make and play the music that I like and that inspires me, regardless of whether you would describe it as ‘proper techno or not."
"I guess I am closely associated with Drumcode which has been a really important force in shaping techno over the last 15 years so in that sense I would say I am in a way connected to the deep history of techno and I am absolutely a fan of many classic techno artists such as Luke Slater or Cari Lekebusch but I am also the kind of person who always wants to move things on and look to do things differently so I try hard to not get too stuck in a certain sound or pattern of working."
"For example, my two biggest productions of 2012 were both what could be described as vocal techno records which is a concept that kind of runs contrary to what many people's stereotype of techno would be. Some people might say vocal techno is not proper techno but I'd say innovation and experimentation are absolutely at the heart of what techno is all about so why not use vocals? I suppose it just depends on your point of view!"
The Plug
What is keeping you busy at the moment?
"Writing lots of new music and touring! I have just finished a few remixes for Adam Beyer, Ben Sims and Markantonio as well as a couple of bootlegs that I have done just for fun such as my remix of Stevie V - Dirty Cash and Audion – Mouth To Mouth. I moved house towards the end of 2012 and have been rebuilding my studio. It is almost fully functional now so once that is complete I want to start on a few special projects. I hope to start writing tracks this year for my next album so I will be starting on that as soon as I am 100% happy with the studio. I was also lucky enough to travel a lot this year; all over Europe, New York, Miami, Los Angels, Detroit and to some amazing places this year for the first time such as Argentina, Colombia, Japan, Singapore and Dubai."
Update us on all goings on with your label, 8 Sided Dice.
"Well, we had a really busy 2012 on the label with lots of releases and our monthly 8 Sided Dice podcast which all culminated with our 50th release, which came out just before Christmas. That was two remixes by Markus Suckut of one of my tracks called 9 Hours Later, which was the very first release on the label back in 2008 so we have kind of come full circle over the last four and a half years. Going forward the label will take a bit of a break while we reflect on what we have done over that time and what we want to do going forward."
You work with Beyer's Drumcode label a lot, clearly as a hugely respected techno imprint, is there anything in the pipeline here?
"My latest release came out this week – a collaboration track with Adam Beyer called Memesis and also a remix by Len Faki of a previous collaboration called Human Reason. As I mentioned I have just finished a few remixes and some of these will come out on Drumcode and their sister label, Truesoul. First of all there will be my remix of Adam's ‘Take Me Away' track on Truesoul and then in March there is a remix package of track from Ben Sim's last album so I have remixed Riots In London for that project. Then come April I will put out a new EP on Drumcode so there is a lot of projects planned. I also hope to start writing tracks this year for my next album although I don't expect that will be released any time soon."
You've got a weekend off. What do you do? Where do you go?
"I'd just make the most of not having to travel so I wouldn't go anywhere! I am away pretty much every week so a weekend off is a rare treat. I'd spend time with my family and do all the normal things like lazing on the sofa watching TV or making time to cook something special. Just the simple things that you tend to miss when you are away and living on the road."
What plans are in place for the coming year?
"As I have said, lots of new music is already planned and I the tour diary is busy taking me to North America, South America and all around Europe in the first few months of this year. I will also be making an announcement soon about a special series of after hours gigs I will be playing for Jaded in London, starting on Sunday February 10th, and I will go to the Miami Winter Music Conference for the first time in March so look out for more details on what is coming up via my Facebook and Twitter feeds."
Biography
2011 was the year Alan Fitzpatrick made the transition to become a globally recognized talent. Having enjoyed a rapid ascent since his emergence as the new kid on the techno block in the latter half of 2008, Fitzpatrick now enjoys a status as a highly respected and in-demand producer and DJ. Asked to compile a coveted BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix in November 2011, Alan responded with a two-hour snapshot of exclusive productions and unreleased tracks that generated an overwhelmingly positive reaction from old and new fans alike.
Coming off the back of high profile releases for Adam Beyers Drumcode (including the Human Reason collaboration with Beyer himself) as well as releases on John Digweeds Bedrock label (Moon Palace was awarded a BBC Radio 1 Essential New Tune) and Alans own 8 Sided Dice imprint (Alans First Times collaboration with techno pioneer Cari Lekebusch was the 2011 highlight) there can be few followers of techno worldwide who would not recognize Alan Fitzpatrick as one of the most influential artists of the moment.
So far, 2012 has seen Alan progress on all fronts with his output for Drumcode in particular working to elevate his status as a maturing and dynamic producer capable of bringing stylistic variety to his productions. The release of his Life Through Different Eyes EP powerfully demonstrated the range of Fitzpatricks inspiration and the inventiveness in the studio that inspires him to create universally popular techno records that stand out from the norm. Whether he is adding diva-like vocals to cavernous beat workouts (Always Something For Nothing) or fusing emotive chord sequences with his trademark heavy-funk sound (Prometheus) there is a uniqueness to Alan Fitzpatrick productions that ensures his star remains on the rise.
Alan Fitzpatrick productions have dominated the techno scene since his emergence in 2008 with Alan's partnership with Adam Beyer's Drumcode label producing his most significant work to date; releasing the universally supported Human Reason collaboration alongside Beyer; four chart topping EP's (Static, Face Of Rejection, Insurgent Series, Life Through Different Eyes); his 2010 Shadows In The Dark album and contributing tracks to the labels 15 Years Of Drumcode and A-Sides compilations plus remixes of Adam Beyers classic Remainings III and Ben Sims Riots In London.
Elsewhere, Fitzpatricks releases for Bedrock (Reflections, Moon Palace) and his own 8 Sided Dice imprint (First Times collaboration with Cari Lekebusch, Blixx, The Heist, Straw Hats, Amsterdam, 9 Hours Later) have raised the UK producers profile to a level where his remix services have been recruited by John Digweed, Slam, Cari Lekebusch, Joey Beltram and Timo Maas. The same unstoppable momentum has come to characterize Alan's style of techno; powering demand for his music worldwide, and filling his gig diary with weekends spent touring Europe, North America and South America as a bonafide member of techno's producer vanguard.
Focusing on his trademark sound of tough, hooky grooves and incendiary beats, Alan is an intuitive and dynamic DJ who is enjoying the new lease of life that Pioneers CDJ2000 players have brought to the art of DJing. Alans big-room techno sound has seen him consistently draw crowds in Germany (Tresor, Club Lehmann, Universal DOG), France (Rex, Inox, Spartacus, SKandalo) The Netherlands (Paradiso, Westerunie, Sugar Factory, Doornroosje, Poema), UK (Fabric including NYE 2011, Electric Brixton w/ Carl Cox), Italy (Old River Park, Make Some Noize), USA (Basic New York, Incognito Los Angeles, Treehouse Miami), Canada (Piknic Electronik Montreal), Switzerland (La Zoo, D-Club, Das Schiff) and Eastern Europe (Global Gathering Ukriane, Sziget Hungary, Kazantip Ukraine) plus Drumcode events at SW4 Festival London, Berghain Berlin, PollerWeisen Cologne, Solar Festival Holland, Ewer Street Warehouse London.
