image: Maxi Roccheri
Sheffield’s Adam Ellis has exploded onto the international trance scene this year following the phenomenal response to his remix of Planet Perfecto’s ‘Bullet In The Gun’, which was championed by none other than Paul Oakenfold himself, boss of the Perfecto label and member of the trio that wrote the original 1999 classic.
Ellis’ debut single, ‘Napalm Poet’, was met with equal acclaim, after being snapped up by one of trance’s leading figures, Bryan Kearney, for his trailblazing record label, Kearnage. The track was soon being hammered by the likes of John O’Callaghan and Indecent Noise, and when it aired at A State Of Trance 600 in Den Bosch this year, the reaction was immense, with listeners worldwide wanting to know exactly who was behind the record.
Since then, within the space of a few short months, Adam has become one of the most in-demand producers and DJs among a new generation of trance pioneers, leaving behind a job in sales to play for thousands of people around the globe, and putting in serious studio time for some of the biggest labels on the scene.
Rob Hughes caught up with Mr Ellis to find out more about his incredible 2013 and plans for the year ahead…
So how are things going for you right now? What have been some recent highlights?
Some of the most amazing highlights recently have included confirming dates for DJ gigs in New York and LA, but starting to earn enough as a DJ and producer that I was able to do it as a full time job was a huge milestone, and it wasn’t so long ago that it happened – as recently as March this year I was still working in sales, but I eventually realised that I could leave that behind and make a living from my music. It was really surreal.
How did you start off in the industry? Did DJing, production or promoting come first and what got you to where you are today?
Production, definitely. I guess it all started when I taught myself to play guitar a long time ago, but as I got older I started to get into clubbing and became much more interested in dance music than rock. After moving out to Ibiza for four months in 2007, I discovered trance and that was it. As soon as I got home I bought Fruity Loops [music production software] and began to work on my own tracks. For a few years I struggled to get the sound I wanted and almost gave up in 2012, however, after a break of about six months, I was listening to a John O’Callaghan mix and it really inspired me to take it up again. I got back in the studio, finished ‘Napalm Poet’ and my remix of ‘Bullet In The Gun’, and those tracks helped me to burst onto the scene this year. Finishing them gave me the confidence boost that I badly needed.
What was it like playing in Argentina to 9000 people? That must have been an amazing sound system to DJ on?
It was absolutely ridiculous! A once-in-a-lifetime experience I guess you could say, although I really want to do it again! It was so weird meeting up with the likes of Bryan Kearney in the executive lounge at the airport and having a couple of beers with him. Then John O’Callaghan turned up and it was at that point that I finally felt like I was actually a real DJ. Before that gig, the biggest crowd I’d played to was 150, so going from that to 9,000 was just incredible. And the system was amazing, it was so well set up that if you turned down the booth monitors you could literally have a conversation.
What do you think the trance scene is like at the moment? How is it developing and where is going?
I think the trance scene is thriving at the moment. You get some people who try to say trance is dead but that’s total rubbish. There’s been some controversy within the scene since the US really latched onto it because that led to the electro influences that have started coming through in the music of some well known trance producers. And that for me just isn’t trance – there are quite a few tracks in the Beatport trance chart that really don’t belong there in my opinion. Not naming any names but a lot of former trance DJs have changed their sound and jumped on the electro bandwagon. Each to their own, I guess.
Tell us about some of your influences – artists who have helped shape your sound and those who you’d love to work with in the future?
The likes of Armin van Buuren, Paul van Dyk and Eddie Halliwell, who I used to go and see every week in Ibiza were probably my earliest influences. They were the DJs who really inspired me to start producing trance in the first place. Then, once I had started producing my own tracks, guys like Bryan Kearney, John O’Callaghan, Andy Moor and The Blizzard were the kind of artists that started to influence my sound. I always thought that Above & Beyond were amazing writers as well. These days I’m really enjoying the work of new artists such as Will Atkinson, Allan Morrow, Liam Wilson and many others. If I had to say who I’d most like to work with in the future, it would have to be Giuseppe Ottaviani or Aly & Fila.
Tell us about ‘Napalm Poet’ – it famously took you three years to produce?!
It took three years because that was the amount of time I needed to learn how to get the sound that I really wanted; the sound that you can hear in the track. I felt I needed to get my production standard to a level at which I was completely happy with it. I didn’t want to be a producer that was releasing average tracks. It’s so easy to set up a digital label now that some of them release music that isn’t even playable. So I waited until the time was right with ‘Napalm Poet’ and I’m glad I did because the end result was a big success and it really helped launch my career.
What kind of qualities do you try to bring out in your sound, whether you’re DJing at an event or making your own music?
I do play and produce fast trance, but I’m certainly not one of those people who says it has to be 140bpm [beats per minute]. For me it’s mostly about melody and euphoria, not speed. Energy is really important as well though, I think, so I strive to produce and play tracks that have a lot of energy in them. I avoid anything that’s overly dark, although I do aim to be diverse and vary my sound between dirty and uplifting. I make sure that I’m not constantly using the same effects and I always mix harmonically. But, generally, I aim to play the tracks I love, as long as they’re working for the crowd.
Can you tell us about some of your upcoming releases? What kind of direction are you heading musically?
At the moment I’m working on two originals – one is a driving track in the style of my recent faster releases and the other is a slower track, for which I’m collaborating with a vocal duo called Three Faces. I’m taking my time with both these tracks and trying to create something really special in each one. As well as that I’m remixing a great uplifting track for Monster Tunes and also working on a few unofficial remixes.
I’ve got an original track called ‘Mandarine’ coming later this year on a well established label that I can’t announce just yet, along with a remix of ‘We’ll Never Die’ by Bryan Kearney & Jamie Walker, which I think will be released in November. If not it will be given away through the label. I’ve done a remix of ‘Big Sky’ by John O Callaghan & Audrey Gallagher, and a collaborative remix with Bryan Kearney of Conductor & The Cowboy’s ‘Feeling This Way’, both of which will be given away at some point. So lots of new music in the pipeline.
I’m constantly trying to improve the quality of my music because there is a lot of stiff competition out there; a lot of very good producers and DJs and some high standards that I need to meet in order to keep building my career. At the same time though I want to be unique and do something different with each new release. I want to prove I’m not a one-trick pony, but the main priority at the moment is to really make my mark on the trance scene, so I’m very conscious about the style of music I’m putting out. I’ve been turning down a lot of remix offers because I don’t think they would help my career right now, but once I feel I’ve really established myself I’ll probably try some more experimental stuff.
Who’s throwing the best parties at the moment?
I’d have to say Digital Society in Leeds, because it’s always a really good night with a great crowd and fantastic production. Unfortunately it’s also quite a sad time at the moment because Passion has announced its very last event. Tickets for that sold out in 40 minutes, which I think says it all really.
What’s next for Adam Ellis?
Just to carry on producing music that I’m happy with. Everybody I speak to that knows what they’re talking about tells me to just keep on doing what I’m doing. I also want to maintain the interaction that I have with my fans and continue to find the time to reply to them on Facebook and answer their questions, because I’d like to give something back to thank them for their support.
Gig-wise, I’m currently gearing up for a flurry of dates starting in December with a mini tour of the US. I’m playing in NYC on December 13th at the legendary Tammany Hall and then the day after that I play Circus Disco in downtown LA. I’m really excited about both these gigs and I truly can’t wait to meet some American fans and have a great time over there, showcasing some of the best trance around, both new and old.
The week after I’m playing in Glasgow, which will be my debut at The Arches for Rong & Zoom. This is another one I am really, really looking forward to – the Scottish crowd are mental and I’ve heard nothing but good things about the club.
I have loads of exciting gigs coming up in 2014, which I can’t announce just yet, but things are moving so fast and I’m delighted at how it’s all going.
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