Catching up with one trance’s most exciting producers as he debuts at Trance Sanctuary
Interview by Nadine Dudenhoeffer
Adam Ellis is undoubtedly one of the most exciting up and coming talents in the current Trance scene having hit the top spot on the Beatport Trance charts with his tracks “Napalm Poet & “Mandarin”. The Englishman’s popularity has seen him take to the decks in countries such as Argentina as well as America. On the 15th March he will be back on home soil as he makes his Trance Sanctuary debut at their 3rd Birthday at Egg London. The event will be video streamed live across the world on BE AT TV (www.be-at.tv) so we thought we should find out a little more about this talented DJ/Producer….
Hey Adam welcome to DMCWORLD! The past year has been amazing for you with the success of your tracks like “Napalm Poet” and “Mandarin” What is on the horizons for you over the next few months?
“Thanks and yes, they have certainly been special. I have a huge amount of music coming in the next couple of months. First off my brand new single ‘Velocity In French’ is out on Monster Tunes as a Beatport exclusive on the 24th of March. It was just supported on ASOT as I am writing this. That’s a feeling you will find hard to beat. My remix for Menno De Jong ‘Creatures Of The Night’ has just been released, also as a Beatport Exclusive. Both tracks have had ASOT plays and have been received really well. My remix for Binary Finary ‘ Waiting For The Sun’ is due out on the 31st of March and has already started to receive early support from Aly & Fila, Photographer and more. March is quite a busy period but thankfully there is at least a week in between all the releases so it should not be a huge issue.
I am proud to announce that the follow up to Napalm Poet is finished. It is called Agent Orange. At first the melody was very similar to Napalm Poet but after a lot of feedback and my own personal reasons I decided to re write the melody. I feel that this change has brought a new life to the track and makes it more of a real follow up. It’s got that Napalm Poet feeling with the dark under tones and big haunting vocals but the melody is a huge uplifting riff. I cannot wait to start playing it out. My collabs with Menno De Jong & The Neptune Project are also shaping up nicely and should be finished within the next few weeks. Both are quite different from one another but equally epic in there own right. Last but not least I have a remix for Mark Sherry 95 % finished. I will be playing most of these tracks at Trance Sanctuary so be sure to listen out for a load of new exclusive.”
Menno De Jong – Creatures Of The Night (Adam Ellis Remix)
As a Sheffield lad you surely spent a lot of time at Gatecrasher etc. Is that something which has influenced your music? Who was a big inspiration for you in the early days?
“I went to Crasher most weekends but unfortunately I only witness around 6 real Trance nights there. I only got into Trance in 2007. I have been hooked ever since. My early influences were honestly just anyone who made Trance. Back then I didn’t know anything about artists and who was who. I just remember listening to any Trance music that I could. I specifically remember sitting in my car at age 19 listening to Mauro Picotto – Komodo. That’s the tune that got me into Trance. What a bloody tune!”
How big a turning point was getting your remix of “Bullet In The Gun” released?
“Well it most certainly started my career off. The remix went down so well even Oakie started playing it. Perfecto signed it after that and it boosted my confidence through the roof. With that newfound confidence I finished mixing Napalm Poet and the rest is history. One tune can’t make you massive. It can put you on the map but you have to release quality track after quality track to get anywhere worth getting on my opinion.”
Planet Perfecto – Bullet in the Gun (Adam Ellis Remix)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F19toKw1kIg
How do you approach making an original track?
“I start with the hook now when it comes to original singles. I get a great hook going (which can takes days even weeks) and then I back track and build the track around it. This process is very challenging and one that usually takes a while.”
You worked very hard on your production skills, is there any artist you would like to collaborate with and why?
“I have already had the pleasure of working with Bryan Kearney, Menno De Jong & The Neptune Project and you cant ask for more than that. It’s a dream come true to think that these guys want to work with me on tracks. I cant get my head around it most of the time. As far as moving forward I really want to work with Sneijder, JOC, Aly & Fila, Agnelli & Nelson and Sean Tyas. I think they will all happen at some point if I work hard and prove to them that I am worth of a collab. I have to be realistic but at the same time there is no reason that I cannot make these dream collabs happen.”
Is there anything you can recommend young talents in regards to producing as well as the process of releasing a track?
“It’s all about making your own music in my honest opinion. Don’t give up when it gets hard (which it will haha), If you have a good go at it and after 4 or 5 years you just have not got the raw talent, then getting some help in the mix down stage could be a viable option. Too many people want fast results now days and you have to understand that any skill worth having is not easy to achieve. My best advice would be to not rush signing your tracks. There are a lot of poorly run labels out there with poor quality control and signing a track that’s not good enough to be played by the top DJ’s will only tarnish your name in the long run. I learnt the hard way but thankfully I never signed an original, just remix’s. Looking back they are so bad its unreal. It’s a massive regret that I didn’t just come out storming with Napalm Poet. I have some shit remix’s to my name which I wish I could get rid off. It wont effect my career, its just more of a personal thing.”
Bryan Kearney and John O’Callaghan have been particularly supportive of you. How does that feel and what do you most admire about them?
“No one will ever understand the true amount of appreciation that I have for these guys. Without getting too deep I owe my whole career to both of them in one way or another. Bryan for signing Napalm and handling it the way he did, pushing me on his radio show, in interviews and for just for his general support and John for giving me a chance to remix for Subculutre, signing my second Beatport number 1 to the label, passing my name on to my now manager who runs RJM Promotions and again for his continued support. I admire the way that for the past 6 or 7 years both have been writing cutting edge music not to mention writing my joint favourite Trance track ‘Exactly’ (Linking People is the other), I also admire their professionalism within the scene and basically I aspire to follow in there footsteps. That says it all I think.”
What was your first gig and your memories of playing it?
“It was in an awful little bar in Sheffield. I was the only one dancing. I still loved it mind.”
And now what gig has been your most favourite?
“This one is tough. For the sheer size and the overwhelming passion of the guys over there I would have to say playing in Argentina for the first time was certainly up there. The guys over in NYC also put on an amazing show and the energy in the room that night was electric. I will be back to both of these places this year and I CANNOT wait. A big shout out has to go to RONG Manchester too. This was my first professional gig in England and there were moments in that set that I will never forget. Everyone signing along to my remix of Big Sky with the music totally cut out and JOC stood behind me was just magical.”
For those that have not seen you play before, can you describe your style?
“It’s always hard to answer this question without dropping of a load of cliche words. At the end of the day though I play fast energetic club music. It’s very uplifting and quite hard at times. I’d rather show you than explain it…”
It will be your Trance Sanctuary debut on 15th March at Egg in London. What have you heard about the party and what can the crowd expect from your set?
“Honestly I’ve heard nothing but good things. Menno De Jong told me that it was a great event and that the guys really look after you. I have done my research and the videos look class. I am very excited to make my professional debut in London at Trance Sanctuary. From my set you can expect a lot of exclusive new material as well as some of my favourite new and old tracks. You can also expect to see me going mad behind the decks loving every single moment.”
Adam Ellis headlines the Trance Sanctuary’s 3rd Birthday on Saturday March 15th daytime from 3pm onwards with Agnelli & Nelson, Sneijder (Subculture/Armada), Temple One (Enhanced Music), Mark Landragin, Ian O’Shea with a BangMessy Room with Mark Sherry, Corderoy B2B U4RIC DJs, Messy A B2B Traian and Kev Treacy and more information at www.egglondon.net or www.trancesanctuary.com or www.facebook.com/trancesanctuary
Adam’s set will be video streamed live from the event at www.be-at.tv
For more information on Adam Ellis visit www.facebook.com/adamellisuk
