Patrick Topping: ”Each day new things keep happening with my music and the last 3 years have been absolutely amazing”

THE term 'meteoric rise' is a somewhat overused term in dance music, but the cliche really is the best way to describe the ascent of Patrick Topping.

In only a few years he has gone from playing home town gigs in Newcastle to tirelessly touring the world's biggest festivals, playing alongside some of the best in the business including the likes of Pete Tong, Eats Everything, Jamie Jones and Green Velvet. This summer sees him continue his residency at Jamie Jones' Paradise at DC10 in Ibiza and release another EP on Jones' Hot Creations imprint together with shows at Space Ibiza, Hideout festival in Croatia and elrow in Barcelona.

We caught up with Patrick to find out how it all came about.

It’s fair to say that the last few years have been something of a whirlwind. Can we start at the beginning though. Can you tell us how you got into the scene in Newcastle and what the scene was like surrounding you there as you grew up and became part of it? How did it influence you as a DJ and producer?
The scene in Newcastle was and still is class. I started sneaking into nights like Shindig and Waxon when I was 17, where I got to see some of the world's best DJs weekly. Those early clubbing experiences definitely furthered my passion for the music and ultimately lead me onto wanting to DJ and make music myself.

Your career really kick started when you signed to Hot Creations and Hottrax with tracks such as Walk On, Get Beasty and Forget bringing you a lot of attention. But your relationship with label boss Jamie Jones dates back further than that. Can you tell us about how you hooked up with Jamie and the influence he and his label have had on you? 

I actually only got to know Jamie after he signed Walk On, before that, there was a period of sending him music via his old tour manager, then when Walk On was signed, that’s when we started speaking directly. From then on he started signing more music and getting me on Hot Creations and Paradise shows. Musically he has had a huge impact on me, I had been a fan for years before I even sent Hot Creations anything. Then he played 3 or 4 unsigned tracks on the lead up to singing Walk On. This had a profound effect on my music, because it really inspired me and motivated me to keep trying to make as much music as could. I realised what a good opportunity it was, to have to ear of someone like Jamie listening to my music, but more than that I would say it also affected what I was making.