Over the past few years, Simon Patterson has mastered a production style that continues to deliver on the dancefloor. The man’s tough and driving sound has propelled him to the top ranks of trance – with the tour schedule to match. Following storming sets at Trance Energy last year, Patterson is back in July for the Airport tour alongside Dutch gun Sied van Riel. We found out what he’s packing for the long haul down under.

So, what projects are currently demanding most of your time?
I’m currently trying to set up my label so that’s been taking up pretty much all of it. I’ve had a good run with my productions in recent times so I want to develop an imprint that will allow me to expand on my sound. I also want to nurture some new talent through this channel; I’ve been extremely fortunate to play some far-flung destinations over the last three to four years and on these travels I’ve been introduced to a slew of new and exciting artists, of which I want to help offer them a channel to promote their music through.

2010 has already been busy with touring for you – what has been a highlight so far?
South America is the area of the world that I am finding myself in more and more. It’s a beautiful continent with some incredible destinations to not only perform in but also see from a tourist perspective. My highlights to date have to be Argentina, closely followed by Mexico.

Is collaborating with our producers something you still get a kick out of, or is the focus now largely on doing your own thing?
It’s good to learn, but I’d rather just concentrate on my own thing. I have done a few collaborations recently but I’m going to end up changing them and using them under my own name. I want to apply more focus to my own music especially, as I am aiming towards releasing my own artist album very soon.

There are quite varied opinions from DJs and producers we’ve interviewed recently about the health of trance in 2010 – do you personally feel there’s a lot of good creative energy at the moment?
Absolutely. The scene has found itself in a real purple patch with its creative energy. There’s a lot of new talent emerging, as well as some fantastic ideas and projects happening right now. For me, one of the beautiful things about dance music is that fresher ideas are always welcomed – the scene is about evolution, with neither the artists or clubbers shunning away from opening their minds to that.

When you’re concentrating on your own productions, can it be distracting to have to seek out music for your DJ sets?
Yeah, it’s just harder to find new stuff I like these days. Download stores and so on are great and highly useful when you’re on the road and need to access music. And of course music being digital has more pros than cons, but the issue for me has been the quality control. Too many under-produced tracks make the grade, too many artists think that releasing a 100-plus tracks a year is the way to go, when sadly it’s not. So whilst there are loads of promos around, not that many of them make my sets.

Armin van Buuren has always been an advocate of yours. What is it about Armin in your opinion that has kept him such a revered figure?
His ability to always put on a show and support and give something back to the scene constantly. He’s a great advocate of new talent; something I think is highly evident in his recent ASOT shows. With such a high profile, Armin’s managed to still be accessible for both DJs and clubbers and I think the scene respects him immensely for that.

How much value do you place on something like a ranking in the DJ Magazine Top 100? Is it a good promotional tool?
Yeah, in a sense it’s good. I think some people take it all too seriously. For me the Top 100 is a good healthy aspect of the scene. Granted, it’s perhaps a popularity contest, but as long as it done fairly and in good taste from those vying for votes, then it offers a positive insight into the annual trends of the electronic scene.

You were last here for Trance Energy Australia in 2009. Did you enjoy coming as part of that line-up?
I loved it. It was one of the best tours I have done and the fact it was with a few DJs I am close to made it even better. The organisation behind those gigs was spot on and it was a real pleasure to perform to such wild crowds. Australian audiences have been one of the best supporters to my music in recent times, so it’s always a joy to get back to the country and tour.

This time you’re coming to Australia alongside Sied Van Riel. Anything in particular you’re looking forward to trying out on the crowds down here?
I’ve some new edits of a few tracks I’ve been working on – whether I’ll play them on the night, I’m not sure yet. The crowds can expect my usual style but maybe with a bit of psy in there!

Simon Patterson and Sied Van Riel bring Airport to these venues in July.

Friday 2 July – Billboard The Venue, Melbourne
Saturday 3 July – Secret Warehouse, Brisbane [day show]
Saturday 3 July – Gaelic Theatre, Sydney
Saturday 10 July – Rise, Perth
Sunday 11 July – HQ, Adelaide