DJOYbeat Exclusive: Jordan Suckley Takes EDC for the First Time

UK producer and artist Jordan Suckley has collaborated with the biggest names in trance, from John O’Callaghan and Armin van Buuren to Paul Van Dyk and Paul Oakenfold. A resident on the world-renown BBC Radio 1, Suckley has performed at some of the world’s most coveted dance floors and festivals. Given his track record, it came as a huge surprise to learn that this year will mark Suckley’s debut performance at EDC Las Vegas. He sat down with DJOYBeat to give us the pre-performance scoop.

What kind of experience are you anticipating for your first EDC performance?

I have seen a lot of pictures online and it looks insane, so I am expecting complete mayhem.

Having performed at both, do you typically prefer playing to fans in a festival setting or in a club environment?

I love both, but there is definitely something special about playing to the huge crowds at festivals!

As a fan, what sets are you most looking forward to hearing at EDC Vegas?

Paul van Dyk and Paul Oakenfold.

When playing in an open-air setting to an enormous crowd, like the one you’ll have at EDC, how do decide what direction to take your set?

I never plan my sets, I just take a huge folder with a mixture [of sounds] and go with the flow. I play each track and develop the set from there, judging by the crowd’s reaction to the previous track.

A lot of people have been saying for a while that trance is no longer as popular among the masses. Is there any truth to that? How do you meet a crowd halfway without completely changing your sound or musical direction?

Ever since I started my journey with trance, people have been saying trance is dead, etc. and I think that is complete rubbish. Trance is made for clubs and festivals, its not supposed to be for daytime radio, etc.  Its not meant to appeal to the commercial masses. I also don’t feel like I have to meet the crowd halfway at all – I usually just play what I like and it’s been working out okay for me so far!

As an artist, what is the toughest thing about playing to a festival crowd?

People walk in and out of the arenas at festivals, which is something you don’t have when playing in a club.

If you could share the stage with any artist, who would it be?

I love The Prodigy, although our music style is quite different so I’m not sure if the stage would work well musically.

Can you fill us in on any upcoming shows or projects you have in the works?

Collaborations with Paul van Dyk and Simon Patterson, and remixes for Paul Oakenfold, Gareth Emery and Giuseppe Ottaviani. I have a string of new singles coming very soon! Also, I have some great gigs coming up including EDC London, Cream at Amnesia in Ibiza, Global Gathering Festival, TomorrowWorld, Exchange in LA, FSOE350 in Egypt and loads more.

Everybody has a festival survival-kit or guide. What are you going to do to prepare yourself for the EDC “mayhem,” like you said?

Lots of money, beer, my phone and my bass face!