Page 30 - Zone Magazine Issue 012

Christopher Kirkpatrick, AKA Shugz, is a name that has appeared to come out of nowhere on the Trance scene. Combining youth, energy, electrifyingly impressive deck skills and a notable production ability, it doesn’t take long to realise why there is such a fuss around this exceptional talent.
Shugz’ DJ skills are arguably where his real talent lies. Relentless practice for years has lead to an astounding array of deck wizardry, comparable to a very rare few in the scene. Often seen in sets using a 3rd deck, scratching, cutting & using layered effects, combining fast mixing and unexpected tune drops – Shugz is fast becoming a fan favourite. Having achieved local hero status in N. Ireland, Shugz recently debuted at the famous ‘Luminosity Beach Festival’ and was highly acclaimed as having the ‘set of the night’.
In June of this year, you closed Area 3 at the prestigious Luminosity Beach Festival in Bloemendaal. Funnily enough, this also coincided with your birthday weekend. Since that would be every diehard trance DJs dream birthday present, what are you hoping for as an Xmas present this year? An exclusive trance set in Lapland perhaps?
That was the best weekend ever! I could not believe my luck when Bo got in contact with me and asked me would I like to close one of the stages on the Friday night. I went for my first time in 2015 for my birthday so to be asked to come and play a year later was amazing. Playing one of my own tracks to a massive crowd on the beach while the sun was going down to the right of me, it still feels surreal even now when I think about it. Almost 40 of us from home made the trip over for the event, it was a very special birthday. That wouldn't have anything on a Christmas classics set in the north pole to a certain fat man, his wife & his helpers tho. That's the real dream :)
Luminosity, Amnesia & Argentina were three of your biggest gigs that you dreamt of playing. Now that you have Luminosity ticked off your bucketlist and so soon in your career. Do you think we could see Shugz appear at one of your two remaining dream gigs sooner that we think?
I certainly hope so! Argentina is the cream of the crop in regards to Trance parties. Every DJ who has played there says it & every video/ picture you see of the raves seems to prove it. Trance music is like a religion over there, they
are on another level completely to any other clubbers I've seen. In regards to Amnesia what Trance artist out there doesn't have that on their bucket list of gigs? We all love Kevin & Perry Go Large, once you watch that Amnesia scene at the end it's straight onto your own big dream list as a DJ. What a movie!
Your work has already been supported by several heavyweight producers such as Aly & Fila, Bryan Kearney, Sean Tyas & John Askew just to name a few. Does gaining this support so early on in your career add extra pressure to your future productions or are you simply able to use it as motivation?
It's a bit of both for me. Seeing the A listers getting behind your own music is an amazing feeling, it's what it's all about. Having your music consistently in their music collection definitely isn't easy, it's very challenging for anyone. Every time I finish a track I strive for it to be bigger & better than the last, no exceptions. With that aim it adds pressure for sure but I believe it helps. A bit of pressure brings the best out in you.
Even though Shugz is a relatively new name to appear within the trance production scene, you have built up a name for yourself as a very talented DJ within the Northern Irish trance scene. How much has your ability to utilize effects and scratching in your DJ sets influenced your production style?
Thank you very much for the kind words. To answer the question simply it's a massive influence. It's all about the energy with me. Whether it's performing live or producing in the studio, it has to be driving & in your face. I like to try and leave people with their heads upside down after my sets. The same applies to listening to my tracks now as well haha.
One Shot Samples and FX are obviously elements you spend quite a long time working on in your tracks. How long would you spend sample hunting and creating these sequences before you decide it is finished?
I spend a ridiculous amount of time searching for unique samples and creating different ways to use them to for my tracks. Anything I hear from other music, films or anything else I think will work I pinch them and throw them in my sample folder. Making the sequences and FX chains along with making basslines is my favourite part of producing music. It takes ages but it's worth it. Always try to be different in some way.
Eden's Calling was released in August of this year making it your first original
release on a label. Had you any trouble in the past finding labels to release your music or has the process been an easy one for you?
No trouble as of yet. The only track I have sent to labels was my very first original "Overdose" which I fell out of love with shortly after & gave away for free on my Soundcloud. I wanted my first released original to be something I'm really proud of and it just didn't cut the mustard for me after I finished it and left it for a while. "Eden's Calling" is definitely a lot more of what I'm about, I couldn't be happier with it and how it turned it out.
Bryan Kearney has played a big part in your career so far. He has supported your tracks from the very start and also released an exclusive remix you done of his track Mexican Rave on his Kearnage Recordings label. Could we expect to see a collab with Bryan in the future or maybe some more releases on Kearnage?
Yeah Bryan has really looked after me this last while. From the remix opportunity on Mexican Rave last year to recently signing with my agency Music First, he's been backing me 100%. A collaboration with him would be a dream come true, there isn't many in trance that would pass up that opportunity that's for sure. In regards to more releases on Kearnage, there is something BIG coming soon. Keep your ears out.
Many producers within the trance community have aliases for some of their non-trance productions. What would you choose as your alias and can we expect any experimental side productions from Shugz in the future?
That's a hard one. I could sit here for a month and probably not come up with an alias name to give you an answer. The hardest part of making music in my world is naming the tracks, it takes me forever haha. I love a wide variety of different music and want to be able to produce lots of different styles eventually, yeah. I think it's important to challenge yourself as an artist and learning different styles is only going to make you a more rounded & better producer all in. At the moment I'm working on some Psy, Techno & of course more Tech Trance as well. Now is the time!
Connect: https://soundcloud.com/shugo_srd Words By Daniel Daly
Pic By Leo McElwee
30 ZONE-MAGAZINE.IE
spotlight interview [northern ireland]