Bill Patrick

Forget young DJs propelled to stardom on the back of one club hit, New York native Bill Patrick has more substance

It is impossible to talk about Bill Patrick without mentioning one thing: he does not produce music. Despite being a DJ who plays on the same global circuit as many underground stars, Bill has done it all off the back of his ability in the booth, rather than the studio. Born and raised in New York City, Bill got the sort of formative DJ education that so many of today’s kids lack. He earned residencies at legendary NYC clubs such as The Limelight, Vinyl and Arc, playing to sweaty dancefloors from the early hours right through until sun-up. A notoriously frank character, Bill dropped some wisdom for What’s On

before his Dubai gig this month.

On why he loves after-hours parties…

“Everyone’s on the same page, you can experiment musically, you’re not concerned with losing the dance floor – it’s just a lot easier. You’re in tune with the people and they’re in tune with you. The people there at that hour are diehard music fans. That’s when it gets fun because you can play all the tracks you don’t necessarily get to play at a festival or a big club. As a music nerd, that’s where you really get to experiment.”

On being forthright…

“One thing I’m proud of is that I’m brutally honest. I’ve lost respect for so many of my peers and friends who’ve campaigned for votes [in the Resident Advisor poll]. What do you need more gigs for? You’re complaining all the time that you’re travelling so much and then you’re asking for people to vote for you so you get more gigs, more money – it’s pathetic.”

The truth about being a DJ...

“We’re all super insecure. The bigger DJ you are, the more insecure you are. Next time a DJ starts spewing about how many gigs they’ve played, where they travelled and what interview they did, please tell them, ‘All I said was hello,’ and walk away.” September 18

Level 41, Media One Hotel, Dubai Media City, 5pm to 3am, Dhs100, free before 9pm. Tel: (050) 3599798. Metro: Nakheel. facebook.com/ blitzproductionsUAE