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 In the wake of his new compilation album and the ever growing success of his Enhanced Recordings label, we decided we should touch base with the busy DJ/producer/label manager Will Holland and find out some more about him...
It’s heading towards the end of 2008 and Will Holland, now 26, is poised to release his 3rd compilation; the second in the critically acclaimed ‘Digitally Enhanced’ series, whilst his world renowned label, Enhanced Recordings, is nearing its 50th release.
A lot’s happened in the short career of the young Englishman, who first came to prominence in late 2003 when he made his debuts at UK super-clubs Passion and Goodgreef, along with stellar releases on Bonzai and Hotdecks which saw him feature on BBC Radio One’s almighty Dance Anthems show 5 weeks in a row and received heavy support from the world’s DJing elite.
A quick succession of further releases on classic labels such as Platipus and hot collaborations with producers such as Activa cemented his stature as one of the top nu-breed of trance producers and he went on to play at further UK super-clubs Slinky and Wildchild, the latter of whom snapped him up for a London residency. In 2005 Will unleashed ‘Timeless’, a vocal monster that went on to be one of the tunes of the year, featuring on Armin’s 2005 ASOT Yearmix compilation and Gatecrasher’s Classics 2 compilation. He was subsequently tipped by Mixmag as ‘One to Watch’ and gained the coveted ‘Future Hero’ status.
2005 was also the year that Will graduated university with a 2:1 in Event Management and a 1st in his dissertation ‘The Changing Face of the UK Super-Club’. Upon submitting his work and CV to Gatecrasher, Simon Raine, founder of the world’s most famous trance club, appointed Will in charge of the promotions and marketing for their flagship club in Sheffield; Gatecrasher One. Will went on to run sell out events with the likes of Armin van Buuren, Ferry Corsten, Roger Sanchez, Above & Beyond and Erick Morillo. A residency later followed, which saw Will feature alongside the biggest names in the world, and further established him as one of the leading UK DJs, with a fantastic ability to play warm up or peak time sets.
Not content with just making and playing music, Will founded Enhanced Recordings, also in 2005. Now regarded as one of the leading imprints of the scene, Will has amassed a group of wonderful young talent and more established artists to create a label with consistent high quality and a forward thinking approach to the direction of the music today. Little over three years later, the label has spawned 4 sub labels; Enhanced Progressive, Enhanced Limited, Enhanced Black and Enhanced Digital, as well as 3 stand out compilations and is now within touching distance of the magical 50 releases mark. With consistent support from the world’s DJing elite, regular appearances on the largest compilations and substantial ‘Tune of the …’ accolades from the key magazines and radio shows, the label that has “gained a lot of respect in a short space of time” (I-DT Magazine, NL) has been making “a good case for its position at the head of the UK trance table” (Mixmag) and is now “one of the most famous trance labels today” (Armin van Buuren- ASOT).
The Enhanced Recordings Radio Show, hosted by Will, has now been syndicated to the largest 4 internet stations, DI.FM, ETN, Afterhours and Paul van Dyk’s VONYC and pulls in 10s of thousands of listeners each month. Will has also made several guest appearances on the UK’s largest dance music station Galaxy FM, and provided several guest mixes on Above & Beyond’s huge Trance Around The World Show.
2007 saw the launch of a new chapter in Will’s DJing career when he teamed up with some old friends to launch Digital Society, a brand new concept in his home town of Leeds. The monthly night, now approaching its second birthday has featured the cream of the nu-breed and the more established trance artists and has been dubbed the “saviour of UK trance events” and “the Holy Grail of Northern clubbing”. With recent tour dates at legendary UK night Passion in Coalville, ADE in Holland and London coming up this December, not to mention Digital Society Recordings (a new sub-label of Enhanced and managed by Will) and their first compilation dropping in March 2009, this looks like another rosy chapter in the story of Will Holland.
Add to that recent international DJ dates in most of Europe, including Eden and Space Ibiza, 3 Mixmag ‘Compilation of the Month’ awards, and finishing as a runner up in the ‘Best Mixmag Future Hero’, which was won by Andy Moor and you have some idea of the talent that Will possesses behind the decks and in the studio.
With his current release ‘Tears In The Rain’ doing the business with the biggest names once again, and two more hotly anticipated releases pencilled for early 2009, along with a superb remix collaboration with Temple One and his critically acclaimed third compilation, Will Holland is one artist you simply cannot ignore.
i:Vibes: Hi Will, thanks for taking some time to talk to www.ivibes.nu. When reading your bio, one could imagine you’re nearing 40, but you’re only 26, but have accomplished so much in such a short time. Do you sometimes pinch yourself just to know that nothing has been a dream?
Will Holland: Hello! No problem, more than happy to drop by! I wouldn’t go so far as to pinch myself, yes I’ve had a good few years but it’s nothing compared to some people. I still see myself as a young figure within the scene and I think I’ve got a long, long way to go so I look forward to what the future holds.
i:Vibes: Where exactly are you from in the UK and what was your childhood like?
Will Holland: I’m from the southern midlands, about 45 minutes from Leicester (about 90 minutes from London). I had a good childhood, I can’t complain- where I’m from is hardly the Las Vegas of England but it’s home, and that’s what counts!!! I moved to Leeds for university when I was 19 and haven’t left since.
i:Vibes: Who were your early musical inspirations and why?
Will Holland: Now, this is the point where I am meant to dazzle you with some ‘out there’ choices but I’ll be honest, my dad was a big Dire Straits fan, and my mum was a Beetles / Beegees girl so really no different to the majority. I knew I was into dance music from an early age as I was buying dance compilations when I was 11; I don’t know why but something about the music just grabbed me. When I started DJing at 15 I guess my favourite DJs were Sasha and Paul van Dyk; that is what my ‘Essential Mix’ tapes would tell you anyway!
i:Vibes: What was the deciding moment where you knew that you wanted to be involved with music?
Will Holland: I always loved music events and music from an early age and I played various instruments at school. Once I found DJing I really realised it was something I loved doing; whether it was playing music or promoting large scale music events I knew it was what I wanted to do, so when I left school I looked for a further education in that field.
i:Vibes: What was the first record that you bought?
Will Holland: Sandman – Remember Me. Great record! I was into everything when I first started DJing, it was only when a Dutch friend of mine bought over some trance records that I really got into it - I was importing tracks and ordering things through record shops that you’d never heard of; a year later though it was everywhere when the 97/98 boom happened.
i:Vibes: Your first big gigs were at Passion and Goodgreef in 2003. How did you get your foot in the UK Dance scene at that time?
Will Holland: Basically I hounded the promoters. I used to go to the club nights week in week out with my friends and used to hand my mix CDs to the promoters. One day I got a call asking me to play at a gig.
i:Vibes: You have been producing music for some time now. How would you describe the Will Holland sound at this moment and in what direction is your sound going?
Will Holland: I’ve never been totally happy with my sound and I’m still looking for what I want; with everything else going on I don’t have too much time to make music anymore but I still love making records; nothing gives you such a buzz. My sound has always been very melodic and uplifting; that will never change; no matter what the BPM is.
i:Vibes: In 2005, you produced one of the monster tracks of the year, ‘Timeless’. This was featured on Armin van Buuren’s ‘A State Of Trance Yearmix 2005’ compilation. When looking back was this a difficult track to produce? What was the most difficult part in getting this track prefect for your taste?
Will Holland: Not really; I was looking for the right vocals and got hooked up with Danny Kirsch who is an excellent songwriter from the UK. He sent me the vocals and I built the track around them; it literally took a couple of days to make. Normally I make the track, then get the vocalist to record the vocals so this was a very easy project to do compared to others!
i:Vibes: How important was it getting your University degree in 2005 in Event Management? Were you not sure that you could become a DJ/Producer that could pay the bills at the end of the month?
Will Holland: My parents always made me take my education seriously, and in the UK a lot of businesses expect that you take further education if you really want to succeed; so I thought it best to go to university for that and the experience. When I signed up for the course I did so because I wanted to gain a greater understanding and knowledge base in marketing and promoting large scale events; I had been to so many that I really wanted to run my own.
i:Vibes: You were in charge at Gatecrasher One in Sheffield for promotions and Marketing. What is the most difficult thing in this job for being able to keep the masses coming in?
Will Holland: With a global brand such as Gatecrasher there are a lot of positives and negatives when running an event; positives are it’s a very well know brand and has a wonderful kudos that gives you instant respectability and belief that your product will deliver what the customer wants. On the flip side you need to live up to those beliefs and the history of the brand. Gatecrasher is a wonderful brand that really revolutionised clubbing in the UK and still pushes the scene forward; I would say it’s the most important trance clubbing brand of the last 10 years.
i:Vibes: You’re a music lover and workaholic and it was obvious that starting a label would not be far away. You started Enhanced Recordings in 2005 and made it into one of the top UK labels. What has been your key to success with this label that already has 50 releases under its belt?
Will Holland: I really put it down to hard work and a good ear for the right track. I’m a big believer in quality not quantity and I really push my artists to improve and not release every track they produce. I also don’t go for big names for every release; I think you should give people the chance and we have given birth to the careers of Activa, Temple One and many other bright future talents. We had a few nightmares with distributers and manufacturing companies going bankrupt over the past two years and I have recently moved Enhanced away from Monster Tunes and to my new company Enhanced Music Limited to fully control the label and things have been going brilliantly lately.
i:Vibes: Recently Tritonal released ‘Somnium / Photographique’. These guys have been tearing up the trance scene in 2008. Nice to see some real trance quality from Texas. How impressed have you been by these guys?
Will Holland: Chad and Dave are great. They have such a polished sound for guys that are so fresh to the scene. I have actually come close to signing several tracks in the past but wanted to wait to get the tracks that fit the label. Trust me, these guys are definitely ones to watch and will have some great new tracks on Enhanced over the next year.
i:Vibes: What top label do you respect and could see Enhanced Recordings following in its footsteps?
Will Holland: There are so many. If you look at current labels then you have to respect the likes of Armada for the sheer size of their operation; 1500 tracks in 5 years is staggering; and they keep releasing killer tracks. In the UK, Anjunabeats is another label that really has everything tied down so well; the artists are so strong, their branding and marketing is brilliant as well. Really I could go on for hours about labels old and new; so many have great qualities. I want to make Enhanced bigger and bigger over the next few years and we will be exploring many avenues to achieve that.
i:Vibes: You are about to release Digitally Enhanced Volume 2. The track list looks like a real beauty. On CD1, you feature fine progressive sounds and have 11 remix mixes out of the 15 tracks. Is that just another way to get more artists involved or why did you feature so many remixes?
Will Holland: When I do the Digitally Enhanced compilations I try to be fair to all the artists as it is a compilation that features only Enhanced material. Therefore I try to get every artist on the label, whilst getting the balance of the mixes right. I also wanted to feature some of the tracks from the Masters Series comp, but wanted to use different mixes.
i:Vibes: CD2 is Enhanced Trance. Are there any surprises on this CD awaiting the listener?
Will Holland: Lots! As always the compilation features the most recent, and the future releases so you can find loads of exclusives, including three from myself; check out the tracklist to see!
i:Vibes: How well has been the feedback been on ‘Things That Happen’?
Will Holland: Really good. It’s definitely a track which has a lot of hype around it considering I am the only person that’s been playing it. I am keeping it tight for now; release will be in spring!
i:Vibes: For ‘Tears In The Rain’, you got the two German trance fanatics Alex Morph and Woody van Eyden to remix your track. Why did you get these two guys?
Will Holland: I’ve known Alex and Woody for a long time. They’re two of the nicest guys you will ever meet and we said we should work together so I asked them to mix the first Masters Series compilation. I did a remix for their Fenology label, and I got them to remix this. I think they’re a really talented duo and their remix of ‘Tears In The Rain’ is brilliant.
i:Vibes: You are nearing the two year anniversary of Digital Society. What exactly is the concept behind this and do you have anything special planned for the two year birthday?
Will Holland: Similar to Enhanced really; quality trance and progressive from the nubreed. It’s won many plaudits and is without a doubt the best trance night in the UK at the minute. The birthday line up is our biggest yet. I can’t say who but it really is amazing!!
i:Vibes: What are your goals for 2009? Anything new planned besides releases, DJ gigs, a new compilation and your label?
Will Holland: Just to continue as I am and keep pushing the label. I have lined up a really great star for the next Masters Series and I have a new compilation series planned for next year too which I’m very excited about; can’t say too much about it just now though! Digital Society Recordings is launching in February and I am also putting on some Enhanced events to run alongside the Digital Society brand.
i:Vibes: You also have the Enhanced Recordings Radio show. Nowadays it seems like there are thousands of these shows. Of course the masses listen to Armin, Above & Beyond or Paul van Dyk’s shows. How difficult is it making a weekly/monthly show that is different from the usual radio shows?
Will Holland: I don’t think it’s difficult as long as you’re yourself. The Enhanced show features all the new and exclusive stuff from the label that you cannot hear anywhere else as well as great guest mixes from the Enhanced artists.
i:Vibes: With what artist would you like to be locked away with for 24 hours?
Will Holland: That’s a million dollar question! Hmmmm. I really don’t know; my early heroes were Sasha, Paul van Dyk and Armin so one of them I guess.
i:Vibes: What are your five all time favourite tracks?
Will Holland: I have loads but the first five that come to mind, in no particular order are...
Ron Hagen & Pascal M – Forever
Veracocha – Carte Blanche
Dutchforce – Deadline
Yves Deryuter – To the Rhythm (Signum Mix)
Digital Blonde – Legato
Ralphie B – Massive
...Ok that’s six and it’s only a few really; haven’t even gone into progressive yet!
i:Vibes: What are your hobbies?
Will Holland: I’m a massive Arsenal fan, love movies and playing Tennis, and of course music!
i:Vibes: You have already achieved so much at 26, but what else would you like to do in your music career?
Will Holland: There are some venues that I haven’t played in yet but would love to; Amnesia in Ibiza springs to mind. I would also like to be able to spend more time in the studio and work on my sound and individual ability. It’s a cliché to say it; but this scene genuinely brings surprises every day so I’m sure there is still a lot in store for me.
i:Vibes: Thank you Will for the chat and good luck in the future!
Will Holland: Thank you very much!
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