To listen to Billy Gillies is to capture true joy, because every song he produces and DJ set he performs radiates pure passion and vibrant spirit.

 

The Northern Irishman’s blend of quirky Eurodance synths, uplifting trance grandeur and hard-hitting bass rhythms goes beyond catchy melodies and expert timing, as breakout hits “Lagoon” and “Youth” tap into the very essence of what makes a night spent on the dancefloor with your best mates such a special experience.

 

That’s why he’s earned more than 145 million views on TikTok, filled a Creamfields tent with thousands of ravers at 1 p.m. on a Sunday, and why he’s managed to get an official remix of Madison Avenue’s 1999 hit “Don’t Call Me Baby” after ripping the iconic vocal off the internet.

 

Crowds chant his name from Taiwan to Texas because Billy Gillies dares to do something different; something unique to himself. Now, Billy Gillies is the next superstar-DJ-in-the-making, poised to take over the world.

 

Billy’s musical obsession started in the 2000s when his older sister started buying Clubland compilation CDs and dating a local DJ. One night, the boyfriend came over and brought his decks, but when the couple left to go dancing, 11-year-old Billy snuck into his sister’s room and started playing with the turntables.

 

“I was like, ‘what is this music? I love this,’” he laughs. “On the Christmas list for that year was a set of decks.”

 

His mom delivered with his first set of Kam belt drives, and Billy’s been mad for mixing ever since. Each Saturday, he’d head out of the house with a five Pound note and spend it on a new record (Tiesto’s Traffic being particularly influential). In turn, he’d spend the next week learning to mix that record in and out of his steadily growing collection.

 

When he was 17, he got his first taste of true Clubland. A year underaged, he caught an hour-long bus from Belfast to Banbridge and talked his way into a club called Coach. Japanese DJ Yoji Biomehanika and the UK’s own Lisa Lashes dropped heavy hard-house records all night, and Billy started dreaming of his own chance to rock a crowd, proper.

 

He knew that if he wanted to be an in-demand DJ, he’d have to come up with some original songs. In 2011, he locked himself in his bedroom with a copy of Ableton Live and didn’t come out until he’d mastered the basic trance sound.

 

He fell in love with music production and started sending his tracks to BBC Radio 1 DJ Judge Jules, who played them on his show every Friday night. For 19-year-old Billy, there was nothing better.

 

After spending much of his 20s as a self-described “party animal,” 28-year-old Billy once again locked himself inside his bedroom and churned out a ton of original tunes. The result? A spot on the lineup of Luminosity 2019 alongside major trance legends Paul Van Dyk, Ferry Corsten, Gareth Emery and more. He played a set of all-original material, and when a recording was posted to Soundcloud, it earned more plays than any of the headliners.

 

“I’d brung a fresh sound into the trance scene,” Gillies says. “Everyone was making the same type of thing, where I just look back at my influences growing up and crammed it into the main trance style.”

 

International booking requests flooded in, sending him to Argentina to Australia—and then COVID struck. Many of his peers saw no point releasing music to a locked-down crowd, but Billy saw a chance to experiment.

 

“People need music in hard times, not just for clubs,” he says. “The music I was making around that time was proper emotional melodies, and it was resonating with everyone.”

 

He’d share each tune in a rough clip to Facebook or TikTok, and every post brought shares in the thousands. His fan base wasn’t just growing, it was ballooning, due in part not only to his masterful skills in the studio but also his effervescent personality that spills into each tune.

Miles Ahead | NYC • MIA • KIN • LDN • TYO • JHB • RJ

Trick is an acclaimed dance music label and event brand owned and curated by global dance music icon, Patrick Topping.

The Newcastle native launched Trick in 2019 as a platform to spot and champion emerging artists, both in the studio and behind the decks. Since then, Trick has become one of the scene's most popular underground dance music event brands and record labels, launching the careers of some of the UK's biggest ticket-sellers and creating a cult fan following along the way.

As a record label, Trick is set to his 100 releases in 2024 and has given an outlet to many new signings who have since become some of the fastest-rising stars in the UK, such as Ben Hemsley, Hannah Laing and Ewan McVicar, who delivered platinum-certified “Tell Me Something Good” along the way. 

Trick's loyal fanbase has become one of the most passionate communities in dance music, with fans sporting Trick's signature lightning bolt on merchandise and tattoos at events throughout the UK and beyond. From completing a 9-date residency in 2022 at Ibiza's legendary DC10, to hosting a stage at EDC Orlando 2022, to attracting 10,000 ravers to The Warehouse Project in Manchester and bringing thousands to an Australian Debut in Melbourne in 2023. Then there is the Trick Weekenders, Budapest in 2022 and Tenerife in 2023. These events both saw 2,500 Trick Troops holiday and party together abroad, with Trick Tenerife this year set to double in size.

In 2024 Patrick is set to give back to his roots, bringing legions of fans to his hometown of Newcastle this summer 2024 with the launch of Trick Fest. Trick will also return to Ibiza, hosting a four-date residency in Hï’s Theatre on Wednesdays.

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