Interview: Lucky Date

December 21, 2011 By Zona 977 Comments

At only 21 years old, DJ/Producer Jordan Atkins-Loria, better known as DJ Lucky Date, has been making enormous strides in the electronic music industry. His signature dirty electro sound accompanies his exceptional synth engineering skill and has landed him a spot on the Big Fish Recordings label. This past year has been crazy for the upcoming artist: releasing some huge remixes of artists such as Lazy Rich, Zedd, and Crystal Castles all in addition to a few originals like “I Love the Way You Move.” Recently, Lucky Date announced that he will be opening for Excision on his upcoming national tour. We had our Techi reporter Parker Ashley catch up with Lucky Date for a few questions.

Let’s start with your upcoming tour with Excision and Liquid Stranger, how did it come about?

Excision started playing some of my tunes last year. He and a few other DJ’s who are on the DJ agency Circle Management were supporting my remix of Spencer&Hill – Dub Disco. Once I became a part of Circle, my agent told me that he and Excision wanted to offer me a spot on the tour.

Is this the biggest tour you have ever done?

Yes! I have never been on a routed bus tour opening for an artist who I respect as much as Excision. I cannot wait!

What does it take to put something like this together? How much preparation is involved?

On my side of things not much at all, for our agent Steve its probably one of the most busy and hardworking parts of the year. I know it takes over four months to lock in every date and get everything set up, not to mention getting the stage, sound, and crew set up. Steve Gordon really kills it when it comes to setting up tours.

This is a big step in your career as a DJ/Producer. What do you hope to accomplish in this tour?

I hope to add a little bit of a contrast on the tour, I am much more known for my house and electro and I think my sets will work well to give the audience something they might not be used to hearing. My biggest hope for this tour is to come away with some new friends, fans, and music!

Where did you start? How did you get into DJing/Producing?

I started producing when I was 14, I learned at a program called Youth Radio that taught kids to make beats using a software called Reason. They also gave kids the opportunity to have their own weekly radio show. I fell in love with the music production side and stuck with it. I produced mainly hip-hop from ages 14-18. When I was 16 I was introduced into the rave scene and got my first glimpse into the world of the DJ/Producer. My music began to become heavily influenced by electronic sounds which at the time was mostly Fidget and House Music. By the time I left for college at 18 I decided to start the project “Lucky Date”.

How difficult has it been to get to where you are now?

It took a lot of time and hard work to get to where I am now. That being said, last year I never thought I would have had a song on Beatport or would be touring playing shows. Things move fast, and with hard work anything can be achieved. I still have a long way to go and I look forward to the future.

Who are your musical influences?

Anywhere from John Dahlback to STS9. I take influence in almost all the music I hear, whether I like it or not, almost anything can inspire me to write.

What is the hardest part about your job? What is the best part?

The hardest part is knowing when its time to stop working on a song and call it done. The longer I have been doing this the more hyper critical I have become towards my own work. Its very important to let go and trust yourself. The best part is meeting great people all over the world. I’ve met many amazing people through my music and that to me is the best reward.

How important is it to stay current with all of the new music coming out?

Very, having new music to play at shows is part of the job. I think its fine to play older music but constantly adding new songs to my playlists is a must.

How has technology changed what you do? How you perform, produce, etc.

Alot! With new software updates and DJ gear my music and performance is always evolving. It also makes it very exciting to know new stuff is coming out.

What are some things that we can look forward to in this upcoming tour and in your career? What are you most excited about?

New music and merch are the two things that are coming next. I will be releasing a lot of original work and a few remixes before and throughout the tour. I am also going to start selling merch for the first time. I have some free merch I will be giving out at each show as well

Thank you so much for taking the time to do an interview. I look forward to seeing you play in the upcoming tour!

Thanks! See ya soon!

You can keep up with Lucky Date through his Facebook and Twitter. Also, make sure to buy his music on his Beatport page. Check out his tour dates posted below to see if he’s coming to a city near you!