Ones To Watch: ATRIP

In our Ones To Watch series, we spotlight exciting new producers who are shaking up the game and progressing dance music culture while they do it.

When Patrick Pache launched the ATRIP project in 2022, he had a clear vision: to create a musical ecosystem rooted in inclusivity and community that champions the emotional side of dance music.

The Story Behind ATRIP

Born in Poland and raised in Munich, Patrick grew up surrounded by nature. As a teen, he moved with his family to southwest London, where he found himself in the leafiest part—Richmond.

“It’s very green, super safe, but at the same time unbelievably boring,” Patrick says, chatting from his home studio. “I wasn’t exposed to music, and Richmond is to blame for that.”

The seeds of Patrick’s music taste were planted back in Germany when his father would play 50 Cent and The Prodigy on long drives to football matches. An uncle introduced him to trance and hardcore, and after that he wasn’t able to contain his curiosity. So at age 11, he downloaded production software to figure out how it was all made.

Patrick never lost that curiosity, and spent his teen-hood and early twenties neck-deep in London’s bass-heavy underground, equally inspired by Benga and Coki as he was by Avicii and Skrillex.

He studied business management at university and started working for an A&R company, all while releasing his own productions and DJing at house parties and small clubs. Patrick quickly learned the ins and outs of the music industry, and although he was getting booked to play shows and produce popular tracks, it felt like something was missing. Then, when COVID hit, he took the opportunity to make music only for himself, and not long after that ATRIP was born.

The ATRIP Project

ATRIP’s first release came in the form of “FÜR IMMER” in 2022. His sound emerged fully formed – emotional, contagious, and irresistibly danceable. The UK influence shone through, underscored by a clear international direction. The subsequent singles – “Elsa,” “Salt,” and “Me + You” – only confirmed this, and these three universally relatable dance music tracks shot into the stratosphere and took the ATRIP project along with them.

And his gig calendar followed suit. There’s a particular energy at ATRIP shows – the crowd seem particularly euphoric, dancing without self consciousness. And a big reason for that is the community at the heart of the ATRIP project.

“It’s essential to me to curate a space with maximum openness,” Patrick says.

He solidified this concept after the release of his first TANZPARTEI mixtape in 2023. He had a gig lined up in Hackney, and a couple of days before several people messaged him separately to say they were worried about going alone and not knowing anyone. So he started a WhatsApp group.

“Now, if I play a show in London, there’ll be 50 people in the pub before, they’ll make friends in there and we’ll go to the show together,” Patrick says. “Some of those people have become true friends of mine.”

That is exactly the energy ATRIP carries into his shows. “That excitement, openness, and curiosity is really important to me,” he says.

Patrick sees the ATRIP project as bigger than himself – a community-driven concept that’s open to everyone. This shines through in his TANZPARTEI mixtapes, of which he’s released two so far. He holds intimate launch events in subterranean venues around London, which have become just as important to the ATRIP project as the music itself.

ATRIP unapologetically treads the line between pop and dance music. 2024’s “Rainbow” topped Beatport’s dance/pop charts, with “Friday (Alone Right Now)” hot on its heels. Now, the entire dance music world is locked in – he’s featured on BBC Radio 1, sold out fabric and played international festivals Desert Air, Into The Woods, and Secret Garden Party.

So with everything he’s achieved so far, what are Patrick’s hopes for the future? “This year I want to embark on my third mixtape and start that process,” he says. “But there’s only so much control I have over these things so instead of trying to define every single element of my future and my career, I'd rather just trust my gut, and take every decision as it comes.”

He may trust his gut, but Patrick’s work ethic is unparallelled. At the beginning of each year, he creates a list of attainable goals and faraway dreams, sticks them up on his wall, and works his way through what he can. “At the end of the year I look through the list to reflect on what I’ve achieved,” he says. “And I try not to beat myself up on what I didn’t.”