John Askew + Simon Patterson

John Askew and Simon Patterson are British DJ-producers who came up through trance and pushed it toward faster, darker, psy-influenced territory. Patterson made his name with a run of tough, bass-driven productions and the Open Up radio show, while Askew has released widely and run the Discover Records stable. Both are part of the VII collective, a group of like-minded DJs whose events are built around long, hard-edged sets and frequent tag teams.

Together they favour rolling basslines, stripped-back arrangements and tempos well above the trance norm, trading records rather than playing separate sets. The pairing has become a regular fixture in itself, familiar enough that audiences turn up expecting the two names side by side.