The Kids Are All Right: Elite Force

In the world of music, Elite Force is truly a force to be reckoned with. It doesn’t matter if you’re a house-head, a trance hippy, or a dub devotee; if you stumble upon his set, you’ll become an instant fan. That’s just the way it is.

Born Simon Shackleton—aka recording artist Zodiac Cartel—Elite Force has DJed internationally since ’97, having been schooled in the craft since 1990. He’s famous for his seven-hour One Series sets and has had the recent pleasure of playing out under his real name—so much, in fact, that he is planning a new album release as Simon Shackelton, due in early 2015 on his Stereophoenix imprint. In the meantime, he keeps it real for his fans.

“I’m continuing to push my One Series of shows, where I focus on one DJ, one room, all night,” Shackleton explains of his method. “It’s a return to the notion of the DJ as a storyteller—of someone who guides you through the entire gamut of tempos, emotions and more during the course of a night. It’s a broad canvas to express yourself on, and the antithesis to the 45- to 60-minute spectacle sets that have become the norm.”

Making beats, however, is not all he’s accomplished at. He’s also great at raising a family and blending together a perfect mix of fatherhood and fun. He has been married for 15 years, is the proud father of a seven-year-old daughter, and still lives the life as a successful artist. He shows us that having it all is truly possible.

“My daughter rages at festivals she’s joined me at, including Lovebox in London a couple of weeks ago. She was swinging from the scaffolding in the DJ booth like a monkey.”

Whether on the road or in the studio, he brings along daughter Edie for the ride.

“Since my daughter’s only seven, she’s not that experienced as a festival attendee. But she absolutely loved Glastonbury last year, where she got to join me onstage for most of my set,” Shackleton says with excitement. “She rages at festivals she’s joined me at, including Lovebox in London a couple of weeks ago. She was swinging from the scaffolding in the DJ booth like a monkey. She swings really nicely, actually.”

At home on his farm in the English countryside, the classically trained Edie plays the piano to her favorite artists, including Lily Allen and Ellie Goulding, while she sings on the side. Her love for music is genetic, passed down from her grandfather, who was a jazz clarinetist. However, Daddy is the true music hero, a passion he picked up at a young age.

“They weren’t madly passionate about music,” he explains of his parents. “I found that one by myself. It was my identity.”

Like father, like daughter. Shackleton senses his daughter’s musical inclination but is not pushing her into production.

“I’d rather she find her own expression,” he says, “and she does that through singing and dancing at the moment. She also has piano lessons, but they have not really grabbed her yet; they’re too prescriptive and irrelevant to most kids’ experiences of music. Now and then she’ll have a go on the CD players in the studio, but her attention span… not so good!”

He offers helpful advice to festival-hopping parents, explaining that it helps to have backstage passes, which mitigates the “complete disaster area that most festivals sadly are. Glastonbury was nice because we camped, and she loved that. In fact, there are two whole fields’-worth of child-specific entertainment.”

Overall, he finds festivals to be great, eye-opening experiences for her. He does, however, scout out festivals suitable for a child. “Bear in mind their attention spans are really limited, so be prepared for any eventuality and have contingency plans and all the right clothing if you do decide to go to a festival,” he adds. “Plan it well in advance, but don’t be afraid to go with the flow if the mood takes.”

Going with the flow is a concept parents know all too well. This also includes taking time off to work and play a favorite festival to massive crowds. What’s his cherished excursion?

“Burning Man by a country mile,” he says without hesitation. “Even though it’s changing rapidly, its core values are those that I still hold dear. This year will be my sixth, including my Friday morning sunrise set that usually runs well into the afternoon.”

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