Interview: Miller & Nicolau - Real Gang

1. How are you, how has the year been so far?

Big smiles on faces all round with the crew. We went through hell and back with some personal issues and as a collective crew fought through it all and are stronger than ever!

For us together musically we started to take on bookings under our alias as Real Gang Soundsystem and we have had so much fun with so many crews so far

2. You've spent most of your time on the White Isle growing the Real Gang brand. How did the collective come about?

It actually started as a clothing brand idea, we wanted to recognise the good people in the world, people who do things for others without a benefit to themselves, people with purity. It escalated onto parties from us thowing lots and lots of after parties in the hills on the edge of Ibiza. We then grew more into the industry and put an infrastructure in place with shows, tour shows, collaborations, the clothing and the record labels. We feel like we needed to make a more legit platform shift and that started for us with brand residencies at Ibiza Underground and The Zoo Project. In terms of the crew, we all met in Ibiza and never separated since us all meeting all coming together at different stages. We feel we are not a brand now, we feel like it symbolises our friendship, Real Gang is a family and family is forever. Everyone does their part and that doesn’t just mean skills but peoples participation in the whole story so far. We live together, travel together, its effortless.

3. Originally from the UK, you really found your feet working the underground scene in Ibiza, do you feel the underground scene out there is shrinking or growing?

It depends who’s eyes your looking out of at the current state of the island. From our eyes, the scene is going to strong, moving forward, but for an outsider they may be dazzled by the rest of the islands ‘VIP’ culture. But it all depends what your searching for, if you want to experience an authentic underground scene, you will find it. We are honoured to be part of Ibiza Undergrounds family, they have always done things properly, kept genuine and we connect with our similar ethos. Its another summer coming up so we cannot pre-empt what the logistic will be like in terms of the shrinkage or growth in the Underground scene but we can happily say that a place will remain for the true followers, when there is an overground, their is an underground.

4. You're now seen regular across the European circuit with stand-out shows in Amsterdam alongside the Slapfunk collective. Have you got a favourite City and venue?

We wouldn’t like to say an exact favourite city as we have equal love for Ibiza, London and Amsterdam. We have such strong crews in these places who are always so supportive and welcoming. In regards to venues, our heart lies with Ibiza Underground and Bret for intimate, with the true personality they hold, the special moments we have had there. We would also say Benimussa Park for a larger platform with so much of our history there, its such a beautiful open air space.

5. From your travels where do you draw most inspiration when it comes to the music?

Hours on dance floors! Being part of the feeling and then portraying an atmosphere in which you want to make when your music is played!

6. About your brand - what sort of music do you release, what certain sound does someone have to have to feature on the label?

Every artist is different so I don’t think anyone can say a certain sound only for any label apart from the obvious similar genre labelling. We play party music, we want people to dance, solid with groove. We took a few months break from both labels as we feel like we are on a different chapter in our story so wanted to represent that with a reschedule on both labels. We are very proud now of the final products and that extra effort to rip everything out and start again.

7. What's your position on Vinyl only DJ's, does it matter to the quality of sets, is it based on exclusive tracks?

Format doesn’t matter for us, its about what comes out the speakers for the floor. But for me (miller) personally I prefer the feeling of playing records, I have many tracks sent from other artists in WAV but if I play them ill buy the vinyl as I prefer to play the format for my preference. The listeners preference is good music, not what your hands are touching.

8. You play Apt: XX soon - what should people expect?

2 guys sharing their record collections with smiles on faces!!!!!!! Really excited for what can happen with us playing b2b, it can go in any direction at any time.

9. How do you like playing London vs other cities, what makes the parties different, if anything?

AFTER-PARTIES, RANDOM LOCATIONS, THE CROWD, THE COMMUNITY FEELING! London has a big piece of our heart and many of our outsider friends who come and play in the city say the same, especially praising the after party culture.

10. What's next for the Real Gang collective, where's your focus within the growth of the brand?

To keep everything solid, make our steps for the right reasons, to make memories not just a benefit up the ladder of the industry. Continuing our residencies with lineups about to drop any week now, we are super excited about them. We will be showcasing some talent from the label and focusing on our ethos of booking ‘artists not headliners’. We look forward to our many upcoming collaborations with friends and making some more memories.

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Catch Miller & Nicolau at Apt: XX on Saturday 6th April

For guestlist and location, send your name and number to hello@aptlondon.com