Nicole Moudaber

One of the most exciting techno DJs in the world gets set for Miami

Interview by Dan Prince


Nicole a massive welcome back to DMCWORLD…where in the world are you today?

Hi Dan, I just got to Miami…I thought I might as well prepare in the sun for the conference before the magic begins!”

What was the first piece of music you heard this morning after rolling out of bed?

“I got up at 7am and got my headphones on. I’m obsessing about music right now after being away on holiday for 6 weeks in Bali. I’m listening to heavy techno actually, the kind that will scare your kids…”

As you said, it’s that time of year again – the first rays of sunshine for many Europeans as the Miami Music Week gets ready for thousands of descending dance fans. You have two fantastic events lined up for one of the craziest week’s on the clubbing calendar, that coincides the one year anniversary of your In the Mood Radio show. Let’s kick off with the daytime session down at one of the best venues on South Beach, The Raleigh. Tell us about your hand picked guests…

I picked two US legends to come and play with me, Victor Calderone and Green Velvet. I’m a huge fan of their work and their history. I will be closing the party with a 3 hour B2B set with Victor which I’m really looking forward to. The MOOD boys are Marino Canal, Francisco Allendes and Tom Peters, they have all released on my label MOOD, super talented boys, I can’t wait to share their art with everyone.”

You’ll be broadcasting a special live In the Mood Radio broadcast right? How has the first twelve months been with the show, a lot of hard work but ultimately worth it?

“It’s been almost 1 year already and MMW was the perfect choice for me to celebrate InTheMOOD Radio. I will be presenting the show live across the world, we have secured more than 35 countries on FM stations worldwide to broadcast the event live for 7 hrs from MoodDAY at the Raleigh hotel South Beach. I’m actually overwhelmed, given the fact it’s a Thursday – stations are giving us that much air time – the radio show was a big commitment for me at first, it was daunting but I got the hang of it now, I actually look forward to getting on the mic and unleashing what I have. It’s becoming more and more enjoyable for me. With all the travels and long hours i put in my day it can be a stressful task as I like to get it right and express different vibes on the show. I tend to play the records I don’t normally get the chance to play at festivals or main room clubs, digging in my crate and finding the gems that reach me is fun again and I want to share it with everyone.  The response so far has been incredible, the show charts at No1 almost every week or hovers in the top 3 weekly on Mixcloud. We have more than 46 countries on FM stations hosting my show around the world. Exciting times indeed.”

The Saturday night sees you swing into night time action at the underground Trade venue where you’ll be joined by your great friend Skin. Rumour has it you two have been collaborating on some tracks which will be coming out on MOOD Records soon? What can you tell us?

“We have 5 tracks in the pipeline already. We’ve been working on them for a few months now, we’re doing a video in Berlin and will launch in the summer. To be able to work with such caliber of artist is incredible. And she’s a fantastic DJ too, we played together at MoodRAW Brooklyn and LA, and Trade Miami and Output BK are next. We both learn from each other as we come from different worlds, there’s a lot of respect and a great friendship too.  When she came to the studio in London, she wrote the songs in front of me, jamming on the tracks, coming up with the lyrics there and then. For me to see this flow was magical, it was a sacred moment for me.” 

And what are some of the other release plans for the label in 2015?

“My EP ‘Her Dub Material’ is coming out in May, Joel Mull is back again and of course my collaboration with Skin. So many incredible new producers are coming forward there’s so much talent out there right now like Marino Canal, Francisco Allendes, Alvaro AM and Kuo Klimax. Keep an eye out on them.”

When you think of Miami week, what memory usually springs to mind?

“My Cuban cafe con leche every morning is de rigeur in Miami. I get in my convertible car and cruise the beach with my cafecito and a fag blasting salsa music. Priceless.”

Cool! What are the 5 big tunes in your box this weekend…

Marino Canal – Percolate – MOOD

Basti Grub – Ice Feelings

Juvenal – Why Are You Laughing

Nicole Moudaber feat Skin – Someone Like You

Wade – Check Point – MOOD

3 bucket list adventures you wanna do in your lifetime?

Jump out of a plane, fly a plane and drive a lambo!”

The last time you pressed rewind on a track to listen to it again because it was damned good?

“Dan, I do this every day!”

An up and coming producer to watch out for in 2015?

 Marino Canal.”

What festival has really got you excited later this summer?

“Glastonbury in England! One of the best festivals in the world, I’m playing the underground tent with Circoloco Ibiza.”

Great gig. Best ever festival experience?

“This year at BPM festival in Mexico was just off the hook, the best yet for me without a doubt.

What is on a Nicole Moudaber rider in 2015?

“I’m not too demanding in my riders but I’m a very demanding person usually…clinically clean hotels are essentials, lots of water on stage. We can leave it at that for now!”

An album we would be surprised to find in your collection?

The new Madonna. I’m a massive fan of this woman in general, she is the revolution incarnated.”

Where can we catch you in Ibiza this summer?

“I want to share with you the best news ever regarding Ibiza this summer. I will be holding a residency at DC10 on Mondays this year as well as Space Ibiza with Coxy of course.  DC10 for me IS the club that every DJ wants to play, the crowd and the atmosphere is what Ibiza is about. and this will never change because it stayed true to its identity and didn’t sell out to cheese and manufactured DJs. I played recently there on NYD and I haven’t felt this much love for music for a while.”

What song always reminds you of Ibiza?

It would have to be ‘Groovejet’ by Spiller.”

What was the last GREAT studio toy you bought yourself?

I haven’t been in the studio since last October when I remixed GivMeLuv! Planning to get back in April again, got a few ideas I need to lay down quickly.”


Let’s skip forward 12 months – what do you want to achieve in your life by this time 2016?

“I got my eye on the Grammy, may not be next year nor the next but I’m working towards it…it’s a dream of mine to nail this without compromising my sound, I’m not sure how easy this will be to be honest, but we shall see.”

And finally, what is coming out next from you studio wise

“As I mentioned, I’m back in the grind in April working on a new EP for Drumcode. I have many unreleased material already, I want to focus more on my DJ sets this year, I’m changing my set up slightly, adding new controllers from NI, I can’t wait to test their new ones, it’s all hush hush at the moment!”

Miami details…

#MoodDAY Pool Party – Thursday, March 26 @ The Raleigh Hotel
NICOLE MOUDABER b2b VICTOR CALDERONE
Special Guest GREEN VELVET
Francisco Allendes
Marino Canal
Tom Peters

#MoodNIGHT – Saturday, March 28 @ Trade
NICOLE MOUDABER
Skin

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