Nic Fanciulli Interview: A shared experience

Nic Fanciulli is as praised by the thousands of dance music lovers he develops events for as he is by his fellow industry professionals. A true credit to the current scene, he nurtures his own label, plays countless gigs and releases his own quality productions. How he has time to host The Social Festival is anyone's guess.

Fanciulli seems to be consistently gigging; flying the flag for the UK in Ibiza (where he has his own clubnight) and wowing crowds America - he is undoubtedly one of our strongest electronic exports.

His rise to international recognition came from playing as a resident for Club Class in Maidstone, where Carl Cox, Sasha, John Digweed and Pete Tong all played. Throughout the years he's hosted many events in his hometown, before unveiling his own bespoke festival, The Social in summer 2013.

He founded Saved Records, a label which in 2014 celebrated its 100th release, a pretty impressive feat considering the highly competitive field. Nic is also a Grammy-nominated producer, proving that his work in the studio is just as vital as the decisions made on other artists' sessions.

He has stayed consistently relevant thoughtout the years, working to bring new experiences to music lovers; whether its a new release, a standout set or the biggest line up to date of his own festival. We caught up with Nic ahead of this year's festival to find out more about its origins.

We're fast approaching this year's Social Festival. For anyone who's unfamiliar with its beginnings, can you tell us how the project started and how you've seen it develop over the years?

After Radio 1’s Big Weekend came to Maidstone people were crying out for something big to happen in Kent. We used to do these Saved parties in an alleyway in the town centre for around 1,500 people, and the lineups were amazing. I had all of my friends come to play; Carl Cox, Marco Carola, Luciano, Loco Dice, Guy Gerber etc, and eventually we kind of outgrew the space.

We decided to take the leap and do something a big bigger, a bit more bespoke, and give back to the community in Maidstone. Everything about The Social is locally sourced, and we try to support local businesses, charities and talent as much as we can. The first year we had around 3,000 people, then it just grew from there. Now we’re in our fourth year, which is set to be the biggest yet.  

How important do you think it is to give these experiences to clubbers there? 

For me it’s so important. Kent gave me so much when I was breaking through as a DJ, from the loyal fans to the experiences going out in the early days, everything kind of stemmed from that place and I think it’s really important to never forget that. When I see the look on the fans' faces when their favourite DJ is playing, or the reaction online when we release the lineup, it all makes the stress worth it. 

We need to ask about Sasha and Digweed, when did you know that a performance from those two together was on the cards? Was it a lengthy process getting everything secured?

For me, Sasha and Digweed are my heroes. I used to follow them around the country, and they really helped shape me into the type of DJ I am today.

We kind of shot ourselves in the foot last year, the lineup was so strong that we had to deliver something bigger and better this year, and we had this crazy idea of speaking to Sasha and Digweed. It wasn’t easy and took a lot of time to organise, but we got there in the end. It’s going to be such a special moment for everyone, and I’m personally really excited about it. 

If you had to pick a few artists, who do you think will deliver standout performances at the festival this year?

Obviously Sasha and Digweed, but I’m also looking forward to my B2B with Carl Cox - it’s always amazing playing with him. Laurent Garnier is another one of my heroes, so that’s definitely going to be something special. Andrew Weatherall, Solomun, Bicep, Guy Gerber, Joseph Capriati, are all on my must-see list as well. We’re so lucky to be able to get such a huge amount of talent in one place, it’s hard to pick!  

You've just mentioned you'll be playing with Carl Cox at The Social, what do you enjoy most about B2B sets? 

It becomes a shared experience, so you’re no longer just performing on your own to an amazing crowd, you get to share that feeling with one of your closest friends.  It also gives you a great opportunity to do things that you wouldn’t normally do - you feed off each other. 

You're set to play at the last ever Music Is Revolution at Space Ibiza, how did it feel to be asked to be part of such an iconic sendoff? What can we expect from your set there?

I’m honoured. Carl and I have such a great relationship, and I’ve been lucky enough to play for him and with him for a long time. We played once together at Space already this year in the main room, and I’m super excited to go back to play the terrace at the closing party - it’s always a lot of fun.  

I think it’s going to be an emotional night for everyone involved, and something I’m so happy to be a part of. I can’t wait. 

How has Ibiza been for you this season? Any particular highlights?

It’s been amazing this year.  I launched my own residency with Pacha called WE ARE THE NIGHT, which has been such a big success - I couldn’t be happier with it. I mangled to get a lot of my friends to play, which in Ibiza isn’t the easiest thing. 

Outside of this, the shows with ANTS at Ushuaia are always amazing, Carl’s night has been super special, and I loved playing for Jamie Jones at DC10.  

You work alongside a lot of your industry friends, how important is it from a production and creative perspective to partner up with artists who you've developed a bond with?

For me it's very important to surround yourself with like-minded people as it affects your way of thinking. People naturally feed off each other, and the more time you spend together working on projects, the happier I think you’ll be.  

Last up, if you could take the Social Festival anywhere else in the world, what location would you pick and why?

South America - the fans are unbelievable down there. 

Tickets for The Social Festival are available below.

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