RTL Today – Interview with Switch Disco: Switch Disco talks Ibiza, life on tour and going platinum with Ella Henderson

As the sun sets, the atmosphere at Ibiza Rocks is electrifying. The crowd eagerly awaits the arrival of dynamic duo Switch Disco on stage for their second year of residency. Today marks the midpoint of their summer season, a milestone that has come in a flash for Nikos and Dan, the masterminds behind Switch Disco. I had the pleasure of sitting down with them to reminisce about our shared experiences as DJs on the island of Zakynthos, and to gain insight into their journey from the early days to becoming a multi-platinum recording artist alongside pop queen Ella Henderson. With relentless drive and passion, Switch Disco have navigated the twists and turns of the music industry to become one of the top remix duos. Now, they are ready to conquer the global stage with plans for a major tour, a new album and an exciting headline show in London.

Alice: Switch Disco, Nikos, Dan, thank you so much for having me here today from RTL Today. You are about to do a residency at Ibiza Rocks. How do you feel about that?

Dan: It’s exactly halfway through summer and time has flown by so fast. Time has flown by so fast. We are really happy that this is our second year here and we can’t wait to get back on stage.
Nichos: He did say that.

A: We were just having a good chat about how we worked on the same season in Zakynthos a long time ago. Is that how you met? How did you form Switch Disco?

N: We met through mutual friends in 2010. We became friends after Dan came to Zakynthos for a season in 2011. We realised that we had a similar approach to DJing, loved editing and mixing, so a few years later we founded Switch Disco!

A: Doing a season abroad, the party world is crazy. There are lots of parties. I remember you didn’t go very often. I remember you seemed very focused and driven. There must be a lot of temptations, especially now that you are traveling around the world. How do you do it?

N: We don’t know. (Laughs)
D: We definitely don’t attend any celebration parties. No, to be honest, you’re right. There are a lot of temptations in this industry. But like you said, we have always been focused. We are very ambitious. We always have a goal in mind, that is where we need to be, and in order to get to that goal, you have to be persistent. You have to work hard. Otherwise, it will not be achieved.

Q: Did you think at the time, obviously you were working seven days a week at Zeros[on the island of Zakynthos]that this is what you want to do now? Did you have those goals in mind at the time?

N: Yeah, 100 percent. I think we always dreamed of having our own residency and flying around the world to play shows. We wanted to DJ in big places and meet new people. I think the audience feedback is what keeps us going. You mentioned seven days a week, and at that time everyone was used to working the entire season, with no days off. When Dan and I did that, it laid a good foundation for us. Fortunately, we had a little experience later, because if I were 18 years old again and I did this… (laughs). Now, we try to be sensible, try to sleep more, and eat better if we can.

A: Tour life, eh! When the pandemic hit, I noticed you guys started doing a lot of online mashup videos on social media. You guys were quickly labeled the “number one mashup duo.” As a DJ, I have a lot of your mashups and I know a lot of other DJs play them a lot as well. Was the pandemic a big part of your trajectory towards something different?

D: Yes, of course, in a twisted way, COVID was very good for us. That being said, it was also the darkest moment in our lives and careers, both professionally and personally. We were able to take a show that had only been available to a niche audience for years and expand it to a global audience, focusing on our brand. All of a sudden, we were doing live shows twice a week for hours each. We were just doing what we had been doing for years, but presenting it in a way that people could understand and visually see what we were doing.

A: So talking about your work, your first single, ‘Everything’, came out on Love Island and then you did some great singles with Ella Henderson, ‘React’ and your most recent release, ‘Under the Sun’. ‘React’ just went platinum, didn’t you?

D: Yeah, React went platinum in the UK earlier this year, and it went platinum in Hungary too. We played there last Saturday and they gave away a platinum album in Hungary! So now it’s platinum in both countries. It’s pretty crazy, to be honest.

A: It’s fantastic. How do you feel about this career milestone and your recent nomination for a Brit Award?

N: I’m still not sure what it felt like! It was such an immersive experience, everything was happening and you’re like “am I really here? Is this real?” I can’t even remember a lot of the shows. Just being there was crazy, and the after-parties, I can’t remember much either!

A: Nikos, you gave me some really great advice many years ago. I had just moved to London and was a new DJ, and you told me to get out there, network, and talk to people. Years later, knowing what’s happening now, what advice would you give to aspiring producers and DJs who want to get into the industry?

D: It sounds cliche but persistence is really the key and you have to be persistent about it. Besides family and close friends, work always comes first. You have to learn your craft, you have to know everything about it, and that’s just the technical side, and then when you’re in a position and make connections, you can really do it. You need to gain experience and play for different crowds and you have to fit in. Nothing else can really teach you that except playing for a crowd.

N: From my perspective, my advice has not changed!

D: Just do the best you can and work as hard as you can. Be kind to others. Make your presence known. Yes, just be a good person.

A: Yes, be nice! Okay, so if you could collaborate with anyone in the world, living or dead, musically, obviously who would you choose?

Both: Avicii.

A: Perfect answer. OK, can you tell me about your best moment on stage?

D: It’s hard. We’ve had this experience a lot over the last few years. I think my favorite one for me personally was at Ibiza Rocks. My best friend from home, who I’ve known since I was 11, came to see us. There were a few people in the balcony in tears, it was like they were on stage with us. We also played in Australia last year, where my sister lives. It was her first time to see us, and she came to the place where we played with 50 of her friends. Nikos’ family was there, too, his extended family. So that was a special gig for me because she’s someone who’s been really supportive of us. We’re really close.

N: Exactly. I think it was when I was here last year for the closing. My brother was here, a lot of close friends were here. Like Dan just said, I don’t repeat the same thing, for us, it’s hard to understand what’s going on because we live in the present and we’re always, especially me, always looking to the future. But when you see it through the eyes of the people who love you, it becomes real. So, yeah, those are those moments.

Q: What is the worst moment you remember having on stage?

D: For me, this tour was one of my most recent tours and I think we were in Brisbane and our set was over and there was another DJ coming up behind us. For some reason I thought it would be a good idea to pull out what we thought was our USB, but it was actually his. He had just started for a minute and it completely stopped the music. Luckily he reacted well and he just handed the USB to me and started over again, but for me that was one of the worst moments.

A: If you want to turn things around, I’d really like to know what type of ace song you would play, or a song that you love to play the most.

N: I wouldn’t say VengaBoys, don’t worry Dan. It’s a difficult question to answer because there’s so much music out there and as a DJ you understand that everything depends on what’s going on on the day and how the crowd reacts, in front of you, you can’t play a song at every show. There are some great songs, but for us it’s mainly compilations and remixes of classics, disco or songs that are suitable for everyone.

A: Last question, what are your plans for the next few months? What will happen after the summer? Do you have any new works to release? Where can we meet you?

N: We’ve just announced that we’re going to be playing our first show in London later this year, after the summer, which we’re really excited about. It’ll be the first time we’ve played a show like this for our fans, and then we’ll be touring again. We’re planning on playing outside of the UK, but we can’t reveal too much at the moment!

D: Speaking of touring, as Nikos just said, we have some things that we can’t announce for the time being. In terms of music, at the moment every time we come back to the UK we have meetings and gigs with the best writers, producers and artists. We’re writing a lot of stuff at the moment. There’s a lot of stuff coming out that we’re really excited for people to hear. So yeah, it’s exciting. We have a lot of stuff coming out!

Pre-save Switch Disco’s new single here.