Exclusive Interview: GLOWINTHEDARK

We kicked off Miami Music Week with a bang as we headed down to Nikki Beach for the Miami Massive event hosted by Versuz Essentials Belgium. The beachy venue mixed with the eclectic lineup made for a great start to the craziest week of the year. We were able to sit down with Albert Harvey and Kevin Ramos of GLOWINTHEDARK before their set to learn a little more about their brand, hobbies, and hopes for this insane week. The strong electronic/pop duo GLOWINTHEDARK has many solid events under their fashionably designed belts (the duo designs clothing as well), ranging from Dirty Dutch events, Mysteryland, Pacha Brazil and Ministry of Sound.

After collaborating with both Chuckie, known for his Dirty Dutch sound, and superstar David Guetta, they reached an even bigger audience. They have co-produced with hip hop legend Lupe Fiasco, and just by speaking with them about their values and ideals make it seem like they are one of the most promising acts during the Winter Music Conference.

EPIC PRODUCTIONS: You guys always seem to have an awesome rapport on stage, do you guys consider yourselves like brothers?

Yeah, like a married couple sometimes. We definitely feed off of each other.

EPIC PRODUCTIONS: How much planning goes into a set like this?

We always have a guideline of what we want to do, especially now because we have so much new material that we want to try out. So most of the time, the live set is where we can test out our new music and new versions we just came out of the studio with. But, we are still old school DJ’s, so we like to feed off of the crowd. We see the crowd and think “what do they need at this moment?” Then we try to build it with them. We have a nice library where we can search through a lot of different tracks.

EPIC PRODUCTIONS: Do you think the energy is different during different times of the day at a party like this? What is your favorite time to play?

I think it depends more on which venue you are at. Sometimes you can start playing at Tomorrowland for people at 1:00, but they are not ready to go and warm up. It is still important to look at the crowd and ask, what do they need at that moment?

EPIC PRODUCTIONS: What has been your favorite venue to play at so far?

There are a lot of crazy venues. Vegas was really cool to play, but we love festivals as well. I can’t really answer what my favorite one is; I love beach gigs, I love everything as long as the vibe is good and the people go all out. We really love performing which is why we can’t choose just one type of gig.

EPIC PRODUCTIONS: You guys are much more than just music artists, you design your own clothing. How has that excelled?

Albert went to fashion school so he had it already in his system. For me, it was just a hobby. We really like to experience different styles together and trying to mix it. It is a big part of our lifestyle. We like to be creative in every type of way. We started with small purses that we made ourselves.

EPIC PRODUCTIONS: MAN PURSES! YOU HAVE A MURSE!

Hahaha! Yeah! Its a murse! It’s just all a part of our development. We are also trying to put it out there for a bigger market but for now, it is still small. It is going to be more unisex and accessories like bags and t-shirts. But now our focus is totally on music- that comes first.

EPIC PRODUCTIONS: So, we wanted to ask you guys, GLOWINTHEDARK, all caps, don’t get it twisted! Why this name? Why this branding?

We were inspired by a lot of things. We love lights, we love the night, we love the Kanye West tour, we love Coldplay and all of those things we put into one word- GLOWINTHEDARK. We wanted to invent a brand that you could not only attach two people to, but build a whole brand around. GLOWINTHEDARK was the perfect name for us.

EPIC PRODUCTIONS: Wait, Kanye West?

Yeah, he did it with all of the visuals, and it’s something that will never fade out of the scene. You see the glow sticks, every party they are coming back. You can always define that with nightlife. It’s really a hard job coming up with a name when you think of it. You’re going to break yourself with something that you’re going to have for the rest of your life. If you want to switch it, it is going to take some time for people to adjust.

EPIC PRODUCTIONS: When you are old and wrinkly, what do you want to be remembered for?

I’m not going to be wrinkly though… ever. We have dark skin so thats never going to happen haha! I definitely want to be remembered as an inspiring person- every time that we come up with something new, it is something special, something unique, and out of the box. And also be humble guys; we like to be involved with the people, our fans, and those who are interested in music. We want to inspire others; we started as writers and we want to be remembered as good producers also. We give a lot of workshops to kids at schools; when you see the kids who are 12 years old, they get inspired and hyped. They are our next generation. We need to focus on that because those kids are feeding you as well and get inspired by those kind of things.

EPIC PRODUCTIONS: You guys were the first ones to bring up the next generation.

Personally, we started like that and were always looking to all of the big DJ’s. I had my first trip to Miami from a DJ to see other DJ’s- I stayed in a hostel. I watched Fedde Le Grand and Carl Cox backstage and it was my first experience. It was pretty awesome.

EPIC PRODUCTIONS: What are you guys looking forward to this Miami Music Week?

The girls! The funny thing is, is back in the day it was all about connecting, and today it is still the same thing but more of a party vibe. We are always looking forward to seeing the other colleagues play and listen to their sets. We are especially looking forward to the new music; everybody is preparing 3 times a year: Amsterdam, Miami and for the end of the year. Everyone is looking forward to the new tracks and new sounds.

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AUTHOR CREDIT: AINSLEY ASHTON PHOTO CREDIT: ALEXANDRA BLAIR INTERVIEWERS: AINSLEY ASHTON, KIMBERLY PHAN, ALEXANDRA BLAIR