Pushing a discerning agenda isn’t always easy, and it’s a task made even harder when your surroundings typically lean towards less “underground” sounding planes. Nonetheless, a host of savvy collectives continue to do exactly that, with Spain’s Supervibe label a shrewd case in point. Helmed by Said el Mtioui aka Moruki and his partner Alberto Segador, the forward-thinking label continues to act as a leading light in Spain, where its no-nonsense house and techno agenda is quickly winning plaudits across the board. Whether they’re hosting events in their hometown of Malaga or further afield in the likes of Berlin’s Golden Gate, Czech Republic or France, they’re certainly leaving an impression wherever they touch down, with artists such as Alvaro Medina, Felipe Bravo, Jacobo Saavedra and Enzo Leep pushing their name forward with distinction. With much more in the pipeline over the coming months, it seems as though we’re sure to be hearing more from them soon. We called up Moruki recently as he gave us the lowdown on their story so far…
Hi guys, welcome to Nightclubber. Can you start by introducing yourselves a bit?
Hi, I’m Said, known as Moruki. I’m based in southern Spain and have been on the circuit for over 15 years now, working with dance parties and record labels. Myself and my good friend and DJ/producer Alberto Segador founded Supervibe Music back in 2017.
Let’s start by chatting about Supervibe then. Who does what at the party and label? And what was your motivation to start it?
Between the two of us we’ve built up a strong team and we work as a family collective.
We’ve made an event to bring the vibe to southern Spain, to create a special atmosphere with an underground sound. We’re all heavily involved in every aspect of the party and label. The brand is slowly getting recognised as a heavy contender in today’s underground house scene. Our motivation is simple: bringing our passion to life through quality music and building special memories for our fans.
What was Spain like as a place to grow up for electronic music? It seems you guys are more influenced by minimal sounds rather than say, “Ibiza” sounds, right?
Back in the day, Spain was renowned for its breakbeat scene but to be honest, it was a difficult place when it comes to “underground house”. We have been playing so much out of Spain and especially in Germany, so the idea was to create something different and import the Berlin vibe. However, the scene has evolved and Spain is now throwing some of the world’s biggest parties. So watch out!
At what stage did you begin to run your own events? And what motivated you to start?
Incredibly, it’s now been over five years since we started this adventure. Rather than playing for other promoters, it only felt right to produce our own vibe and push the sound further, to the point where we now have an independent record label which has really given us the determination to go above and beyond our strengths as a team.
Who did you book for those early events? Has it always been plain sailing or has there been some stressful times along the way?
From the start, Supervibe already had a connection with the Berlin scene and booked the likes of legendary names such as Red Robin, Alexis Cabrera, Ernesto Ferreyra and other big artists. Along with our headliners we’re now working with rising Spanish talents such as Alvaro Medina, Felipe Bravo, Jacobo Saavedra or Enzo Leep.
It’s not been plain sailing as there is a lot of competition here in Spain, but you can say we’ve been lucky with our timing and connections.
So was there ever a stage where you seriously considered why you were doing it? Or do you see that as part of the experience?
Well, sometimes you get tired of trying your best and not getting the result you want, but it’s part of the experience, so yes, we had some doubts at times especially through the pandemic, however we overcame this and now we are looking to a very interesting future.
Has hosting gigs become less or more difficult since the pandemic finished?
Absolutely, it’s getting easier now as the pandemic has finished and we see that our events are growing fast. We’ve noticed a new energy and this is a very exciting time for us and the music scene.
Do you have plans to bring the party abroad? Or are you quite content keeping it to Spain?
Of course! We have a residency in our second home which is Golden Gate Berlin where we celebrate our anniversary every year. We are also working on some events in Morocco, UK, Emirates, Czech Republic, Italy and France for our label release tour – so watch out for them!
You’ve recently kicked off your own label. Can you tell us a bit about the idea behind it and some of the artists involved? What artists and labels have inspired you to start your own? What’s inspiring about them?
In today’s climate, just putting on dance parties isn’t enough as our vision reaches way beyond this. We needed our own imprint to be recognised as a serious player in the scene.
I can’t tell you about one label that inspired us because there are many, however we don’t want to position ourselves as another label on the shelf, cutting through the noise isn’t easy but creating a label as our passion has become an important outlet for our international and resident artists.
Can you tell us a bit about your relationship with Alexis Cabrera? And why was he a great choice for your record?
We brought Alexis Cabrera to play for Supervibe in Malaga for the first time in 2018. From the start we’ve had a special connection which formed into a great relationship. He loved everything about southern Spain, so we decided to book him for another Supervibe party, this would give him the opportunity to decide if he wanted to move to Spain. After the second party he fell in love with the Spanish lifestyle, so he is now our neighbour!
But really, there’s no words needed to describe Alexis Cabrera and his work. I used to play a lot of his music, so having him here was something very cool. We decided that he would be the first artist for our limited vinyl only label and he accepted, so he came up with this beautiful four track record, Sunstarted EP.
Can you tell us your thinking behind keeping things vinyl-only? Do you worry that this makes the music less accessible to some people?
Actually, we also have a digital series making our music more accessible for djs and music collectors alike. The reason for this is simple: as you know, to get a record out into the market is a lengthy process, so we decided to release it on both formats. But of course our favourite medium will always be vinyl.
How far do you want to bring the project? What’s your ultimate aim and aspiration with it all?
We´re planning on taking Supervibe worldwide, we have no limits. We started making events for 100-250 people and now we are working on bigger concepts internationally. This is pure passion and our strengths as a team can make the brand stand out in this over saturated market. We don’t want to become a commercial name but rather a benchmark in our underground scene for others to aspire too.
What are your plans for the summer then? And music aside, what’s keeping you busy at the moment?
We have programmed some gigs across Spain, and we are making our debut in Barcelona, Ibiza and Madrid soon. The beat doesn’t stop and aside from music we are always doing music and looking to overcome new challenges. It’s been great talking with you, thanks guys!
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