Get to Know the Real Disciples
It’s late 2016, and Disciples—the production trio made up of Nathan Duvall, Luke Mac and Gavin Kool—are in their hometown of London, putting in hours at the studio before the holidays. Their task at hand is to finalize 10 tracks they began working on in Los Angeles, music that will make up their new and as-yet-untitled EP.
On the phone from London, Kool says the guys are working hard but aren’t stressing about the impending releases. Considering the success Disciples have already achieved, however, one could sympathize with a perfectionist streak.
“Our main focus is coming up with a body of work that represents who we are,” says Kool in a thick South London accent that turns Ibiza to “I-beeth-a.” “We think it’s time now to show people what we’re about.”
There have been heavy hints about this identity for years, beginning with the group’s breakthrough single, “They Don’t Know.” Released in 2014, the thumping club anthem fit snugly alongside the barrage of commercially leaning underground house emerging out of the UK by artists including Gorgon City, Kidnap Kid, and Disclosure. Teased by the Magician in one of his Magic Tape mixes and featured by Pete Tong as an Essential New Tune, the song possessed the straightforward sex appeal of a hot girl locking eyes with you from across a crowded dancefloor. The monolithic chord progressions and breathy “hola” punctuating each verse demonstrated an inventive, nuanced production style that established Disciples as key players in the UK electronic renaissance.
Then, shit got crazy.
“How Deep Is Your Love” hit global airwaves in the summer of 2015. Written by Disciples and Norwegian singer Ina Wroldsen and picked up for collaboration by EDM crossover heartthrob Calvin Harris, the song’s ubiquity is made clear by its metrics at the time of this writing: over 1 billion YouTube views, 486 million Spotify streams, and more than $5 million in worldwide sales. A freak-of-nature success pushed to mainstream omnipresence by the Harris juggernaut, the song hit Top 40 radio and conquered worldwide charts, reaching the top 10 in 22 countries, including #2 on the UK Singles Chart.
“We think it’s time now to show people what we’re about.”
Naturally, Disciples were over the moon about the track’s success. With their second release, they were suddenly both underground-bred and MTV-famous, winning Best Electronic Video at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards and booking a country-hopping tour schedule to prove it. This swirl of success culminated last July at London’s Wireless Festival, where Disciples played the mainstage for a hometown crowd that included their families and lifelong friends.
“We just rode the wave, you know?” Kool says.
He admits he, Duvall and Mac felt a “little bit” of pressure to follow up on their monster hit. Focusing on making music they actually love, he says, has been the most effective way to alleviate stress. “We try not to get caught up too much in the success side of things and comparing ‘How Deep Is Your Love’ to how other tracks may do.”
The test came with their follow-up output. The Following EP, released in 2016, contained a trio of tracks that maintained the darkly alluring vibe of the group’s earlier work. FFRR—the label helmed by dance world mac daddy Pete Tong—released the EP, as well as the Disciples’ 2016 track “Daylight.” Simultaneously selected as Annie Mac’s Hottest Record, Tong’s Essential New Tune, and Danny Howard’s Future Anthem, “Daylight” hit #1 on the Radio 1 Dance Charts, dispelling any notions of Disciples as a one-hit wonder.
“I remember when we first got Pete Tong’s Essential New Tune and how excited we were back then,” Kool says. “Fast-forward down the line, and we get all three of those guys supporting. It took us a while to get our heads around it. We’re just appreciative.”
The continued guidance from Tong has been especially thrilling, as the guys grew up listening to him on the UK’s ubiquitous BBC Radio 1. It was Tong who reinforced the idea that the best way for the group to thrive in the rapid-paced world of dance music is to just be true to themselves and avoid conforming to what they might think others want.
“That’s an amazing piece of advice,” Kool says. “When you think too much about what you want to achieve and how far you want to go, it can get quite confusing.”
Among all the touring, the guys have held down a residency in Ibiza for the past three summer seasons. The dance circuit mecca is among their favorite places to play, and Kool says the residencies are akin to homework, as the gig demands they stay on top of all the new music coming out every week. Sifting through promos and new releases helped them gradually build their sets all summer, while giving them the bug to get back in the studio and “smash out some great music.”
It’s now 2017, and “smashing it out” has been consuming the trio’s schedule for the last few months, with the artists often putting in 12-to-14-hour days in the studio. While the EP hasn’t yet been finalized, the immediate fruit of their labor is “On My Mind.” Released in mid-February by FFRR, the track marks a turn for Disciples, with its bright, shimmery melody and rich vocals from Duvall. Disciples also dropped an ace Essential Mix in late January. This summer, they’ll return to Ibiza for a run at Amnesia’s Tuesday night Together parties, and they also paired with the club for their own event series, the Following.
In the midst of all this upcoming action, Disciples will likely release more of the music they’ve been working on for the last few months. Last December in Los Angeles, they were in the studio with white-hot R&B singer Tinashe, with whom they vibed for two days. The sessions resulted in a trio of tracks that will be released either by Tinashe or on the forthcoming Disciples EP.
Even in today’s lightning-speed dance circuit, new music takes time. Given Disciples’ track record, however, everything they’re working on will be worth the wait.
Katie Bain is a disciple of the dancefloor. Follow her on Twitter.
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