Nicky Macha and Lorenzo Di Michele aka Kensa are the founders, creators and inspiration behind the London based party outransa.
With a reputable and respected reputation, but subtle social media presence, we spoke to the duo over zoom to dive a little deeper into all things outransa.
A: Hey guys! Just wanted to start by asking how your most recent party was, it was just before lockdown with everyone who attended sitting, how did it all go?
L: Yeah it went very well, very nicely. The vibe was special, having all our close friends under the same roof (and what a roof) supporting us once again was a priceless feeling! Being our first “sitting down” event felt somehow weird but so good at the same time, I could easily imagine the dance-floor without tables and people dancing cause the energy at the pub that day was pretty special. We had lots of fun, it was also the first time we had played together properly since the last gig in March, which also happened at Lion & Lamb with the SubLuv guys. It was definitely great to come back to our favorite spot in town and to play records with Nicky again. I was missing that, so it was a day full of joy I must say!
N: It was nice, I can’t say otherwise. It was very tough though, you know you have 55/60 people who would love to stand up and dance. We were waiting for the moment where people would throw the tables and chairs out the way and start dancing but you know that can’t happen. But It was special and amazing to have people supporting us again.
The third instalment of Nicky and Lorenzo’s outransa chronicles mix series is an exert from their party back in October. This journey through a huge variety of genres is a beautiful representation of the musical focus of outransa.
A: Which edition of outransa was that and have they always been at the Lion and Lamb?
N: They have always been at the Lion and Lamb and this was the seventh. It was supposed to be back in April but of course we had to postpone it.
A: Can I roll back to when the first one happened, how did that come about? How did that party go to lets say the seventh?
L: The first one was on the 25th November 2018, a day we will easily remember forever as it was the beginning of something very special to us two. After a long time gracing London dance-floors, playing in different events and having fun with our friends, of course, we decided to come up with our own concept outransa. At some point we felt the need to express ourselves through a concept of our own creation. We brought it to life and shared the vision we have hoping to attract as many likeminded people as possible to welcome on board. I feel glad we did it, because we are surrounded by an amazing group of friends.
A: And a Sunday?
L: Yes, we have always focused on Sunday parties. We began with it and slowly they just became our thing, shaping and creating our own community. Also the guys running the pub, our very good friends, they have always been supporting us and they thought that Sundays would suit our project perfectly so we went for it and everything began from there. This naturally connects to our past when we were 14/15 years old and we started to attend Sunday afternoon parties in Italy, it’s kind of a flashback that keeps repeating itself and feels just right to us.
N: Doing outransa on Sundays reminds us of these moments of our youth which introduced us to electronic music.
A: How does it compare, playing and promoting an event on a Sunday versus a Friday or Saturday night?
N: I think it doesn’t really make much of a difference in terms of promoting and organising the party. The mood of it can change a lot however. Some people might come on a Sunday with two days of partying behind them and some others might have just woken up and head straight to the event, so the atmosphere can be totally different from a Friday night for example.
L: I think that at the end of the day your intention is what really matters, regardless of the day of the event. Having a clear concept and a clear message you want to communicate to others is what I believe will make the difference. I must say we feel very lucky to have this beautiful community of close friends who have been supporting us unconditionally at every outransa, from day one. The same goes for the Lion & Lamb and the people behind the project, this place means a lot to us, so by blending all these elements together, the result is just magical.
A: Yeah that’s awesome, I feel like I have seen lots of parties and clubs bring in people because of the lineup rather than bringing in a genuine community of people who attend for the party versus whose playing or the venue. How do you think you’ve created a community of people who always support your parties?
N: I think what makes a difference for us is that we have known each other for years and we didn’t rush into creating a new party as soon as we arrived in London nearly 10 years ago. We have experienced a lot of events and clubs in the London scene and we have played in many of them so I’d say the community of people supporting outransa comes from a very long way back. Our party is far from being perfect and there is still a lot to be learnt and to improve, but we are always excited by the challenges and that’s what makes you better over time.
As you also mentioned at the beginning of our conversation, we have a subtle social media presence, and that is something that we have always been very proud of and something which we have based our whole concept on. We strongly believe that you do not have to stress people out promoting your party day in day out. Music talks, not social media. So, if people appreciate your work there is no need to spend all your energy advertising yourself.
L: It all happened quite naturally to be honest. We attended endless parties, made lots of new friends over the years in London, established great connections with beautiful human beings which we shared common values with and who had the same vision about the music world we live in.
Our friends always showed us love and support, so the community kind of grew naturally over the years. A funny thing happened when we announced our first party and lots of our friends asked us why it had taken us so long.
The team behind the project it is composed by just me and Nicky and being just the two of us makes it “easy” when it’s time to make decisions. We have known each other since we were very young and we have been always travelling on the same wavelength, so that definitely helps the process.
A: Just going back to those Sunday parties back in Italy. Where and when did you guys meet?
L: We met around 2004/2005, our hometowns in Italy are very close to each other, like 10 minutes away by car and we met through music when we started attending and later on organizing our infamous “school parties”! An incredibly beautiful time of our lives where things slowly started to make sense and we started to understand what we really enjoyed doing, and most importantly everything was so genuine!
N: As Lorenzo said before, when we were 14/15 years old, we used to attend Sunday afternoon events for teenagers who were too young to attend night events. Our parents would take us to the club at 2pm and come and pick us up at 10/11pm. By the time we were 16/17 years old all these Sunday clubs started to disappear, so we started to attend real and proper nightclubs. We would take the last night train from our hometown, travelling for 2/300 miles to the Riviera Romagnola (where some of the most famous clubs in Italy used to be) and we would spend the whole night and day there before travelling back home. Once we turned 18 years old and we got our driving licenses, we would hire a 9 seater van and do the exact same thing. Driving up and down the country with the same group of friends and partying, what else could we ask for? Those moments will forever be in our hearts.
A: What kind of music was being played at these parties?
L: Back in the days the music played at those parties in Italy was mostly minimal, with some electro/house influence in it and we immersed ourselves into that, following it through the years, and kept going with it until today.
A: Did you both move to London at the same time or?
L: Nicky came to the UK first, I made my way to London one year later.
N: I moved to Bristol first in 2011 and then to London after that.
A: You guys have lived in London for a while now. Must have seen a few clubs and parties come and go. What venues and parties do you love in London?
N: I have always loved fabric and I still remember the first time I went there and Ricardo Villalobos was playing and I was completely blown away by it. It is one of those feelings that are very hard to forget. It reminded me of the first time I walked into Cocoricò in Riccione when I was 16 years old. Both these clubs changed my whole perspective of electronic music. Everything in fabric is simply perfect and the people running it are the most professionals in the business. And after years of attending as a clubber I also got the chance to play there in Room 1 which was a truly unforgettable experience.
L: I’m glad I visited a good number of clubs around London. I must agree with Nicky, fabric is one of the most amazing places I have seen with my eyes! The whole place, the way it is structured, that sound-system, the lights, it’s just incredible. Another place that has always been special to me is Crucifix Lane, a real underground club under the railway in London Bridge, a sort of Temple all made of bricks, the atmosphere there was just another level. I had the pleasure to hear insane DJs sets by amazing artists there and it is also the place where I met most of my friends, sadly though it no longer exists. Last but not least I would definitely mention FOLD, in a matter of just a few years it managed to become something more than a simple club. I spent so many great nights there, the place just gets you. One of my favourite clubs nowadays.
N: Not to mention all the warehouse and Illegal parties we have been to.
L: Yeah, as Nicky was saying, we attended lots of warehouse parties too . As we all know, warehouses, and any sort of illegal gathering are part of the culture here, I can say I’ve probably been to more warehouses nights than proper clubs. But going back to clubs for a moment, probably some of the sweetest memories I have go back to when I used to be part of the Cartuli’s crew led by Unai Trotti! This is when I started to properly get into the scene those 12h Cartuli’s sessions inside Crucifix Lane are something I deeply miss. One I clearly remember was with Jane Fitz and Nicolas Lutz on the same night, priceless.
N: I remember Plastic people as well. That was a beautiful little club and it was such a shame it had to close down.
L: Yeah definitely. The queue was always down the road. One of the last parties I was there for was with Marcellus Pittman.
A: Just on that, you mentioned Villalobos and Pittman. Who are some DJs, producers you guys enjoy and are inspired by? Any bucket list DJs?
N: I have always been a great admirer of DVS1, despite him being quite far from my musical world it is always intriguing to see him play, there is always something to learn. My biggest inspiration though comes from our friends, they are the people I share music with and there is so much I have learnt from them and they have really helped me to move forward.
L: The idea of seeing Ricardo Villalobos at fabric is something worth experiencing. When he plays there it is very special. Another artist who I would say has inspired me is Theo Parrish. I saw him back in the days at Plan B playing for roughly 6 hours, starting with soul music, then rap moving to house, going into acid techno and so on. That night was one of the most beautiful nights I’ve had in London. I also agree with Nicky, our friends are our biggest source of inspiration, we are close to the Oscuro crew, NorthSouth boys, Sentaku, Jooice, Timoti. All people we have been sharing music with for years.
A: How do you two go about selecting records, buying records and playing records?
N: When I play I just try to be the best I can. You should not be too affected by what is happening around you. If the setup is good and everything works perfectly I don’t care about how many people there are on the dancefloor or where I am playing, as long as I can deliver my message it is enough for me. If Lorenzo and I are playing together we don’t even ask each other what records we will bring to the event. Playing b2b is always interesting because your partner might play something you have never heard, so it adds a little bit of a surprise effect! In terms of buying records, my ears are constantly changing, and it is part of the process to always be open to different things, but you also have to find your own identity and be true to yourself.
L: When it comes to buying or selecting, I follow my feelings and emotions; if what I am listening to is able to give me “something” I will definitely buy it. I choose and buy records following my personal taste, however I’m always up for discovering new music that brings something different to my ears and that eventually leads my personal taste down a different path. As Nicky says, when playing records, my aim is always to give the best of myself. I remind myself I am there for a reason and to have fun of course, but always remain loyal to my own identity. Even in situations when you need to adapt, it is important to still play what you love, hoping others will like it too!
N: Completely, you must be the first person who likes the music you play. You have to be selfish in a certain way, you must enjoy the music you play and hopefully those listening enjoy it as well.
L: I believe that it is important to see things from both perspectives. What I mean by this is that it is essential to attend gigs as well as being inside the DJ booth. Over the years I learned a lot just by watching my friends playing records at parties, you can see how the crowd reacts and how the night flows on the other side of the DJ booth.
Nowadays we are all becoming more and more knowledgeable about the music scene and music in general and it is a great thing because that pushes me to work on my personal taste and do better! The sad part is that sometimes you can come across unnecessary competitiveness, but I guess that’s part of the game.
A: Very interesting you say that, that is something I have definitely noticed. So many party goers attending nights and seeing it as some kind of impress me competition rather than just trying to lose themselves and enjoy the evening.
N: That is something which is very wrong. Bringing this kind of competitiveness to something which isn’t meant to be competitive. With outransa our main aim is to try to let people lose themselves for few hours in the most harmonious atmosphere we can create and allow them to appreciate our art. That is why we feel immensely proud of the community we are part of, because it helps us create this vibe which permeates the event from start to finish.
L: I like the idea that people are becoming knowledgeable about the music we play, it’s nice to see people have a certain interest for the music or when for example someone comes and asks for a track ID, that’s a sign of appreciation so it is a positive thing. It is also beautiful to see people getting totally lost in the music.
A: Thanks for chatting to me guys, will look out for the next outransa, hopefully in 2021 and with dancers who are able to stand!
L & N: Thank you Angus. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the artists that have believed in our project and all the people that have contributed to our growth. We hope to see you all soon x
Keep updated with everything outransa by following their socials:
https://www.facebook.com/outransa
Interview by: Angus Whitfield