This year marks the 10th anniversary of Miguel Dare‘s time as a DJ, which has seen him spinning the decks in some of London’s most exclusive clubs, in his own unique fashion. To help him celebrate his decade in music and mayhem, we invited him to share his Top 10 moments in his first 10 years as a DJ.
2012-2013 | Top Tune: Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris – ‘We Found Love’
“My first ever London DJ gig was at the party called ‘POWDER’ at The Queen of Hoxton. It was created by my dear friend, Mica Francis-Angel, who kindly invited me to spin some tunes for her.
“I played all my favourite tracks by Aaliyah, Destiny’s Child, and Missy Elliott, and wore a very revealing top by the loveliest East London based designer duo, Bitching & Junk Food (Marion and Kath). I’ll always be so thankful to Mica for giving me this amazing opportunity and the ‘wings to fly’!”
“My real Polish name is Michał Przybyła. Back then, when I was just starting out, I was so afraid that no one was going to be able to pronounce it that I came up with the DJ name, Miguel Dare. When I think of it now, I should have kept my real name but that was the choice I made then, and I’ll keep it… at least for now.
“After my very successful first gig at Powder, there were many more Shoreditch based gigs that followed, including an R&B party that I absolutely loved spinning at called ‘What’s My Name’ at The Macbeth. It was always fun and always super packed.
“All those fabulous little gigs led to me launching my own club night called ‘TRUTH OR DARE’ at Dalston Superstore. I can’t even describe the feeling… the excitement was immense! Me? Michał Przybyła from a small town in Poland?? Erm my own club night? In actual London??? No way!!!! I was BEYOND happy!”
2013-2014 | Top Tune: Daft Punk – ‘Get Lucky (ft. Pharrell Williams, Nile Rodgers)’
“Truth Or Dare has been really fun and super busy with an extraordinary crowd attending, while some super talented guest DJ’s, including my good friend Alexis Knox, Rowdy Superstar, Mark Ashley Dupe, Siobhan Bell, Snoochie Shy, and Becca Dudley to name a few spun on the night.
“I managed to create such a lovely safe space for everyone in a beautiful LGBTQ East London venue, and have always celebrated inclusivity, equality, and uniqueness. My aim was to give a chance for up-and-coming talent to perform at Truth Or Dare, with Viktoria Modesta and Iris Gold having their live PA’s and legends such as Feral is Kinky also performed on the night.”
“In 2013, I also became one of the resident DJs at an amazing party called ‘SHOREBITCH’ – which I loved very much! It was just amazing! – and my friend Rowdy Superstar’s fabulous club night ‘SOAP’ and another fun event called ‘CATFACE’. My dear friend, Erol Sabadosh, had his mid-week event at the W London hotel where I also guest DJ’d. I loved it! I met so many incredible people back then, which led me to DJ for American R&B singer, Amerie, at her central London gig that year.”
“That year I was also invited to DJ at my first ever international gig in Tokyo, Japan! Oh, my dear… I was so excited and so happy… and very honoured… I mean it was in TOKYO!!! I remember being very ecstatic about it! It went really well, however, I must admit I was so bloody nervous! Also, I’ve never seen such a big queue waiting outside to see me DJing! It was all very surreal! 2013 was absolutely fabulous for me!”
2014-2015 | Top Tune: Pharrell Williams – ‘Happy’
“My club night opened so many fabulous doors for me and many great residencies London’s best and most popular clubs. This has led me to table hosting at some lush nightclubs, such as Libertine in the West End, where I later became a resident DJ. I absolutely loved it as I could DJ and be the host with the most at the same time, which was brill!
“This opportunity led me to host Paris Hilton’s first ever London’s DJ gig, which then opened doors to DJ in Spain, many fabulous London hotels and Fashion Week after-parties, while moving Truth or Dare to XOYO in Old Street and doing many special collaborations of my club night with other venues, such as Visions, SHOREBITCH and The Macbeth.”
“I released my first ever mixtape and also gained a few more East London residencies, such as the fabulous Dupeś Den by Mark Ashley Dupé and the legendary NYC DJ ‘Larry Tee’s Electric Machine’ party in East Bloc – an LGBTQ club in Old Street.
“Omg! So when I played one night at East Bloc a stylist friend of mine, Calvin Opaleye, popped in with the legendary American rapper, Eve – who I’m a huge fun of! And she came to me and said can I jump on the mic and perform a few tunes? I was like (OMFG!) OF COURSE! So, she did perform four songs – it was magical! I’ll never forget that! Wow!”
2015-2016 | Top Tune: Kendrick Lamar – ‘King Kunta’
“Truth or Dare came to an end… after three marvellous years of unforgettable memories we created. All good things have to come to an end at some point. So that was a year of many changes.
“That year I became a DJ for an extraordinary singer and best friend, Delilah, and went on tour with her to DJ in many fabulous places, including Sofia, Bulgaria and other European countries. This was INCREDIBLE! I’m forever so grateful to her for those amazing opportunities!”
2016-2017 | Top Tune: Beyoncé – ‘Formation’
“In 2016 I launched the brand-new event ‘GET LIT’ in the fabulous members club, Lights of Soho, in the heart of soho, with the huge help of the ever so amazing DJ/stylist/producer – Alexis Knox!
“Get Lit always brought a diverse crowd from different demographics to a night that specialised in fusing the music and fashion industry and creativity. Similar to Truth or Dare, it has always stood for inclusivity and creating equal opportunities for everyone. This eclectic mix of people and demographics was mirrored by the diverse mix of R’n’B, hip-hop classics and current club bangers! It was magical!”
2017-2018 | Top Tune: DJ Khaled – ‘Wild Thoughts ft. Rihanna, Bryson Tiller’
“By 2017, I had DJ’d at many prestigious members clubs, such as Scotch, The Box Soho, Bungalow 8, Annabel’s, Playboy Club and Tramp.
“I guest DJ’d at Vogue, i-D, V Magazine, and Vice magazine parties and many fun festivals, such as Latitude (the best time ever), Field Day (London’s coolest festival), Henley Regata (my set was right after the legendary Roger Sanchez and I was soooo nervous!). I also DJ’d at many cool after-parties for events such Love Box festival, Kesha’s after-show party, and for some really cool fashion brands such as KTZ, PPQ, Katie Eary, and Victoria’s Secret to name a few.”
“I also became a resident DJ for shops such as Selfridges, Victoria’s Secret, GAP, Marr, Cheap Mondays, Hype, Topman, Tuesdays and many more.
“In 2017, I also launched my second event called The Velvet Room in Shoreditch, with the huge help of my good friend and amazing DJ and fashion designer, Laurenzo Fab. We had amazing talent spinning on the night alongside us, plus a mixture of Get Lit’s crowd and Laurenzo’s Kwaleö brand’s fantastic following. It was just a brill combo where music met fashion!
2018-2019 | Top Tune: Drake – ‘Nice For What’
“I moved Get Lit to The Curtain hotel in Shoreditch, which made it even better and more fabulous, with an array of superb DJs such as Snoochie Shy, Nikki Beatnik, Kalvin Krash, and Flexi Mami spinning for me, and artists such as Lady Leshurr and Kasien performing live PAs.
“In 2018, Get Lit also collaborated on an incredible London Fashion Week event with FGUK magazine, hosted by supermodel, Jeremy Meek, and saw the likes of Little Mix, Rita Ora, and Kris Kardashian in attendance to name a few.
“I also became a resident DJ for the super fun party, ‘A Curious Invitation’ – I absolutely loved it! It’s like a huge fancy dress masked ball with stunning burlesque and cabaret performances! Their Halloween and New Year’s Eve parties have always been my fave!”
2019-2020 | Top Tune: Billie Eilish – ‘Bad Guy’
“In 2019, Get Lit was doing fabulously well, so I decided to let go of ‘The V Room’ in order to properly focus on one party. I also released my 15th mix to date called ‘ELIXIR’.
“That year, my super lovely friend – the super talented singer and DJ, Nate James, and I also launched a very cute and intimate guest list only club night called ‘DISCREET’, firstly at The Wellington members club and then at The Hospital club in Covent Garden which I really loved! I adore working with Nate – it is always a pure pleasure to play together, plus we literally like all the same tunes!”
2020-2021 | Top Tune: Dua Lipa – ‘Don’t Start Now’
“The Global Pandemic came upon us, leaving me kind of stranded, but in a way I did need a little break, to be able to rest, breathe and gain a fresh new perspective. In the meantime, to keep being creative I started writing for you – my lovely FMS! And I’m so happy and thankful for this incredible opportunity! Thank you a million, Sarah <3”
2021-2022: Pusha T – ‘Diet Coke’
“Once the world started coming back to normality… I became a resident DJ at Bubba Oasis – a very fabulous bar in Angel, which I love dearly and the energy on the dance floor is always unmatchable.”
So, there it is… Miguel Dare’s Top 10 Moments (and more) in his 10 years as a DJ. We’ve compiled his Top 10 tracks into a playlist, so be sure to check that out for the ultimate Miguel Dare vibe, and you can also catch him live at Bubba Oasis!
