Skip to main content

MILLER SOUNDCLASH WILDCARD WINNER: TOM & COLLINS

Mexican duo set to rock Las Vegas

After an intense wait, last week saw the announcement of Tom & Collins as the winning duo of the Miller SoundClash Wildcard category.

Juan and Jorge, born and bred in Mexico’s deep-rooted dance culture, sit down with the MGD team to reveal their incredible story, their dream collaborations and what’s it’s like to warm up for Avicii, Guetta and Aoki.

Congratulations on becoming the Miller SoundClash Wildcard finalist, how does it feel?
“Amazing... we’ve always wanted to perform in Vegas so this is really a dream come true.”

Tell us how you heard about the competition and why you decided to enter?
“A DJ friend of ours told us about Miller SoundClash and we immediately started working on the mix.”

 

TOM & COLLINS - Mexico - Miller SoundClash by Tom And Collins on Mixcloud

 

How did you guys start out in the industry – have you always been a duo or were you individual artists in the beginning?
“It was a really random experience...we both opened a club in Mexico City and on opening night the DJ didn’t arrive. We both knew how to mix so we said the hell with it, let’s play together. It was amazing - there was so much chemistry and such a great vibe that we knew this was the beginning of something”

What made you fall in love with music and DJing?
“Growing up we always had the best CD collection and would pride ourselves on having the best iPod tracks. We also played a couple of instruments when we were young, so I guess you could say we have always been in love with music...we’re so happy and thankful that it turned into a career.”



How difficult was it to cut through all the noise and get noticed?

“We’ve always tried really hard in our track selections and music production classes but onstage we have so much fun that I guess people noticed and felt the vibe. We’d only been playing for 7 months together before we were given the opportunity to open for David Guetta’s concert in Mexico City - we don’t know if it was luck but we are definitely grateful.”

What and who are your musical inspirations?
“So many artists have inspired us. Jorge was a Strokes fan growing up and I (Juan) was a Michael Jackson obsessive. But in the electronic scene our favourite artists are Disclosure, Pharrell, Daft Punk and Avicii. The reason is that, beside making great music, these are artists who haven’t been afraid to make a stand and do things differently - artists who will be remembered for years to come.”

Who would be your dream DJ/Producer to work with?
“Diplo, we love his vibe.”

You’ve played with the likes of Steve Aoki, but what has been the highlight of your career to date?
“We are lucky to have had many amazing moments but I think we both agree that the two highlights would have to be playing alongside Nicky Romero and Martin Garrix at ‘The Day After Festival’ in Panama and performing in front of 50,000 people at the Azteca Stadium warming up for David Guetta in Mexico City.”

You opened Avicii’s concert at Cholula Puebla Mèxico last year, tell us about that experience. 
"Avicii’s fans are very devoted, especially in Mexico, so to have that energy in a crowd was incredible. Also, we got to hang a little with Tim afterwards - he is a really cool guy so the whole night was a great experience.”

Who is your favourite DJ/Producer right now and why? 
"We like producers that don’t restrict themselves to one music genre ...like Chris Lake for example, you can find him collaborating with Steve Aoki or doing a deep house underground set at a club."

What’s your favourite track/album right now? 
"If we have to pick one right now it’d be Gorgon City’s new album sounds, especially their single 'Real'"