Saturday Night Session 016: Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano talk making it work as a musical duo and the meaning behind their ‘Sexy By Nature’ brand
Few moments are more sacred than the reprieve Saturday night provides from the daily grind of school and work. Its importance is meant to be emphasized, and thus, a feature dedicated to “doing the night right” was born. Saturday Night Sessions are set around energizing mixes meant to get the party started. New or old, each episode has one cornerstone thing in similarity: they serve as the perfect backdrop for the weekend pregame.
Sunnery Gorré and Ryan de Lange have come quite a long way since the pair met by chance working retail in Amsterdam in 2006. Now internationally renowned electronic music producers, label owners, and clothing line founders, retail is only a fraction of what keeps them busy thanks to their creative flair and infectious personalities. More popularly known as Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano, the duo’s music career is what pushed them into notoriety, and it all started with a release in 2009 on Chuckie‘s Dirty Dutch imprint. After cementing a strong fanbase in The Netherlands, James and Marciano began to grow a steady following internationally thanks to their unique sound and high energy productions. A decade in, their career is as vibrant as ever.
All of the different elements of James & Marciano’s creativity fall under the master brand they have made for themselves, ‘Sexy By Nature.’ Inspired by confidence, they speak about what the brand means to them, and how it shapes their approach to life, stating, “We think being sexy is all about attitude and confidence. In our opinion every single person can be sexy in their own way. For us it’s not so much about the way you look or dress, but the way you present yourself. Being sexy is being comfortable with who you are and that is why it’s so important to us and why we started our ‘Sexy By Nature’ brand.”
Brands, labels, and songs aside, it is no secret that being a part of a music duo or a group can be taxing and ultimately career ending due to interpersonal conflict and differing of directions. James and Marciano are still going strong after a decade, and they speak on why they have been able to make it work, saying, “Besides working together, we’re best friends. We were already best friends before we started our DJ career. We get along so well, so we never ever fight. We spend so much time together, the only thing we do separately is sleeping haha.”
The product of their friendship and stellar working relationship, the duo have a truly distinctive sound, which isn’t something many of the electronic music artists in the current commercialized landscape can say. James and Marciano blend elements of house, tribal, techno, and electro all rolled up with some Latin flavor. All of these elements are displayed throughout their hour long Saturday Night Session, which takes the listener on a ride of club music and recent hits by the artists.
When asked what kind of a Saturday night the mix would get listeners’ ready for, James and Marciano unsurprisingly note it will be a ‘sexy and funky one!” The mix is the perfect representation of their dynamic soundscape bundled into one high energy set, and it’s the perfect backdrop for a club night.
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It can be tough being a duo/group in music, and we’ve seen a lot of breakups. How do you guys make it work?
Besides working together we’re best friends. We were already best friends before we started our DJ career. We get along so well, so we never ever fight. We spend so much time together, the only thing we do separately is sleeping haha.
What can we expect from you guys in 2019? Any exciting new projects?
Last month we released a new track with Bruno Martini and Mayra called “Shameless.” Besides this release there is a lot of new music on the way. We’re also playing a lot of cool shows and festivals like Tomorrowland, Balaton Sound and Mysteryland, where we also host our own stage with Sexy By Nature. And of course we have our own residency again at Hi Ibiza, every Wednesday together with Armin van Buuren.
What is the best and conversely worst part about this career?
The best part is that we get to see the world and we get to meet so many cool and inspiring people all over the world. What we dislike the most is the fact that we’re away from our families a lot.
How did you guys decide on ‘Sexy by Nature’ as your brand name/thematic?
We think being sexy is all about attitude and confidence. In our opinion every single person can be sexy in their own way. For us it’s not so much about the way you look or dress but the way you present yourself. Being sexy is being comfortable with who you are and that is why it’s so important to us and why we started our ‘Sexy By Nature’ brand.
Is this a career you would encourage your kids to pursue?
We always encourage our kids to do what they love. If they have the passion to become DJs we will support hem in every way we can, but of course we will warn them about the side effects and the fact that it’s a quite intense profession. It’s not for everybody.
What kind of a Saturday Night is your mix going to get us ready for?
A sexy and funky one!