DJ and Producer Gabe Niles on Life as a Creative NOMAD

Coming up on his second decade as a traveling producer and DJ, Gabe Niles – also known as Bugman, DJSupLadies and one-half of Sunny & Gabe – knows a thing or two about creative life on the road. On this sunny August morning, he settled into The Garage to reflect on his journey as a NOMAD.

Born and raised in Virginia Beach, Gabe grew up surrounded by music. Naturally, he was inspired by homegrown talents like Timbaland and The Neptunes, who “went from rolling down Mt. Trashmore to rocking the world.” The inspiration, Gabe says, was limitless.

During his time at Old Dominium University, Gabe began remixing music and creating original beats. Before long, he was DJing college parties. In music, Gabe found an electric conduit for connection and collaboration in unexpected spaces and with an eclectic group of people. From then on, his mission became discovering his potential through music, because “anything can happen in a song.”

In fact, many things happened as Gabe pursued his passion, embarking on what he calls “the life of a gypsy, hustler and professional couch surfer” as a music producer. His commitment paid off when inclusions on Okay Player in 2009 and Pigeons & Planes in 2012, provided a global platform for his music and set Gabe’s nomadic life into motion, working with the acclaimed DJ A-Trak at SXSW.

From New York to Austin and everywhere in between, Gabe treated “every interaction the same, knowing it could lead somewhere.” Staying unrealistic and unjaded by the outside world, he says, kept him going. A whirlwind chapter of poor management further taught Gabe invaluable lessons about the kind of artist he wants to be.

In 2014, Gabe’s career trajectory was forever changed when rapper, singer and producer DRAM invited him to mix one of his songs and made him an executive producer. Since then, Gabe has had the opportunity to work with people he only once dreamed of.

“I have always stayed open to receiving connections, more dots to map out my journey. I keep chasing. I gotta keep moving.”

Gabe has worked with and amassed an impressive network of nationally acclaimed musicians, large festivals and creatives dedicated to making space for diversity. Through it all, he has remained intentional in giving back to his Virginia Beach community, collaborating with local organizations and creatives in elevating the area’s cultural offerings and opportunities.

“If you can do something here, you can do it anywhere. It’s our people who make all of the difference. I want to put my success back into the 757 soil because this is where I want it to grow. All we need is opportunity. All we need is a little bit of rain.”

With his signature humility and humor, Gabe compels us all to think big, work hard and remember that there’s room and abundance for all, so long as we collaborate. A collective economy, he believes, will always thrive over a competitive one, especially among creatives.

It’s this message that closes out Gabe’s talk to ardent applause and nods in the audience. No doubt we all feel more inspired to chase our next big dream.

Learn more about Gabe’s upcoming gigs, music releases and more on Instagram.

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Written by CMVB volunteer blogger Valeria L. Palmertree

Join us every third Friday in 2025 as we explore, along with 236 other cities in 69 countries around the world, 12 new themes in a face-to-face community format. Recent themes have included Cycle, Layers, Revival, Punk and Parallel. August’s theme is BLOSSOM, and our featured speaker will be Kip Poole.

CM also has virtual field trips and a database of previous talks to enjoy and explore at home.