If you into good old hip-hop,classical production,the people that make it and the processes they follow to bring it to life, you'll enjoy this!
Its an interview with Extraordinary-Producer Nicolay i got from 3sixteenfabrications.
Enjoy!
Nicolay is the Netherlands-based producer of one of the most critically acclaimed albums on the underground hip hop circuit in 2005 – “The Foreign Exchange.” You’ve also heard his work on some Little Brother tracks (“Light It Up”, a hot track that appeared on the B-Side of LB’s “Whatever You Say” single) as well as the beat for “The Williams” with Supastition, which ended up winning the Okayplayer unsigned artist competition. One of the most remarkable things about his projects is the fact that he’s completed them all without ever meeting with his collaborators.
It was only fitting that Nicolay and I would end up connecting through the internet (Instant Messenger, of course) to talk some more about his musical beginnings, his projects, and where he’s going with his career.
-Andrew
Tell the people out there a little more about where you’re from.
I've grown up where I have been living now for a good 25 years, which is Utrecht, the Netherlands – in Europe. I enjoyed a warm and loving upbringing, and discovered my love for music because my mother would just continuously play music - from Nina Simone to classical music and back. So from early on, I was exposed to a lot of music, and it was definitely my moms that schooled me that way and encouraged me to learn play an instrument.
What did you start off on?
I started off on the classical or Spanish guitar when I was around 11 or 12. I took lessons it on for a couple of years, but I eventually wanted to get an electrical guitar too just to rock. Me and a few buddies wanted to form this band so we could play Prince stuff, you know… but there were already two guitar players so I kinda had no option but to buy a bass.
Oh man. That hurts for bass players like me to hear.
(Laughs). I became a dedicated bass player though - and that was my main thing for several years while i would still play guitar on the side.
Was it hard to switch back and forth? I know some musicians find it hard but others seem to do ok with it… like Ben Kenney who played electric for the Roots but switched back to playing bass for Incubus.
Not really…not for me anyways. I am just as much a bassist as a guitarist as a keyboard player. I just do whatever to get my point across
How long did you play in a band for?
I played in several bands (too many to mention) from then on up to like 2001 - a good ten years all together. The majority of the stuff we played would be funk and R&B type stuff. The last band I played in was on some 80s synthesizer funk stuff a la Zapp…and prince would always be a big influence in any of those groups. Plus I always had my own band…right now we're more or less contemplating whether we can breathe life into that one again.
Tell me about that...
Well, "Nicolay" was also the name of the band that I toured with for about 3 or 4 years. We would play R & B, hip hop and soul type stuff and open up for artists like Boyz II Men, K-Ci and Jojo.
Thats dope. What happened to that band?
I had to let it go because I made the choice of focusing on production work. Another reason was that we couldn't really get a foot between the door as far as making records was concerned - so i changed my focus.
I see. What kind of production work did you start focusing on?
I wasn't making beats yet – I’m referring to production in terms of studio work and recording. I was doing work for the band I was playing for, and it wasn't until 2001 where I decided to drop all things regarding live playing and bands and that was because I was doing more and more production in the hip hop sense. I couldn't combine it anymore...
Not enough time? Was it a musical shift?
Not enough time. I never shifted - music is music.
I bet a lot of people who are catching you for the first time don’t know that you have such a deep history in music making before becoming a beatmaker.
And that's cool. I felt I had to make a brand new start anyway because the activities I had been involved in up to 2000 simply didn't pay off. People over here [in the Netherlands] weren't trying to hear us, so in that sense maybe I did make a shift - but not musical. It was a geographical shift.
More in a sense of doing whatever it would take to allow people to hear your music.
Exactly.
It’s funny. Supastition tells me that the recognition that you are getting now has been "a long time coming." I can see why he says that now.
People hear "long time coming" and think... yeah, cat’s been doing it for like five years now but I've been in and out of music since the late eighties so. I am just thankful that the way I do finally come out is so strong.
"...moments like that are pure happiness - the moment you realize you're onto something."
How did you get started with beatmaking? What was your setup like?
Exactly the same as it is now…well, almost. It's basically a computer (laughs). I'll let you in on a secret. One of the first things I did was the beat for [Little Brother’s] "Light it up" - but I didn't have that vocal hook yet. By that time I was heavy into 9th Wonder's stuff. We had just about heard like ten joints from him and I was blown away
That's when I thought... I need a vocal sample! (because of what he did in "Whatever You Say") So I just started looking around - and I had this Supremes thing lying around. It just fit in tempo and key and everything.
Moments like that… moments like that are pure happiness - the moment you realize you're onto something.
How has your musician's background affected your beatmaking?
I think it plays a big part because I studied music for 7 years at the Amsterdam university so I’ve got a lot of music theory that's in my head for good. That does not necessarily make me better - far from it – but I think it does play a big part in what I do musically.
What I do musically is basically stuff I'd like to hear. I mean, even in "Light it up" which started out as a more "Premier" approach if you will, I ended up adding keys to make the sound more thick and broad... and that's what usually happens.
I personally started out playing piano, which was a good instrument to allow me to learn about the "big picture" in that it combines melody, harmony and a bass line if you will. do you feel like playing different instruments and playing in an actual band helps you to see the big picture better when you're creating a beat?
Let's say it did give me an advantage starting out producing - just knowing how harmonies work and what bass notes you might want to put under a certain chord... what would be a natural progression.
But in the end, it takes talent whether you have a musical background or not, right?
Talent, persistence, and good ideas. The musical background helps me a lot, but I know some ridiculously talented cats that don't have that background at all.
These days, anyone with a computer can be a "producer." How do you feel about that?
Anyone has the potential, just like anyone could become an architect, but the line is not drawn at owning a computer and some software. The line is drawn at the talent - the ear for music.
Their work will eventually be shown for what it is, right?
Man... I’ve heard stuff by cats in these big studios with all the budget in the world, and it was literally wack as !@#$. Having a computer or not or having a big studio or not, those are not the decisive factors. Look at RZA doing the entire first Wu-Tang album on that small sampler with four pads.
Do you feel the word "production" is misused these days when cats can whip out a beat, ship it to an MC and call it a day? What are people missing these days from producers of old?
Well, they both are different words nowadays, just like the word "album" doesn't mean what it used to mean anymore. A producer in the traditional sense - Quincy Jones, George Martin - would be involved in everything from the song writing to the collaborations to the mixing to everything. In hip hop and contemporary R & B, a producer is the guy that does the track and that's usually it. It's just a semantic shift.
Do you think that hip hop would benefit from producers with a greater vision for the feel of a track and how it would fit into the album as a whole?
Well let's not generalize. Some cats are not to be underestimated…Kanye West, 9th Wonder, possibly Lil Jon…I think I can name a lot of names of cats that are involved way more than just do the beat, thank God.
"If it wasn't for the internet I'd be playing oompah at a farmer's wedding right now."
The internet is one of the major reasons that you've been able to get your sound out of the netherlands and into the global hip hop community. Tell me about that.
THE major reason…the only reason. If it wasn't for the internet I'd be playing oompah at a farmer's wedding right now. Every project I have been involved in has come about through the internet. See, I guess you could say that Little Brother discovered me.
Were they the first group that spit over your beats or were there any local cats?
They were the first recording over one of my beats – “Light It Up” and “Nic’s Groove.” Those two were the first session in 2001. It started because Phonte had heard the “Light it up” beat and the beat that would become "Be Alright." After that, I just literally kept sending and sending - the beat for “Nic's Groove,” “Happiness,” “Let's Move,” all those.
What’s the story behind little brother discovering you?
That was the story - both Phonte and I would hang at the Okayplayer message boards, discussing music and what not. That's where I heard his stuff and he heard mine, we got into contact, and it was a wrap!
When did you guys come up with the idea for "The Foreign Exchange"?
That was way later. At first, we just did a couple of tracks for the sake of doing it. Then, after we had about 5, the idea of a "Nicolay vs. Little Brother" EP started to rise - but Pooh decided that he wanted to do something that fit more with his personal style… and some of the tracks i was doing at that time didn't fit into that.
So it was me and tay from then on…that's when ‘Tay came up with "Foreign Exchange."
How long did it take to complete that project?
I’d say a good 1.5 to 2 years.
Wow. People are constantly blown away at the chemistry between you and Phonte on the album…and the fact that you guys never met up in person and that the entire album was constructed over the internet makes it even more impressive.
That's not how we experienced making it…we just liked what we came up with. It just felt natural what we did, and convenient. I would just send a track, and he would return with vocals. Like Phonte said, it's not about being all up in each other's face, as long as you knock em out of the park
With so many artists having to subject themselves to making a certain kind of music (what your label tells you to do, or what your marketing agent tells you to do) it must be nice for people to feel the stuff that you want to do.
That's why our way worked. We had no label, no budget… just us and some friends. We finished it ourselves, finished the artwork ourselves, and presented this complete package. It was up to us getting with a label, there simply was no money involved. It was all love.
You've got a lot of great stories to tell. How did you and Supastition hook up for "The Williams" - which went on to win a spot on the prestigious Okayplayer true notes vol.1 album?
Man, it was the same thing basically. Supa had heard what I did with Little Brother, so he reached out. Now, "The Williams" was supposed to be on his album, but i always felt it was a really strong cut with potential. So when that whole Okayplayer thing came about, people were urging me to send that one in. We did, and the rest is history.
Any upcoming projects that you want to take the chance to plug?
Yeah, me and ‘Tay are working on Darien Brockington's solo album. He's the cat that sings lead on "Come Around.” That one is gonna be a beautiful album, man. Work by me, Symbolyc one, Vitamin D.
Any shoutouts?
Shoutouts to Phonte Pooh, 9th, Doh and the rest of the Justus league, Supastition, Soulspazm, Beatfanatic crew, Slopfunkdust, Oh So Nappy, FWMJ, Strange Fruit Project, Garden Seeker fam, the Lawn, Okayplayer…
The internet…
Shoutouts to the internet…the planets and the stars... and the love between a man and a woman.
Word up. Thanks for taking the time out to do this!
It was my pleasure. Shoutouts to Jazzy Jeff! Don't forget that one. Shoutouts to King Britt. Man I'm not gonna stop…
I think I might have to shut down instant messenger to shut you up (laughs).
Basically. Shoutouts to Instant Messenger!!!
-Andrew
