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According to Nicolay, best known as one half of Foreign Exchange (with Phonte of the North Carolina group Little Brother), many "producers" don’t deserve their title. Well, if anyone has room to talk, it’s him releasing superb efforts every year since 2004’s Foreign
Exchange "Connected" sonically recreating a soulful blend of hip hop/house and jazz. Now, being at the helm of a new label along with a new release, Nicolay had a chance to talk it up about the future for him and his take on the industry.
Nicolay
Tell us about yourself and what it is that you do?
My name is Nicolay and I am a producer/musician originally from The Netherlands, Europe and currently living and working in North Carolina.
What instruments do you play and who have you played for/with?
I play keyboards/synthesizers, guitars, bass and drums. Most people know me as one half of The Foreign Exchange and outside of that and my own albums I have produced music with and for Little Brother, Median, Supastition, Kay of The Foundation, Darien Brockington, Oh No, Yahzarah, Sy Smith, Strange Fruit Project, Stokley Williams of Mint Condition, Chip Fu, EMC, Zion I, Roy Ayers, Bob James, Jaguar Wright and many many more.
Being from the Netherlands, do you see a difference between how hip hop is seen there as opposed to the states?
I get that question a lot but really I always have a hard time answering it, mainly because for me personally there is not a lot of difference. Yes and no. On the one hand, Europe is very much focussed on the USA when it comes to movies, music, fashion, etc. but on the other hand, Europe does seem to have a little bit more of appreciation for the original aspects of the art-form.
So many people complain about what they don’t like about hip hop music, what is it that you love about it?
Honestly, I don’t necessarily consider myself strictly a hip-hop artist or producer. Hip-hop does seem to be one of the red threads that runs through my music, though, but so are soul, so many people are complaini jazz, dance, down-tempo, etc. I think the number one reason that so much right now is the large number of subpar releases, but it’s never too late to turn it around.
How do you feel about the future of music and record labels etc.?
I think that we can all see clearly that the future of music will more than likely not include any traditional major record labels. More and more major and not-so-major artists are either going the ‘indie’ route or releasing their product themselves, as they no longer really need a label to reach their core fan-base. A lot of major labels and music execs have really placed themselves ‘outside’ of the music by being obsessed with SoundScan and other numbers that say nothing about the quality of the music and, if you ask me, and they are presented with the bill right now.
Tell us about your new imprint, and some of your plans to make sure that you can overcome some of the hurdles that seem to be effecting the music industry.
The most recent (and last) experience I had with a record label while releasing my HERE album (2006) was not a positive one, and so I wanted make a change and be responsible myself rather than having to depend on other people. I have felt for a while now that I could do a better job myself and keep the money that the label would normally take, and now I get to put my money where my mouth is. We are focussing all of our efforts on one release at a time, and hopefully that will keep us in a good course. So far it has been going very well.
Other than live instrumentation, what do you use when making beats?
I have always been a PC dude, since day one I have mainly used this free program called Modplug Tracker to do all of the sequencing. I currently record, edit and mix in Pro Tools.
How do you feel about the new Foreign Exchange album? Also, was their anything different this time in creating it as the last one?
The album is done with 11songs. There’s a lot of things that are different about this second album (none of which I can comment on right now), but one thing has stayed the same: we are still working on it via the internet.
Greatest advice you’ve ever gotten concerning your music?
Get educated. Even though I didn’t always enjoy it at the time I am very thankful that I got to learn music theory the way I did. Never think you know everything. There’s always something new to learn.
Is it a struggle to do music full-time? What made you finally make that plunge?
Of course it’s a struggle, and it depends on your ability to "hustle" whether you’ll sink or swim. I decided to stay working my dayjob for as long as I could, and so I worked a regular 9 to 5 all the way up to December 31st of 2004, when things were going well enough for me to support myself with the music. I quit January 1st, and have not looked back since. It’s probably easier for a producer than for an emcee as there’s many different things that I can try and exploit, from productions and remixes for others to your own albums to DJ gigs, etc.
Ideal scenario what would it be concerning your music?
My ideal scenario would be to be able to do this for life, until my very last day.
To up and coming producers/mcs attempting to get heard, what advice do you have?
Learn to play an instrument. Learn about arranging for different size ensembles. School yourself on recording techniques, EQing, compressing, etc. A lot of cats "claim" to be producers, but very few actually deserve the term.
---
Words by: Preach
Read more: Issue Two
Credits: Rawrap
Exchange "Connected" sonically recreating a soulful blend of hip hop/house and jazz. Now, being at the helm of a new label along with a new release, Nicolay had a chance to talk it up about the future for him and his take on the industry.
Nicolay
Tell us about yourself and what it is that you do?
My name is Nicolay and I am a producer/musician originally from The Netherlands, Europe and currently living and working in North Carolina.
What instruments do you play and who have you played for/with?
I play keyboards/synthesizers, guitars, bass and drums. Most people know me as one half of The Foreign Exchange and outside of that and my own albums I have produced music with and for Little Brother, Median, Supastition, Kay of The Foundation, Darien Brockington, Oh No, Yahzarah, Sy Smith, Strange Fruit Project, Stokley Williams of Mint Condition, Chip Fu, EMC, Zion I, Roy Ayers, Bob James, Jaguar Wright and many many more.
Being from the Netherlands, do you see a difference between how hip hop is seen there as opposed to the states?
I get that question a lot but really I always have a hard time answering it, mainly because for me personally there is not a lot of difference. Yes and no. On the one hand, Europe is very much focussed on the USA when it comes to movies, music, fashion, etc. but on the other hand, Europe does seem to have a little bit more of appreciation for the original aspects of the art-form.
So many people complain about what they don’t like about hip hop music, what is it that you love about it?
Honestly, I don’t necessarily consider myself strictly a hip-hop artist or producer. Hip-hop does seem to be one of the red threads that runs through my music, though, but so are soul, so many people are complaini jazz, dance, down-tempo, etc. I think the number one reason that so much right now is the large number of subpar releases, but it’s never too late to turn it around.
How do you feel about the future of music and record labels etc.?
I think that we can all see clearly that the future of music will more than likely not include any traditional major record labels. More and more major and not-so-major artists are either going the ‘indie’ route or releasing their product themselves, as they no longer really need a label to reach their core fan-base. A lot of major labels and music execs have really placed themselves ‘outside’ of the music by being obsessed with SoundScan and other numbers that say nothing about the quality of the music and, if you ask me, and they are presented with the bill right now.
Tell us about your new imprint, and some of your plans to make sure that you can overcome some of the hurdles that seem to be effecting the music industry.
The most recent (and last) experience I had with a record label while releasing my HERE album (2006) was not a positive one, and so I wanted make a change and be responsible myself rather than having to depend on other people. I have felt for a while now that I could do a better job myself and keep the money that the label would normally take, and now I get to put my money where my mouth is. We are focussing all of our efforts on one release at a time, and hopefully that will keep us in a good course. So far it has been going very well.
Other than live instrumentation, what do you use when making beats?
I have always been a PC dude, since day one I have mainly used this free program called Modplug Tracker to do all of the sequencing. I currently record, edit and mix in Pro Tools.
How do you feel about the new Foreign Exchange album? Also, was their anything different this time in creating it as the last one?
The album is done with 11songs. There’s a lot of things that are different about this second album (none of which I can comment on right now), but one thing has stayed the same: we are still working on it via the internet.
Greatest advice you’ve ever gotten concerning your music?
Get educated. Even though I didn’t always enjoy it at the time I am very thankful that I got to learn music theory the way I did. Never think you know everything. There’s always something new to learn.
Is it a struggle to do music full-time? What made you finally make that plunge?
Of course it’s a struggle, and it depends on your ability to "hustle" whether you’ll sink or swim. I decided to stay working my dayjob for as long as I could, and so I worked a regular 9 to 5 all the way up to December 31st of 2004, when things were going well enough for me to support myself with the music. I quit January 1st, and have not looked back since. It’s probably easier for a producer than for an emcee as there’s many different things that I can try and exploit, from productions and remixes for others to your own albums to DJ gigs, etc.
Ideal scenario what would it be concerning your music?
My ideal scenario would be to be able to do this for life, until my very last day.
To up and coming producers/mcs attempting to get heard, what advice do you have?
Learn to play an instrument. Learn about arranging for different size ensembles. School yourself on recording techniques, EQing, compressing, etc. A lot of cats "claim" to be producers, but very few actually deserve the term.
---
Words by: Preach
Read more: Issue Two
Credits: Rawrap
Qwel
In the year 2000 Typical Cats released their Self Titled album. It quickly became a favorite among hip-hoppers around the world and the Chicago-based 4-piece group was predicted a bright future. However, when Qwel came out with his ideas of making an album on his own, there were many critics that doubted if Qwel was able to make a good album without the rest of the crew. But it all came back to bite them and If It Ain’t Been In A Pawn Shop, Then It Can’t Play The Blues turned out to be a success. Qwel has since then released around 10 solo and he also got 2 official releases together with Typical Cats.
To the release of The New Wine Qwel hooked up with the jungle producer Kip Killagain. He has almost have a new producer for every release now, except that Jackson Jones produced three records. To have a non-hip hop producer on a hip hop release can compromise its quality, but I personally like when artists experiments outside the boundary of one genre. Unfortunately it
doesnt always work out well on The New Wine. The beats sometimes feels a little out of place and on tracks like Heliocentric there are to much focus on the electronic loops, when I believe that it would be better to give Qwels rhyming more attention. But It’s nothing to worry about when there is tracks like Agape Rain, with its beautiful piano loop, on the same record.
Qwels biggest strength has always been the text writing, and it isn’t much to complain about here. Qwel is as usual pointing sharp criticism at USA. On the track Reality TV he asks us and himself where the artistry is heading, and we’re getting a follow-up on the subject on the records only lyrically weakness, internet killed the videostar, where Qwel explains how the wrong artists always gets to sign the big contracts. It sure are true, but he seems a little too sensitive in this subject.
The New Wine is a typical Qwel record, with deep lyrics and crazy rhyme-structures. The production could be better and to be honest I miss the rest of the Typical Cats in all of Qwels solo releases, a hook by Denizen Kane just hadn’t been wrong. But don’t mistake me now, cause The New Wine is still a really good record that I strongly recommend you to buy.
---
Rating: 7/10
Words by: Anton Wardell
Read more: Issue Two
This time I won’t recommend you specific artists, but I want to talk about two other musical genres. It’s no secret that hip-hop is the personal favorite of the whole The Find Crew, but there’s more great music if you ask me. Of course it’s alright to limit yourself to one genre, but there’s nothing wrong with being eclectic or being open-minded. Too afraid to make set a footstep in the world of another musical genre? Just read this page and I’m sure you’ll find something you like, even when it’s completely ‘hip-hop-less’. This month it’s time for some jazzy music.
Like you probably already know, jazz lays pretty close hip-hop. I don’t have to tell you that lots of producers sampled classic Jazz-records and if that’s a shock to you, just listen to Common’s Resurrection or Kero One’s In All The Wrong Places and you can hear Herbie Hancock’s Dolphin Dance. Listen to De La Soul’s I Be Blowin’ and you can hear Lou Rawls’ You’ve Made Me So Very Happy. I could fill Issue Three with a list of samples but I won’t: we all know producers use a lot of old jazz records to sample in their music.
Of course there are a lot of obvious things you should check. Miles Davis’ Kind Of Blue is instant classic to me and definitely a must-hear. If you really want to stick to hip-hop you should check out Doo Bop, which features Easy Mo Bee on some tracks, or you could check out the Evolution Of The Groove EP, which has Nas on a track. They both released after Miles Davis died, so not sure if you can count them as ‘Miles Davis-releases’ but they are definitely great!
Another great release - which I am listening to while I write this; nothing better than listening to Jazz while you are writing stuff – is Herbie Hancock’s Maiden Voyage. Five insane tracks recorded together with musicians who where part of Miles Davis’ second quintet. Also, let’s not forget to mention Hancock’s Empyrean’s Isles; another classic release.
Like Black Milk would say: Give The Drummer Sum. Time to highlight Tony Williams, a great drummer who was –what a surprise- also a part of Miles’ second quintet. His album Emergency! is amazing and has some rock and funk-vibes to it, it’s definitely a recommendation for those of you who like jazz with a little bit of rock in it.
To those of you who prefer more actual releases, I highly recommend Jose James’ The Dreamer. If you want to sleep: put this on and lay down and trust me, you will sleep! Like the title presumes, it’s a very dreamy album and Jose’s soulful voice makes it even better. A really warm album where the artists combine jazz with soul and it’s perfect to chill to when you are tired or if you need some relaxation.
A project closer to the home of Hip Hop is J. Rawls’ Liquid Crystal Project. This is a project done by the man who’s known as the producer for Lone Catalysts and consists of one album and a follow up-album which released this year. Hip Hop-wise J. Rawls is a great producer but both albums for his LCP are also excellent, although I prefer the first part. Smooth jazz with some hip-hop influences here and there.
Those where some (sometimes kinda basic) recommendations in the wonderful world of jazz. Each month I will recommend you something different but I am sure I will return in an upcoming issue with another genre. What will it be: Soul? Funk? Electro? Rock? We’ll see!
---
Words by: Danny
Read more: Issue Two
Words by: Danny
Like you probably already know, jazz lays pretty close hip-hop. I don’t have to tell you that lots of producers sampled classic Jazz-records and if that’s a shock to you, just listen to Common’s Resurrection or Kero One’s In All The Wrong Places and you can hear Herbie Hancock’s Dolphin Dance. Listen to De La Soul’s I Be Blowin’ and you can hear Lou Rawls’ You’ve Made Me So Very Happy. I could fill Issue Three with a list of samples but I won’t: we all know producers use a lot of old jazz records to sample in their music.
Of course there are a lot of obvious things you should check. Miles Davis’ Kind Of Blue is instant classic to me and definitely a must-hear. If you really want to stick to hip-hop you should check out Doo Bop, which features Easy Mo Bee on some tracks, or you could check out the Evolution Of The Groove EP, which has Nas on a track. They both released after Miles Davis died, so not sure if you can count them as ‘Miles Davis-releases’ but they are definitely great!
Another great release - which I am listening to while I write this; nothing better than listening to Jazz while you are writing stuff – is Herbie Hancock’s Maiden Voyage. Five insane tracks recorded together with musicians who where part of Miles Davis’ second quintet. Also, let’s not forget to mention Hancock’s Empyrean’s Isles; another classic release.
Like Black Milk would say: Give The Drummer Sum. Time to highlight Tony Williams, a great drummer who was –what a surprise- also a part of Miles’ second quintet. His album Emergency! is amazing and has some rock and funk-vibes to it, it’s definitely a recommendation for those of you who like jazz with a little bit of rock in it.
To those of you who prefer more actual releases, I highly recommend Jose James’ The Dreamer. If you want to sleep: put this on and lay down and trust me, you will sleep! Like the title presumes, it’s a very dreamy album and Jose’s soulful voice makes it even better. A really warm album where the artists combine jazz with soul and it’s perfect to chill to when you are tired or if you need some relaxation.
A project closer to the home of Hip Hop is J. Rawls’ Liquid Crystal Project. This is a project done by the man who’s known as the producer for Lone Catalysts and consists of one album and a follow up-album which released this year. Hip Hop-wise J. Rawls is a great producer but both albums for his LCP are also excellent, although I prefer the first part. Smooth jazz with some hip-hop influences here and there.
Those where some (sometimes kinda basic) recommendations in the wonderful world of jazz. Each month I will recommend you something different but I am sure I will return in an upcoming issue with another genre. What will it be: Soul? Funk? Electro? Rock? We’ll see!
---
Words by: Danny
Read more: Issue Two
Words by: Danny
We all know what we were expecting. Breathe was baited in wrought anticipation of Nicolay expanding on his beautiful Boom Bap sound & Phonte to keep on hitting those verbal Hat Tricks/Home Runs. In terms of content, the boys came straight out of leftfield. In terms of quality, they delivered & then some.
Rumours had been circulating wireless airwaves for months, before a single track was heard, that Phonte was gonna let those vocal cords loose this time out. But I don’t think anyone outside of Phonte and Nicolay themselves knew what was in store. Maybe the concept that was undertaken is what prompted the change. As superb as Phonte is at showing his emotion as an MC (see All For You), there is something about a well sung vocal that better reflects love and relationships. No purposely flawed vocals, no wheezy whines, no vocorders and no autotune to be found anywhere, Phonte is the perfect foil for Nic’s lush soundscapes. When the lead single dropped I, like every other fan, grabbed it as soon as we knew it was around.
Now, when I first clapped ears on it, I wouldn’t say I was underwhelmed but it wasn’t all that I expected. I now think that, speaking from personal experience, it was always supposed to have that effect. By my sixth or seventh listen I was loving the album just like everyone else was. But one glaring bit of genius about the selection of the first single – quite apart from the fact that it was/is a free download – is that it is probably about midtable of a list of the best tracks on the album. This too had to be the plan from the outset. It was definitely a worthwhile plan, too, seeing as the resulting opus is such a superbly crafted piece of musical engineering.
For an album with such a cascade of sound to be virtually sample free is not only an extreme rarity these days but also carries a strong element of risk, given the change of direction from the first effort. We the listener could have just as easily gone against this album because of that change.
For an album that so obviously bases itself on all that is right with Hip-Hop and R&B, it lends itself to too many other genres for it to be classified under either. And quite frankly trying to do so would be doing its creators a grave disservice. I billed Connected as beautiful hip-hop. Leave It All Behind is beautiful music.
---
Rating: 8/10
Words by: Nofrillz
Read more: Issue Two
Rumours had been circulating wireless airwaves for months, before a single track was heard, that Phonte was gonna let those vocal cords loose this time out. But I don’t think anyone outside of Phonte and Nicolay themselves knew what was in store. Maybe the concept that was undertaken is what prompted the change. As superb as Phonte is at showing his emotion as an MC (see All For You), there is something about a well sung vocal that better reflects love and relationships. No purposely flawed vocals, no wheezy whines, no vocorders and no autotune to be found anywhere, Phonte is the perfect foil for Nic’s lush soundscapes. When the lead single dropped I, like every other fan, grabbed it as soon as we knew it was around.
Now, when I first clapped ears on it, I wouldn’t say I was underwhelmed but it wasn’t all that I expected. I now think that, speaking from personal experience, it was always supposed to have that effect. By my sixth or seventh listen I was loving the album just like everyone else was. But one glaring bit of genius about the selection of the first single – quite apart from the fact that it was/is a free download – is that it is probably about midtable of a list of the best tracks on the album. This too had to be the plan from the outset. It was definitely a worthwhile plan, too, seeing as the resulting opus is such a superbly crafted piece of musical engineering.
For an album with such a cascade of sound to be virtually sample free is not only an extreme rarity these days but also carries a strong element of risk, given the change of direction from the first effort. We the listener could have just as easily gone against this album because of that change.
For an album that so obviously bases itself on all that is right with Hip-Hop and R&B, it lends itself to too many other genres for it to be classified under either. And quite frankly trying to do so would be doing its creators a grave disservice. I billed Connected as beautiful hip-hop. Leave It All Behind is beautiful music.
---
Rating: 8/10
Words by: Nofrillz
Read more: Issue Two
Surreal
Surreal is another guy that has been around for a minute that I have continued to sleep on. He dropped his first single back in 1998 and has been involved in other small projects over the years. 2006 ended up being a busy year for the then Florida based MC, with two solid albums dropping in the same year. One with DJ Balance (Future Classic) the other with The Sound Providers (True Indeed). Now hes moved on to the bright and sunny smog laden landscape of LA and has recently dropped his third album "Pardon My Dust" In 2008.
It’s evident from when you hear the first track that the change of scenery has changed his delivery. His flow has slowed down a little bit which is better for his style in my opinon because now he sounds more focused and more smooth over the beats. The lyrics are very solid throughout and are filled with great imagery but nothing really mind blowing. Guest apperances come from Supastition, Izrael Bell, Brotha Soul and Dillion Maurer; everyone comes correct on there verses, especially Supastion and Brotha Soul on "Pursuit".
"Pardon My Dust" relys more on piano & guitar rhythems for the most part instead of the normal tradtional boombap sound of hip hop to provide a tranquil jazzy soundscape much like the one found "True Indeed" But some of the beats were really of hit or miss. Surreal handles the production for 5/14 tracks with the rest coming Rek One, Symbolyc One, Five Quartz, Dela, Batsauce, Neemo and Def Dave. While all them are caple producers they really don’t come with enough variety in there sound to keeps things entertaining.
To me this is not Surreal’s best work. While the lyrics are definatly there the production unfortunately hampers this release from being as good as his previous two albums. But there are still several songs song that stand out that should be enough to give this album a listen.
