Halca + Yucali= HalCali– simple. The female duo exploded onto the Japanese scene in 2003, with the single “Tandem” which entered the Oricon Charts (think Japanese Billboard) at #19. In 2008, 5 years later, HalCali made their U.S. concert debut… about a week and a half ago. While neither Halca nor Yucali is old enough to drink a beer in the States, the two decided to sit down (read: email via a translator) with Flight 808 and talk about their music, fashion endeavors, and future.
Tommy: You just had your first concerts a few days back. How does performing in the U.S. differ from performing in Japan? Did you enjoy it? Were you at all uneasy?
Halca: At first, I felt uneasy with how many people would come to the venue, and if they would respond to us in a good way. However, the result is that audience liked the music and came to the venue with joy. It’s a universal situation regardless of countries. One thing I was delighted about is that American people responded to us and expressed their feelings very clearly.
Yucali: I’ve performed in France before. Overall, audiences overseas are very quick in response. So, I really enjoy performing overseas. Rather than feeling uneasy, I feel excited.
Tommy: Have you been here before? If not, what about our culture has caught you off guard so far?
Halca: Nothing.
Yucali: I’ve been to Hawaii for pleasure.
Tommy: You both got started in the music industry very early on, in your early teenage years. As you’ve gone through such a formative time, how has your sound and style changed? How is Halcali in 2008 different from Halcali in 2003?
Halca: It has 6 years since we debuted, so some changes must have happened. However, it’s not easy to express with words. It should be natural that we changed our musical tastes during those years. However, our policy is to create enjoyable music, so we feel the same as ever.
Yucali: When we debuted, we’re 15 years old and knew nothing. So, I felt our adult staff created and produced us like a toy. Currently, we enjoy being HALCALI. Music style is same as ever and doing music activity freely based on HIP HOP. Our motto is ‘HALCALI and producers create happy music”.
Tommy: Your music videos are absolutely incredible, especially to a viewer like me who is most familiar with American music videos. They look supremely fun to make. What is the most enjoyable or memorable experience you’ve had in shooting a video?
Halca: Shooting video clip is one of the most favorite sessions, so I’m very happy to hear that you liked them. I feel most impressive with the video shooting for “Strawberry Chips”. It was hard to forget because I was wrapped with raw whip cream. Also I felt interesting with Christmas-like costume.
Yucali: We’re doing choreography by ourselves, so video clip means a lot to us in showing our songs. Choreography is created based on meaning of lyrics, so we’re happy if you notice them. It’s very difficult to choose the most favorite clip, but ‘Tandem’ and ‘Marching March’ are my favorites.
Tommy: In your lyrics, you’ve referenced Eminem, Slick Rick, and Public Enemy, to name a few. Who are your favorite American hip-hop artists?
Halca: Missy Elliott, Beastie Boys, etc.
Yucali: Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, Missy Elliott, etc.
Tommy: Who are your biggest musical influences in Japan?
Halca: RIP SLYME
Yucali: RIP SLYME, Schadara Parr
Tommy: Recently, you have been featured in fashion magazines. Do you have plans to continue with fashion or pursue any other ventures apart from your music?
Yucali: It’s very much enjoyable to wear different type of clothes and be shot on fashion/culture magazines, so we would like to continue it.
Halca: We really enjoy it, so if we have opportunities in the future, we would like to do it.
Tommy: What’s next for HalCali? Another album? A tour?
Yucali: Hopefully we’ll perform in France, release new album by the end of this year or ealry next year at the latest. So, we’re currently working on recording. Please look forward to it!
Although b-boying and hip hop dancing has become the dominant form of hip hop in Southeast Asia, every locale has a few crew trying to hold it down for real hip hop music. In Taiwan, the TriPoets (pronounced Zam-P in Chinese) are one of a few underground hip hop crew grinding away for years to master their musical craft and gain respect and a bit of notoriety along the way.
Founded in the summer of 2002, TriPoets consists Teacher Lin, Ill Mo and Shortee. They purposefully pattern themselves after their American Golden Age idols such as Black Moon, Common and A Tribe Called Quest. Subsequently, their music is often jazz-sample based. They rhyme in Mandarin, a language so difficult to rhyme in that it has taken years to find a way to make it sound natural. TriPoets released a mixtape in 2004, “Listen & Speak†and have done performed in Taiwan with such acts as Ice-T, Public Enemy, Supernatural, Toni Blackman and Kero One (San Fran).
Ill Mo took a minute away from finishing his Master’s Thesis (an analysis of Spike Lee’s film “Bamboozled†relative to post-modern black identity issues) to spread some knowledge of Taiwanese hip hop and the essence of TriPoets.
Can you tell us about how hip hop first came into Taiwan?
Mo: It came to Taiwan in many ways. Around late 80′s, influenced by the movies “Flashdance”,”Wild Style” and “Beat Street”, young kids start to b-boy. And big companies such as Coca-Cola started to host big dance competitions. As time went on, the competitions started to generate attention from the record companies and TV shows, so they decided to create pop groups who incorporate a hip hop image and dance moves to attract the young audience.
After that, the most popular group called L.A. Boyz was born, consisted with 3 members born in the U.S, with strong image looking like Kris Kross, they were very successful, who also started a trend for street dance. And then there was Ju Tou Pi, he was a musician who incorporates the technique of sampling and rapping to reflect the political and social issues in Taiwan.
However, none of the above had a clear image of an “MC.” Until the year 2000, MC Hotdog released his first single with the style similar to Eminem, criticizing the pop-music scene in Taiwan, the idea of a rapper became more clear. However, with the strong influence from the early days, the dance aspect of hip hop is still the strongest in Taiwan.
TriPoets – Anaconda (feat MC Hotdog):
I know MC Hotdog was a big deal in hip hop there. Were there any other like him doing their thing in hip hop?
MO: Yes, there are, shout out to my man Dog G. He played an important role to MC Hotdog’s success, also accompany him on a lot of his early works. Dog G released his independent album in mostly Taiwanese, the native language in Taiwan. He is known for his political stand and had been interviewed by many foreign media such as CNN and Time magazine, for that he is strongly supportive of the independence of Taiwan. He is also one of the most influential figures in the hip hop community, especially in the southern Taiwan, in his hometown Tainan City.
Is hip hop in Taiwan mainly represented by music (MCs and producers) or do the other elements also shine (graffiti writing, b-boying, DJing)?
Mo: As we mentioned above, the b-boys and street dance is still the dominant element of hip hop in Taiwan. They can be seen behind pop stars doing dances. It doesn’t matter mainstream or underground, the b-boys are very active in Taiwan. As for DJs, they can be seen in clubs spinning, and graf writers can apply their skills to modern art and designing. Sadly, there are not too many “true” hip hop acts here in Taiwan as far as music is concerned. And that is exactly why we are still doing our thing.
What is the hip hop scene like in Taiwan right now?
Mo: Commericialized. And there are less and less shows and gigs for true hip hop supporters. There are die hard fans for it, but most of the times they are just not enough for the people working hard, fighting to make good music.
How did you first get into hip hop?
Shortee: When I was in junior high school, I first heard of Kris Kross. It caught my attention immediately. And for the events, I first went to the party held by Def Soul (the first organization to promote hip hop parties in Taiwan). Around year 1999, DJ Chicano was spinning, and he is still spinning till now, he is a strong influence in my early days.
Mo: My first hip hop CDs were Biggie’s “Ready to Die”, Snoop and Warren G’s first albums. It was also around my junior high school days. And I also went to Doobiest (the Tribal Streetwear Clothing shop founded by DJ Chicano and his friends), it was the hip hop information center back then with dancers and DJs. And I also went to some of the Def Soul parties as well.
How did TriPoets get together?
Mo: We first met in 1999, when one of our member Teacher Lin received a head position in Hip Hop Culture club in his university. Based on our passion for music and similar taste, we started to write rhymes and perform together. By 2002, the TriPoets was officially formed, after we had accumulate enough works, we released our first underground mixtape, which was also the first underground hip hop/rap music release in Taiwan. From then on we worked even harder to reach better quality, and finally we are putting out our official release in 2008 June through True Color, and the name of the album will be called “The Beginning of Rhymes.” It is our heart and soul in the album, hope the audience can feel our passion for the music.
What is the purpose of your music?
Shortee: To get paid and get laid (just kidding). Seriously, we aim to entertain and educate the audience through the music.
Mo: To incorporate our lives into rhymes, and to show that it is possible to overcome the obstacle of language and affect people with the rhymes. Basically, to make dope rhymes and dope music to touch people like how hip hop moved our hearts.
Tell us about your process of writing songs. Do you start with lyrics or beats? Is it hard to find recording studios there?
Shortee: It happens in both ways. There is no limit to it.
Mo: Thank God for Shortee. He has some equipment in his house where we can record the demos and he does production as well, and True Color has a official studio called Insert, which can provide quality booth and microphone and amp.
Describe your live stage show.
Mo: We tend to interact with the audience while getting our message across. It is very powerful and live. Also, we try to expand on the musical side by collaborating with bands and DJs as well.
What can we expect from your new album?
Shortee: The Golden Age type of hip hop, reminiscent of the good ol’ days, true skills of Mandarin rap and the art of sampling.
Mo: It is doable for listeners, we created the album based on the blueprint of classic hip hop albums, also to pay homage to the forefathers who paved the way in the past, much respect to them.
TriPoets – Used to Love Her:
What plans do TriPoets have for the future?
Shortee: Keep focusing on Mandarin rap skills development, to show that with the Chinese language we can still create dope hip hop music. And just to create dope hip hop music in general for music is the universal language.
Mo: Just to make good hip hop music that can touch people’s souls. And of course we’d like to step outside to Asia or different places of the world. We’re down to collaborate with dope artists all around the world, perhaps we will be doing something with Kero One soon. Hope that we can spread our music around the world. Also, don’t forget to check out “The Beginning of Rhymes” dropping in June 2008. Peace!
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
An underground hero in Japan, Shin-Ski has made beats for some of your favorite U.S. MCs. Patrick, our resident Japanese head and translator, sat down with the man himself to discuss the Japanese Hip-Hop scene, the technicalities of working with foreign MCs, and of course his own influences and upcoming projects. Don’t forget to enjoy the videos, mp3, and weekend!
Patrick:Shin-ski, what’s up? This is Patrick from www.flight808.com. I want to start off this interview by saying Happy New Year. So, do you have any projects in the coming year?
Shin-Ski: Happy New Year! 2008 will be a great year hopefully. I am currently working on two new projects. One is a compilation of remixes that I did in the last 4years. This compilation will have some new remixes of CL Smooth, Zimbabwe Legit, and some exclusive joints as well!It will be released in March 2008.The other one is the new ShinSight trio album. I already have all the beats ready, and Sight is writing rhymes right now! We only have one song done at the moment. We are very amped about how it came out already! We all think that this album is going to be a classic album! We are looking at the release of Sep. or Nov. 2008.Oh, and also we are working on the official release of the first ShinSight album in the US and Europe, too.
Patrick: 2007 gave us some phenomenal releases. What were some of your personal faves?
Shin-Ski: I have to say I wasnt really listening to Hiphop music last year. But Common’s LP was really great; so was Kanye West’s. I really think Kayne is building a brilliant bridge between Major and Underground. Other than Hiphop I was listening to a lot of House music. All the singles from Freerange were really impressive and I spun them a lot in clubs.
Patrick: Do you have any predictions for next year? (New artists to look out for, artists who may fall off, artists that are going to make a comeback, etc)
Shin-Ski: Well its not really a prediction, its rather my hope. I really want Masta Ace and Krs-One to make a big come back! I hear stories about them here and there, and seems like they are making great albums (not sure if its true or not) so that will be my best wish for 2008!
Patrick: In July of 2006, you released Shallow Nights Blurry Moon alongside Insight and DJ Ryow. How did you three hook up? What was the recording process like?
Shin-Ski: Well I met Sight while I was in Boston 2002. I did the whole interludes for Electric LP, and since then we been working together through many projects. I met Ryow in 2003 when I came back from States, and we have done many projects together. Shinsight started as two men group (me and Sight), but I really wanted to have top notch DJ in the group, so I asked Ryow if he was interested in doing all the cuts on the LP. And he was down. I guess it’s pretty simple how we got together. We respect what we do on our own, and thought we could make a miracle. Thats how the group started.
The whole recording process was done over internet and thousands of phone calls. Basically I sent him whatever beats that I had, and Sight picked the ones that he liked, and rhymed over them, and sent them back to me. I take those beats to Ryow’s house, and he did the cuts. After cuts are done I took them home and did the final arrangement, then Boom! LP was done!
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Patrick: What challenges did you guys face while making the album? Were there cultural differences or language barriers that made it difficult?
Shin-Ski: Well we didn’t find any difficulties cuz we’d been working together for so long that we each know that how the others want the music to sound. It wasn’t that hard.
Patrick: You’re other album, Shattered Soul on a Pastel Sky, dropped last July. First off, tell me where you got the inspiration for the name?
Shin-Ski: Well the shattered soul came from the state of mind that I felt living in Tokyo. When I just came back from the States, I had very strong rules about music that I made, such as this-has-to-be-this and that-has-to-be-that kinda thing. But while living in Tokyo, those rules became blurry in good ways and bad ways. I felt like my soul was shattered in pieces; and Pastel sky came from Tokyo’s sky. The sky is always in pastel colors because of clouds and the reflection of neon lights, so the title is kinda referring to my life in Tokyo.
Patrick: The guest list on the album is impressive. You have Louis Logic, Dagha, Apani B Fly MC, Time Machine, The Procussions, and others. How did you hook up with all these artists and what was it like working with them? Was there any reason you went with primarily Western MCs rather than using local talent?
Shin-Ski: Basically, I wanted to have artists that I had worked with before. Most of the MCs that are on the LP are MCs that I did remixes for, produced for, or met in person.Most importantly, they are friends.It was pretty easy to hook up with them. I just sent them an e-mail and they all were down to do songs. The reason I only went with western MCs is because I felt much more comfortable working with them, rather than working with local talent. Not that there aren’t any good MCs in Japan. There are tons whose talent I admire, but I started my career working with western MCs, so it was pretty natural that I went with them.
Patrick: Are there any other artists―inside or outside of Japan―you’d like to collab with?
Shin-Ski: Yeah, tons! Outside, I really wanna collab with legends like Lord Finesse, The Beatnuts, Masta Ace, and many more. Also, I wanna do some collaborations with fantastic singers such as Raul Midon, Heather Headley, and many more. Inside of Japan, I really wanna produce a full length R&B album with a new talent that no one knows yet. I am looking for one right now.
Patrick: I understand you went to UMass and spent some significant time in the US. How do you think the US hip hop scene differs from the one in Japan?
Shin-Ski: Well, the mind is very similar, but the big difference is that a lot of people in Japan don’t understand the lyrics so they tend to listen to beats more than rhymes. So sometimes, I hear a wack rhyme over a beautiful beat. That is a very sad moment for me. I really believe that beautiful music has equal power in rhymes and beats.
Patrick: What are the advantages or disadvantages of being a Japanese producer making beats for artists outside of Japan?
Shin-Ski: Hmm… I guess it takes a lot of time to get to known by audiences outside of Japan, but that’s the only disadvantage that I feel at the moment. Other than that, I don’t have anything to complain about. It’s a good country to make good music, even though the social system is fucked up. Oh well, I guess it’s same everywhere (LOL).
Patrick: You’ve cited some great producers as an influence―DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Showbiz, Madlib, Erick Sermon, and Diamond D among others. What do you do to differentiate yourself from other producers? How do you come up with a sound that is uniquely your own?
Shin-Ski: That’s a tough question… Well, I think my influences are from not only producers such as above, but also from other genres of dance music, and even rock or classic. Also, I see music in colors and I try to paint my music bluish. If you think my music differs from others, then I guess I have succeeded in making my own sound. But to be honest, I really don’t know (LOL). The only thing that I can say is that I don’t make compromises for my music. That’s it.
Patrick: If you could remix any album, hip hop or not, which album would you choose?
Shin-Ski: Well, I really wanna do a Nuyorican Soul album!!! That’s my biggest influence in dance music. And also if I could, I really wanna do one of Prince’s albums, especially one with the New Power Generation!
In a day and age where hip hop is so often declared dead,
watered-down, or nothing more than Carson Daly bubblegum pop, one
might expect the South Bronx to come to the rescue. Not necessarily
the case. Turns out our savior hails from a small European country
known more for legal prostitution and hash bars than it is for the
boom-bap of hip hop. Nicolay, government name Matthijs Rook.
Representing both The Netherlands and the movement to reclaim the soul
and aesthetics of hip hop, Nicolay is today at the forefront of a
movement within hip hop that is preserving the roots and fundamentals
of the music, while at the same time pushing the boundaries of what it
has to offer.
Ever since a young’un, Nicolay has displayed a great love and passion
for music, devouring whatever he could lay his ears upon. A musical
prodigy, over the years he has become skilled at the piano, keys,
bass, guitar, and drums, all of which seem to find a way into eclectic
brand of music. Having honed his chops by playing in several live
bands specializing in hip hop and R&B, Nicolay made the natural
progression to producer around the turn of the century. However, it
wasn’t until a stroke of luck a short while later that he received his
more formal introduction into the American hip hop underground via the
famous Okayplayer website, home to some of the most historic and
passionate hip hop blogging. Phonte Coleman, of Little Brother fame,
and he began conversing on the site. One thing led to another and
Nicolay slid Phonte a beat, which later evolved into “Light It Up”,
the B-side single for Little Brother’s now classic The Listening
(2003). Their relationship continued to grow organically, at least
via the internet, the result being a two man team known as Foreign
Exchange and 2004′s much celebrated collaboration Connected. All of
this chemistry on one record while not even once having met in person,
proving that music truly is a language all its own. For a flavor of
how seamlessly the two made a transatlantic connection, just listen to
“Nic’s Groove”, a perfectly pitched track that sees Little Brother
member Big Pooh join his partner in rhyme Phonte:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Since 2004′s Connected, it’s been a whirlwind of notoriety, success,
and production credits for Nicolay. His ever expanding discography
now includes a collection of instrumentals called City Lights 1.5
(2005), solo joints Dutch Masters Volume 1 (2005) and Here (2006),
Foreign Exchange’s Connected (2004), and numerous other productions
for various hip hop and R&B artists (Common, Mary J. Blige, Median,
Strange Fruit Project, and Cesar Comanche to name just a few). In
store for the ’08 is Foreign Exchange’s eagerly anticipated sophomore
effort Leave It All Behind and next month’s conceptual album
Time:Line, a collaboration with Houston rapper Kevin “Kay” Jackson.
Listening to Nicolay’s diverse blend of samples with live instruments,
electronic soul and R&B with hip hop sensibilities, and old school
fundamentals with progressive sounds, it quickly becomes apparent how
eloquently a gifted musician can transcend time, and even race, with
just a few soulful melodies and well-placed kicks and snares. For a
parting treat, take a look at the video for Nicolay’s remix to
Common’s “Come Close” featuring Mary J. Blige:
DJ Sho Nuff: Do all of the “what do you feel about the legalization of marijuana?”, “do you like to make beats under the influence of mushrooms?”, and “How has legalized prostitution affected you musically?” questions get annoying? Or do you honestly not get them? I always figured it would be the same as a Brasilian artist being asked about beaches and ass shaking carnival honeys?
Nicolay: Yeah, I do get the weed/clog/windmill/tulip/red light district references a lot, but try not to really get into them even though I am usually kind of relieved when people at least get the ballpark location right. They’ll sometimes think I’m from Denmark, I’ve seen the UK…. Sweden, you name it. I never really bug out over it but… I do expect writers to get their facts straight.
DJ Sho Nuff: Alright, a lot has been made about how you and Phonte worked on Connected without ever having even met. Whatever whatever. What I’m curious about is how did that affect the overall product, or perhaps it didn’t at all with technology being what it is today? Hell, I don’t even speak to half my friends any more since the advent of text messaging.
Nicolay: Yeah, around the time that the album came out a lot was said about the “unorthodox” way in which we made it. Part of that obviously was a hype created by the promo dept., but I think what people were most blown away about was that our “internet” album sounded better than most albums done in huge expensive studios with artists all up in each others faces. For me personally, I don’t think it affected the product in a negative way at all, in fact, it was the only way in which the thing could even be facilitated so we just embraced it. If anything, it affected the album in a positive way in the sense that it gave us a lead as both a frontrunner on the technological side as well as an underdog.
DJ Sho Nuff: Kanye’s Graduation and 50′s Curtis. You buy both, neither, or just one? If neither, is it only cause you downloaded torrents of both?
Nicolay: Neither. In 50′s case… well, his persona is just very far removed from who I am or where I come from, and his music doesn’t really do enough for me to bridge that gap. I don’t particularly like him as an emcee, either. Kanye is hit or miss with me, I love some of his tracks but then other tracks leave me untouched, like that song he did with dude from Maroon 5. I didn’t mess with that one. Stronger was sort of the same for me, I just wasn’t really feeling it. So I guess to summarize, I bought other albums than those two.
DJ Sho Nuff: Now I know you don’t want to see anyone die, but let’s say every past, present, or aspiring hip hop emcee and producer were on board one giant plane, and there were only 7 parachutes, who would you like to see grab a hold of them so as to see the history and culture of hip hop be preserved and even expanded?
Nicolay: It’s ironic because the first person that I’d wanna give a parachute already is no longer with us, J. Dilla. When he died, a lot of creativity and edge died with him, I’m afraid. I’d say Common, for Like Water for Chocolate and Electric Circus, Q-Tip, Phife and Ali share a parachute for pioneering A Tribe Called Quest, Organized Noise for what they did with Outkast and Goodie Mob, Premier and Pete Rock each need to get one, so do the Beatminerz. It would be interesting to see a Lost-type show with all those cats on one island.
DJ Sho Nuff: You watch HBO’s The Wire? If your answer is no, why not? If yes, who’s your favorite character and do you think Omar is gonna make it to see the end of Season 5?
Nicolay: I haven’t watched it yet, no. Phonte keeps telling me it’s the greatest shit ever, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet and I really wanna start at the beginning.
DJ Sho Nuff: In terms of Holland’s hip hop scene, do you see a lot of mimicking of more popular stateside emcees and producers or do you see the country cultivating its own organic scene, addressing its own relevant cultural and social issues? Maybe this is where all the dope, mushroom, prostitute questions can come in.
Nicolay: Right now in Holland it’s almost “not done” to rhyme in English. The cats rhyming in Dutch far outnumber cats rhyming in English, currently. I think in principle that’s a good thing, however certain circles in Holland’s scene have a tendency of hating on cats that rhyme in Engish for no real good reason.
DJ Sho Nuff: What are your favorite pieces of equipment for capturing certain sounds on your records? You don’t have to answer this if I’m asking you to give up any secrets that you don’t want idiots like me to know about.
Nicolay: It really shifts with the days. There’s a lot of different pieces of equipment that I love using on the regular. I still do get a huge kick out of messing with my analogue synthesizers.
DJ Sho Nuff: Do you sample? Why or why not? What do you feel about the current legality of sampling, including the Cincinnati District Court of Appeals 2002 ruling that any sample, regardless of length and whether or not it even is recognizable? How does this affect the indy or aspiring artist as opposed to the major label or established artist?
Nicolay: Yeah, I sample. I do always try to hide it though, I try to stay away from very recognizable loops. Recognizable to who though, is the question… When it comes to the legal connotations, I am kinda in the position where I understand both sides of the coin, but in the end… I come from a hiphop tradition where anything is up for grabs as long as you get away with it.
DJ Sho Nuff: Supposedly you’re the Dutch version of Prince, capable of playing any number of instruments (piano, keys, guitar, bass, drums, anything you touch)? How does this benefit you in the studio? How bout the classical training, do you think it ever hinders you or makes you less flexible in your work?
Nicolay: I think in no way, shape or form am I the Dutch version of Prince, if it was for height alone LOL. I play keys, guitars and bass proficiently, and I get by on the drums. It benefits me in the sense that I do not necessarily need to depend fully on quote on quote conventional beatmaking tools, but that I can add my own basslines, parts, etc.
DJ Sho Nuff: In hip hop it is commonplace for several emcees to be featured on one beat, done by one producer. Have you ever thought about flipping it and have several producers featured on one emcee, meaning you and a couple other beatsmiths get together and string three separate beats together, forcing the emcee to display his versatility and switch up his flow accordingly? Kind of the way DJ Premier will occasionally just completely switch up the tempo, melody, and overall aesthetics of one his beats midway through. I always wondered if Premier used to listen to a lot of Freddie Mercury and Queen as kid. Mercury seemed to be fearless in his approach to the direction in which he would take a song. Anyhow, maybe I’m just really naïve and you’ve been collaborating with other producers like this for years.
Nicolay: The few times I have collaborated with other producers, I have never been comfortable. It just doesn’t work for me. I have very clearly defined views and approaches that I just don’t want to compromise. However, in terms of “switching up” the tempo, melody, etc. well, we do that all the time. I realize that you can’t really consider what we do just “hiphop” but yeah, we try to keep it musically engaging as well, and so especially in the newer material such as the TIME:LINE album or the upcoming new Foreign Exchange album, there’ll be weird meters, tempo and time signature changes, bridges and b-parts, you name it. We are just trying to create records that have a lasting quality, same as the classic records that we listen to and study.
DJ Sho Nuff: Eve of the 2010 All-Time World Cup and Marco Van Basten goes down with a head injury. You’re called in to replace as head coach. Only one spot left on your roster. Cruijff or Rijkaard or Bergkamp or Gullit?
Nicolay: That is a very tough call but I would have to say Gullit. Cruijff is probably our best player ever, but Gullit is from the generation that won the European championship in 1988 and I followed that very intensely at the time. They are all amazing players but Gullit gets called in. He coaches Los Angeles now, ironically.
DJ Sho Nuff: I’ve been checking out the Time:Line sampler on YouTube (MP3 version) and I’m really digging it. Although I must admit I’m not familiar with Kay, I absolutely love the fact that you’re collaborating with a Houston emcee. We hear Houston and rap, we all think Scarface, Ghetto Boys, Rap-A-Lot Records, and gangsters. Don’t get me wrong, none of that is a bad thing. It’s just that it’s been pigeonholed, kind of like the way I feel a lot of critics have been doing with you. “Oh Nicolay, his sounds are just like 9th Wonder’s.” Just ’cause you guys both worked extensively with an emcee named Phonte Coleman doesn’t mean you sound alike. I’ll bet you’re tired of the Pete Rock one too. Anyhow, I’m rambling. Just wanted to say I think it’s fresh that you are refusing to be typecast by working with an emcee from a completely typecasted city. Now to my question. Well, two questions. One, is typecasted actually a word? And two, what drew you and Kay to appreciate one another’s sounds? Sorry, one more bonus question. I can only imagine making a beat catered to one emcee’s particular flow is a completely different beast from creating a soundscape aimed at bringing the best out of another emcee? What did you deliberately do on the record to help Kay bring out the best in himself?
Nicolay: I think what drew us together was a combination of things. Even though we come from completely different backgrounds, musically we have a lot in common, in terms of influences, ideas, etc. I guess it’s a situation where, once you find someone that speaks the same “language” in musical terms, that’s usually all you need. You are right, my approach definitely differs per artist. For this album specifically, I tried to more or less “push” Kay’s envelopes in the sense that I sent him things that were very different from “regular boombap”. Other artists may not necessarily want to really branch out but so far I have been very lucky with the people that I am working with. They are all open-minded, and that’s what’s most needed in today’s climate.
