Resonant Vibes Interview with Nickodemus

In our ceaseless quest to give you unique insight into the electronic music scene, we decided to catch up with a worldly artist who has a good deal of buzz at the moment. His name is Nickodemus, and he has a new album called Sun People coming out on June 16th on Thievery Corporation's reputed ESL Music label.

Nickodemus' music has had a real impact on the electronic music scene in New York City (his home) over the past ten years. He's performed alongside the likes of Mos Def, Gil Scott, KRS-One, and Thievery Corporation, and he's provided soundtracks for the NYC summers with his massively popular "Turntables on the Hudson" events. Nickodemus' music draws on diverse sources ranging from Balkan reggae to Latin mantras, and it incorporates interesting cultural and social themes.

With all of this in mind, we thought you might be interested in reading a Nickodemus interview...

Q: You've clearly got an appreciation for music from all over the world. What are some of your earliest musical memories and sources of inspiration?

A: My clearest musical memories are from my parents' record collection of Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind & Fire, Manu Dibango, Santana, and The Temptations. My Mom was a good dancer, and my Dad was like our very own Smokey Robinson when he would sing his songs. Then, when I was around 10 or 11, I got really into Hip Hop, like Sugar Hill Gang, Busy Bee, UTFO, RUN DMC, LL Cool J, and so on and so on, till I got my first big DJ gig opening for KRS-One (BDP) back in 1993. There were special gigs before this, but that one really put me on my path to never quit doing what I loved!

Q: You've done a good deal of traveling over the course of your career. How has this affected your approach to music?

A: Very much! But before that, I started to get into Indian Music when I fell in love with an Indian girl. She would give me her dad's old records, and I started sampling them. My friend Nat was also in love with an Indian girl, and he started to flip me records to dig into. I was hooked, and my ear for Eastern music and hip hop, funk, and soul sort of blended into the tunes "Cleopatra in New York," "Tribute to Baba," "Chandini," and "Samsara"…then traveling opened up my ears to a world of treasures beyond my record collection! I was spinning overseas from about 19 years old, and that's when I started grabbing records and tapes of percussion groups in Jerusalem, flamenco in Spain, guitar and percussion groups in Senegal…I really love the combinations of all these influences, so I just made music without rules and guidelines. I made music for a diverse group of friends and dancers at the parties.

Q: Many of the sounds on the Sun People album seem to come from actual instruments, rather than a digital source. Is this the case? If so, how did that impact production?

A: I don't usually use preset or stock sounds from any programs. Just about everything is recorded or sampled snippets and then sampled, edited, and re-played in some way…so, getting that good take or that good sound you're looking for can be both pre-meditated or completely random or by chance. I have a good ear for samples and hooks that comes from eating and sleeping hip hop music most of my life.

Q: You collaborated with a number of other artists to create Sun People. Did you work with them in person, or were the songs bounced back and forth online?

A: Everything was done in person. For example, every time Quantic and I wanted to email each other parts that we did on our own, it never happened. It only happened after I was in Colombia or he was in NYC…then, after a good meal and exchanging some music and thoughts, we'd get inspired and start getting some music done.

Q: If you could make an album with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?

A: Wow, what a question…in the afterlife, I think I will approach James Brown, Fela Kuti, and Nusrat Fatah Ali Khan to do some cosmic afrobeat sufi funk! Here? Now? I will channel their energies into all sorts of collaborations, so whoever it is, I hope we make the magic that I've heard on so much music out there in the world.

Q: The diversity of the material on Sun People stands out. In a world where many artists tend to focus on a particular genre, were you concerned that your album might not find an audience?

A: I always think of these things because I been through every step of this process. From being on the dancefloor in clubs, to working at a record store, to DJ-ing, to producing, to making a record label and marketting it, to being the artist, I have to say my open mind and free spirit and love for music always come through no matter what style, genre, budget, no budget etc…There was a time I had to push people to listen to new music like the Thievery Corporation or Masters at Work in a record store. I think if you do what you do with heart, people will get it eventually.

Q: Can you describe the perfect setting for enjoying the Sun People album?

A: I would hope that anyone who listens to the album this Summer has their own special time and place to enjoy it. For me, it'll be June 16th when the CD comes out officially. I'm renting out one of my favorite spots in NYC, and to have all my family and friends there dancing and enjoying the vibes of each other, that's going to be my perfect setting. For that location, I invite everyone to get on the rsvp list at www.nickodemus.com.

ResonantVibes.com Exclusive Interview with Nickodemus

Interview with Nickodemus

An Interview with New York's Nickodemus, who releases his new album, "Sun People" on June 16th 2009.

Good Day, Sir! Could you introduce yourself briefly, for those who might not be familiar with your work?

My name's Nickodemus, I'm from NYC & I've been dancing since birth, DJ'ing since 14 & writing/ producing music since 20. I DJ & produce one of the longest ongoing parties in NYC called Turntables on the Hudson. We've been getting people on the dancefloor in NYC & around the World for 11 Years now.


When did you first begin to really get into dance music and involve yourself in the scene?

I was a Hip Hop fanatic before I was 10, so by 12 or 13, I was breakdancing in this teenage club in NY & spinning records at 17 in all sorts of clubs from NYC to Long Island.


You started as a DJ first, what inspired the transition to production as well?

I was spinning a lot of music from Africa, Brazil & India in my sets but I would always drop beats on top to fatten them up for the dancefloor. A friend of mine told me that a sampler could take the parts I liked & combine them with the beats I add, so I bought my first sampler & started to mess around. It worked! Then I hooked up with Jay B, a friend who really showed me to move out of sampling & into writing.


Despite being based in NYC, your music has a distinctly Latin and wordly sound to it. Is this a conscious choice to steer away from other, more tired sounds, or something which comes entirely naturally to you?

I've always done what felt naturally. My first tunes where inspired by an Indian girl I was in love with back in 1996/ 97. So, they were these Indian- Raga- Hip Hop- dance floor tracks. Then, overseas gigs really opened my ears up to so much more. As long as I had enough money to eat & get back home, I spent everything else on tapes & records! I got most of my Eastern & African Music from this Tunisian Record dealer up in the North of Paris... he said I looked like his son & always hooked me up with the good records!


What should people expect from the new record?

More than it's diversity in sound, it's overall vibe of the Sunshine & positivity! I really left all the weight of life behind on this one... no conspiracy theories, no injustice going on in the Word... for me. this was coming out of the darkness & trying to see the positive in all the negative around us.


Would you say "Sun People" represents a progression in terms of style and/or production for yourself?

Yes, Sun People was more writing & arranging than in the past. Also, after 40 or so remixes in the past 2 years, my sound recording & mixing techniques have improved a bit. I'm still recording pretty raw with some vintage gear, Logic 4.7, one sound card & 1 or 2 mics max, but I don't think anyone would know if I didn't tell them... don't tell no one


Does the album title, "Sun People" reflect a concept running through the album?

Inspiration... inspiration from the Sun... inspiration to be alive!


Your remixes have a darker, more urban, flavor to them. Is this taken as an opportunity to explore different avenues to your own material, or merely a reflection of the nature of the piece you have been working with?

Good question, I tend to choose the darker compositions for remixes. I could have chosen many different songs, but I chose "Travelin All Alone" for the Billy Holiday Remix Project. I do love the darker sounds, the harder urban beats, but I feel I'm changing that a little. This album has some tunes where I toned the beats down a bit or tried some things in major chords.


You also run parties under by the name Turntables, how did you get into this?

In the need to for better parties in NYC at the time, I decided to look heavily into an outdoor venue that would let us throw parties. Where everyone would be accepted... no door policies, no security… After this big old ship closed down in 97 (where I used to do these sorts of parties), my friend Mariano showed me this huge outdoor Pier behind an ice skating rink on the Hudson River. We convinced them to let us do parties there & that started our 11 Years of outdoor parties.


You have two releases coming out this year, an album, "Sun People", and an interpretation of the album. Firstly, what should we expect from the album?

The album is a melting-pot of musicians & sounds that everyone is invited to dance to... It's like the daytime Summer party where everyone brings their kids.

And secondly, how did the interpretation record come around, natural progression or was it always something you had plans to create?

Moon People is the REMIX of Sun People. It's more minimal & going to be ready for the nighttime people in the clubs this Winter. On this series, I've envisioned everything from the sound, the featured artists, the artwork, the release parties... This was the plan & now I'm just happy if it all falls into place! If not, then I try again... this is what will hopefully make me a better artist.

NYC's Nickodemus Artist Bio

After a strong first album release entitled, "Endangered Species," Nickodemus is finally ready to unleash the second solo album, "SUN PEOPLE!" Inspired by the big fireball in the sky & some wonderful people, it features some uplifting dance music from all parts of the World including Guinea, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Romania, India, Turkey, UK & his hometown in Brooklyn, NYC! Some of the original Endangered Species cast is on the album including Jay Rodriguez, Quantic, Hector "Tempo" Alomar & the Candela Allstars, Zeb, Nappy G & Real Live Show. New additions to the signature Nickodemus sound on "Sun People" include Guinean born singer Ismael Kouyate, Indian classical & pop singer Falu, Richard Shepherd of Radio Mundial, Brazilian born singer Liliana of the band Maracatu, the versatile voice of Nuriya, the younger members of Taraf de Haidouks & The New York Gypsy Allstars.

Click here to read full artist biography!