Hi, Doctor Nick! – Knowing What’s Good and Playing the Social Game

Obviously, XLR8R isn’t the only place on the web devoted to electronic music. However, we are the only spot where readers can get a weekly dose of street knowledge from Nick Hook. Every Thursday, the good doctor doles out wisdom about music, DJing, production, fashion, traveling, romance, and more. If you need help from Doctor Nick, drop him a line at doctornick@xlr8r.com. Otherwise, read on and see what the man has to say this week.

Yo. It’s the end of the third month.

Keep the emails coming, but yo, please, don’t send attachments, especially like 10 of them in one email—unless you send like 10 bucks with it so I can keep my Gmail storage nice.

Hi Doctor Nick,
So I’ve been doing this stuff for maybe two or three years now. I’ve got a couple of decent releases, but nothing amazing. I’m mainly really happy about seeing progression in my own work. I’ve come to a point where I’m proud of my work, which is something that really matters to me.

Here’s the issue: I’m just not into the marketing/social stuff. I’m known for my awkward/hard-to-remember name, I don’t go out much, and I don’t like networking. I like having a good time when I go out, not talking to dudes from the scene. So I’m at a point where I’m just focusing on my music, hoping that it’ll speak for itself. Do you think that still works, or should I think of a new strategy? I just feel like so much of this game is hanging out with the right people and tweeting about it. I sent my promos to a gazillion people, and barely a tenth even bothered to check it out. The worst thing, if I can say so, is that those who actually listened (bigger names included) really enjoyed it. If I take your example—I know who you’re affiliated with, I know scene people back you up, but I can’t name two of your tracks, and I listen to a lot of stuff. You seem to be fairly content with your career—could you have done it with the mere power of your music? Genuinely curious.

Best,
Confused producer/awkward stoned dude

Hi.

Cool on the progression. That’s really all that matters, there’s nothing better than watching yourself grow. I’m with you. 100%.

The reason you can’t name two of my tracks is because I’ve only put out like five of them in the 10 years I’ve been a “professional” in music under my own name. I grew up in bands; most of the projects I’ve been involved in have been bands and I love that on accident I became a producer just because I love teamwork, helping others, and kinda just being the unsung hero, so to speak. That’s not to say I can’t step up and be the man if it’s my turn, but that’s really not what I’m interested in. My EP that I just put out was the first time I was ready to do that.

It’s funny to me that you imply that who I know is why I’m here, cuz to me, it’s the exact opposite. I think I’ve only done it with the power of my music. I was asked to move to New York to join my first band cuz I was doing beats before everyone did beats, so I was a commodity then. I kept learning, collecting synths, blah blah blah, and when I first got to New York, I was the same as really all of the people writing into this column. No one I respected fucked with me… at all. But I slowly earned respect by doing my own thing. I can say that I’ve been the same since I was like eight years old. I was always friends with everyone at school—the nerds, the freaks, the popular kids, the black kids—it’s just who I am. It’s an Italian thing I guess. Yours is being a stoner and not outgoing. I could go over my whole career and how it got to where it is, but it’s really cuz I worked hard and never tried to fit in. I just did me and I’m proud of that. I like music to sound raw and have human feeling and as easy as it could have been to jump on some stupid bandwagon, I have never done that. It’s why I’m so proud of the record I put out—it’s very me, and as vulnerable as it can be.

I’m actually 100% content with my career cuz I feel like I’ve carved out a niche that works exactly for me and it’s always evolving. I have like six careers in one and they all help each other. DJing, producing, mixing, my own artist career, studio, etc. They are all synergistic and modular, and it keeps me so inspired at all times. Even doing this column and reading all the questions has been very interesting, cuz it seems everyone is really interested in “making it,” whatever the fuck that means.

I think your music can definitely speak for itself, but at the end of the day, relationships are everything. People wanna work with people they can connect and have fun with. Everyone is talented, so how the actual experience of working together will be is kinda what I see as important. Maybe it’s fucked up, but it’s just real. And as far as promos, I dunno. I remember when I didn’t get any promos and I dreamt of how dope it would be and now I get them, and I don’t even listen to them. I’m busy making music and trying to live life. It sucks—I wish I could spend three days a week listening to a bunch of new music, but it’s hard. I don’t mean to ignore anyone. Most importantly, I wouldn’t change who you are. Maybe finding someone to speak on your behalf as a manager type could really help. Creating your own lane is really the name of the game, that’s how you can make all the things you want fit with your persona. Everyone has to do it themselves. Steve Aoki throws pies on people—it works for him. Could you or I ever do that, even for mad money? Probably not.

Anyways, yeah. Good luck. I ride for you.

Hi Doctor Nick,
I’m from Phoenix, AZ and have been making music for about five years now. I’ve had the hardest time putting stuff out because I can’t tell what’s good. After sitting in my little studio for hours reconstructing a song five different ways, I can never tell which is the best. Even once I find which way is best, I still question if it’s good enough to let anyone hear it with my name behind it. We have little to no electronic-music scene in my area and I’m afraid no one will like it because it’s not brostep or M83. Any advice?
Zach

Yo. It’s 2012. You can talk to someone in Africa faster than you can link up with a real person in Phoenix, so maybe if people in your town aren’t on your level, you should start lurking some fools on the internet to listen and give you feedback. Take a break on your stuff and come back to it, and if you are smoking weed, you are fucked. Shit will sound 500 different ways and when you aren’t high anymore, you are gonna be more confused than ever. Why not have confidence in your stuff? It’s for you anyway, right? If you’re still worried, make an alias so people don’t know it’s you. I dunno, I’d say like 90% of my music has always been rejected by people I sent it to first. It’s why my band Cubic Zirconia had to start its own label. We just kept putting music out, improving our live show, and writing better tunes and eventually it worked out with Fool’s Gold. It took awhile, but we always believed in ourselves. At least you aren’t giving in to making brostep—be proud of that.

Hi, Doctor Nick! appears every Thursday on XLR8R. Do you have a question for Doctor Nick? Please submit your inquires to doctornick@xlr8r.com. Nick Hook can help you.

Kashii “Bosky”

The London label/party/music hub Audio Doughnuts is set to celebrate its second anniversary this Friday with a star-studded cast (which includes MK, Zed Bias, Sinjin Hawke, Salva, Leon Vynehall, and Ossie, to name a few), and has passed along the slick “Bosky” from hometown producer and MadTech affiliate Kashii—another of the night’s performers—to help spread the word. The full-bodied house tune comes complete with thick low-end, luscious chords, and just the slightest hint of shuffle, making it an appropriate preview for what the Audio Doughnuts night is likely to be full of: damn fine dance music.

Bosky

Various Artists Ouroboros

In mythology and religion, the ouroboros—a depiction of a serpent or dragon eating its own tail—represents a number of things, notably unity and the idea of self-reflexivity. However, this ancient symbol is perhaps best known for its connotations of cyclicality, or, more specifically, the idea that something is constantly evolving and recreating itself. That’s exactly what Lazer Sword’s Low Limit wanted to convey when he curated Ouroboros, a 10-track compilation of artists united by what the album’s press materials refer to as, “an appreciation for both old and new incarnations of dance music” and dropped via the LA-based Innovative Leisure label.

The compilation boasts a litany of “name” producers from across North America, like Machinedrum and Braille (both halves of Sepalcure), along with a slew of up-and-coming tunesmiths such as Obey City and Clicks & Whistles. As such, Ouroboros represents nearly every major geographical area of North America, and its 10 tracks are as sonically diverse as the handful of artists who put them together. The reverence for “old and new incarnations of dance music” is definitely present; the cuts span across a wide breadth of genres that includes skittering garage, blissed-out house, and just about everything in between. Background Sound‘s solid opening number, “Speak Easy,” has its feet firmly planted in garage territory, as its swinging beat, ethereal synths, and ghostly samples can attest. Icee Hot co-founder and San Francisco resident Ghosts on Tape offers “Sex Chat,” a techno-tinged, back-to-basics stomper featuring a infectiously funky synth bassline.

But as fun as these tracks are, the compilation’s most exciting moments arguably lie in the six-track stretch from HxdB & Self Evident‘s “Cloud Turtle” to Obey City’s “Nightmare Cafe,” which also includes (in order) back-to-back offerings by both members of Sepalcure and a one-two combo from Clicks & Whistles and LA’s Sweatson Klank (formerly known as Take). These producers don’t seem afraid to let loose and stray from more conventional electronic-music templates; the highly dancefloor-friendly “Cloud Turtle” almost steals the show, channeling UK funky with its tropical-sounding polyrhythms, grime-savvy gun samples, and a frenetic, wobbling lead. Machinedrum’s “Whatnot” (which can be listened to and downloaded here) is set apart by wistful, ethereal samples and a snappy snare rhythm slightly reminiscent of the relentless break the prolific tunesmith previously used on “Fantastix.” Operating on the other side of the spectrum, Braille takes a slightly more conventional and Sepalcure-esque approach for “En Route,” blanketing a shuffling house rhythm with a thick veil of hazy synths and peppering it with what sounds like call-and-response soul samples.

These lush vibes are continued on North Carolina duo Clicks & Whistles’ “Tomorrowland,” a track replete with propulsive shakers, a slow, creeping rhythm, rich synth textures, and intense female vocal samples. Then there’s LA’s Sweatson Klank, whose spaced out, skittery “You & The Sky” sounds like a cross between futuristic R&B and slowed, stripped-down juke rhythms. Obey City’s deceptively titled contribution, “Nightmare Cafe,” is another highlight, a genre-bending number whose dreamy, ascendant synths and bass-heavy, clap-reliant beat place it among Ouroboros‘ punchiest cuts.

In the end, the compilation not only lives up to the reputations of those enlisted to participate in its creation, but also still manages to offer some unexpected treats, including the fact that the album’s closing number, “Uppercut,” is Low Limit’s first solo production in nearly three years. Much like its mythical namesake, Ouroboros manages to bring itself full circle, even after spanning the breadth of a vast continent and an even wider musical landscape.

Video: My Panda Shall Fly & Will Ward “British Princess”

My Panda Shall Fly and Will Ward have shared the video for “British Princess,” a dark and dubby cut lifted from the duo’s three-track EP for fledgling label XVI. Directed by Peter Rahul, the disorientingly psychedelic piece features what we can only describe as moving Magic Eye pictures. Chances are that if paused in the right places, My Panda Shall Fly & Will Ward’s video could offer viewers loads of hidden images to discover, or at least some cool imagery to trip out on.

Maru “Alpina (Wolf Cub Remix)”

Leeds-based DJ/producer and Transmission Collective affiliate Maru is set to release his Porta Alpina EP, which also features remixes from fellow collective members Kahwe and Wolf Cub. Featured here, Wolf Cub’s version of “Alpina” doesn’t stray too far from the original. It’s a slightly punchier mix with synthetic strings and a stronger emphasis on the acid-leaning bassline, helping make for a tune that’s sure to fit into any deep, jackin’ house set. You can stream the rest of the forthcoming record’s tunes before they drop on December 3, after the jump.

Alpina (Wolf Cub Remix)

Ossie Ignore EP

The East London-based Ossie hasn’t been the most prolific producer over the past two years, but when he does release tracks, he sure makes them count. With last year’s “Tarantula” and “Set the Tone”—his biggest tracks to date—Ossie has established himself as an artist concerned with little else than the dancefloor, and Ignore again proves that his neon-touched synths and breaking snares and claps make for some of the most fun and infectious dance music coming from the UK at the moment.

Despite its borderline misogynistic—but perfectly delivered—vocal performance (courtesy of fellow Londoner Tilz), the EP’s title track would be a welcome presence in most any house/garage-leaning mix. Bouncing just below 130 bpm, “Ignore” shows off Ossie’s rhythmic prowess as he crafts a beat somewhere between a shuffle and a break while incoporating a handful of snare rolls and stutters to give it just a touch of funky swing. The featured vocalist appears only twice on the five-plus-minute track, leaving the lazer-sharp chords and simple bassline plenty of room to carry the song; it’s a wise decision, as the playful back-and-forth rhythm they lock into is almost impossible to, well, ignore. It all makes for one of those songs that is equal parts disarming and effective on the floor, and one that’s likely to get even the most stoic of onlookers to start grooving along.

Strangely enough, the first four bars of the EP’s only other track, “Find It,” sound like the beginning of a lost Homework-era Daft Punk song, as Ossie arranges filtered chords and vocals into a catchy procession. The Londoner again comes up with a beat that simultaneously shuffles and breaks, pairing it with a syncopated bassline and—of all things—an almost Balearic guitar line that fills in the track every so often. The jewel of “Find It” comes around the five-minute mark, when Ossie stops holding back and unleashes a perfectly assembled barrage of rolling snares, which carries the track to its end.

It’s safe to say that Ossie’s craft is not rocket science, but with Ignore as the latest example of his handiwork, it is clear that the Londoner’s brand of dance music is also far from formulaic, not to mention consistently effective.

Video Premiere: Forma “Off”

While bit-crushed found footage and spiralling assemblages of decades-old video are no new sights in the realm of music videos, this collage (or, according to its creator, “video mulch”) put together by Luke Wyatt is appropriately fitting for the synth-obsessed exploratins of Brooklyn trio Forma. Taken from the outfit’s recent Off/On LP for Spectrm Spools (an imprint we recently highlighted in our Labels We Like list), “Off” is a proper introduction to the heavenly, quasi-new age tracks Forma does so well—and now with an appropriately psychedelic video to boot. Off/On officially drops in vinyl form next week, and to celebrate, Forma will headline its release party at Brooklyn’s Body Actualized Center on Monday, December 3.

DJ Q Pays Tribute to Todd Edwards with New Mix

UK garage and bassline patron DJ Q, who recently created a phenomenal mix for RBMA Radio just two weeks ago, is back with another hard-hitter. What’s more, this 24-track DJ set was crafted entirely as a tribute to New Jersey garage icon Todd Edwards. The hour-long mix is almost exclusively made from Edwards’ catalog, including loads of his classic original productions and inimitable remixes. You can stream and download DJ Q’s Todd Edwards Selection Mix, which the artist says was originally “made purely for my own listening pleasure,” below. (via FACT)

1. Todd Edwards – Saved My Life Interlude
2. Todd Edwards – Saved My Life
3. St Germain – Alabama Blues
4. Sound Of One – As I Am (Todd Edwards Remix)
5. Ride Commitee ft Roxy – Accident (Todd Edwards Dub)
6. Todd Edwards – Heaven
7. Moloko – Pure Pleasure Seeker (Todd Edwards Pleasure For Life UK Vocal)
8. Todd Edwards – Push The Love
9. Todd Edwards – Show The Way
10. Indo – R U Sleeping (Todd Edwards Mix)
11. Todd Edwards – Right Now
12. Todd Edwards – Perfect Love
13. Da Mob – Fun (Todd Edwards’ Cut-up Mix)
14. MJ Cole – Crazy Love (Todd Edwards Underground Remix)
15. Todd Edwards – Never Ever Far
16. Todd Edwards – Miracles
17. Todd Edwards – Time To Care
18. Somore – I Refuse (What You Want) (Sunshine Brothers Remix)
19. Kristine Blonde – Loveshy (Todd Edwards Dub)
20. FOT – People Join Hands (Todd Edwards Remix)
21. Todd Edwards – Can You Believe
22. Jay Collins – Don’t Turn Your Back On Love (Sunshine Brothers Remix)
23. Todd Edwards – I Need Someone

Kuhn “I Quit (Pixelord Remix)”

“I Quit,” a tune which Brooklyn’s Kuhn originally produced with Astro Nautico comrade Obey City, has received the remix treatment from Moscow’s Pixelord. The Russian producer maintains the bounciness (not to mention the sassy sample) of the original tune, while sprinkling on some added glitz in the form of shiny chimes and adjusts the Brooklyn residents’ sporadic rhythm. Pixelord’s track appears alongside another version of the song from Time Wharp on Kuhn’s recently released Kings 12″ for Civil. You can also check out the video for the original “I Quit” after the jump.

I Quit (Pixelord Remix)

Gemmy Preps Single for Tectonic; Hear Both Sides Now

Bristol producer—and onetime member of dubstep’s so-called “Purple Trinity,” along with Joker and Guido—Gemmy has revealed plans to drop a new 12″ via Pinch’s Tectonic imprint early next month. The forthcoming “Warrior” b/w “The Dome” single finds Gemmy shedding much of his “purple” past for a chance to dig further down into the darker depths of grime, UK funky, and—most importantly of all—dubstep. Below, you can check out the artwork and stream previews of both cuts before “Warrior” b/w “The Dome” drops on December 10. (via FACT)

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