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In the Presence of Carl Nicholson
Reported by SunnyAli
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Submitted 23-02-10 12:20
Who has a history of hard dance that can match Carl Nicholson's? He learned the art of DJing under the wing of Tony de Vit, was one of the first DJs to come up with the hard trance sound, and over the past two decades he's played virtually every major UK dance event and festival. He's the creative genius behind soaring hard trance anthems such as Keep it Coming, Ricochet and Blueprint (Tara's Theme), and has released more than 90 original tracks and remixes to date. SunnyAli went to pay tribute to the master.
His collaborations with other producers have led to storming successes such as System Shock which have brought down the house in clubs around the world. His recent release Outta Here 2009 with K-Complex just won the HarderFaster 2009 Awards tune of the year. To top it off, since 2007 he's been the master in command of the seven acclaimed Presence labels, which cover seven major dance genres from bounce to trance.
He's got an unmistakeable sound to his tunes - ultimate euphoria, vocal and uplifting with a superb hard dance kick to them. He's talented, experienced and 100% committed to the dance scene he loves. Yet Carl Nicholson remains one of hard dance's most under-represented DJs, producers and managers - why, we want to know? I quizzed the apparently shy and retiring gent on his past, present, and future.....
So – what's news in Nicholson world right now? Anything exciting happening?
Loads happening at the mo! I just toured South Africa which was amazing and Rob Tissera hailed my track Classic, released on Elasticman with an Ilogik remix, one of the best tracks of 2009. I've also got a stack of new collaborations coming out over the next few months and some rather tasty remixes too! So all is good in the hood.
How did your New Years' Eve 2009 go?
Well initially I was well looking forward to champagne and canapés at my local ritzy, which would have no doubt been a blast. But the lads from Traxx in Durban persuaded me that a full on night of carnage and euphoric beats was more the ticket! And they were not wrong….that place is my new favourite place to play since New Years Eve, pure unadulterated fun at its very finest!
How do you divide your time these days? Is it mainly production, management or playing out? Which of these interests you the most?
Most of my time is taken up with management and Presence these days. We have released well over 200 tracks since we started up three years ago, and catapulted many a big face onto today’s circuit, so it’s all worth it in the long run. But the DJing is my first love and I will always seize the opportunity to lay down some beats.
You've done a huge amount over the last two decades to shape the dance scene as it stands today – what's changed in clubland over that time?
The scene has evolved so much over the past 20 years, when I began the DJ didn’t need to do production, he was judged solely on his craft. These days it's branched off in so many directions, it’s become very elitist and pigeonholed, people seem to forget that it’s all about the dance music baby!
What would you call your biggest achievements / ultimate high point of your career so far?
Ultimate high would have to be playing at the Brixton academy for the first ever TDV Memorial to 5,000 nutcases. That was without doubt a priceless event. Biggest achievements I would say was getting a residency at Fabric, playing the Glastonbury Dance Tent and the Ministry Of Sound main room.
You learned a great deal from the daddy of hard house, Tony de Vit. Can you tell me a bit about him and how he influenced you?
Tony was the founder of all things harder for the mainstream and a legendary figure. He was a DJ for almost two decades before he ever got big – now that’s what you call groundwork!
Tony taught me a different way of thinking about music – not just to hear but to feel it. This coupled with sound creates a response emotion in people; a certain sound can create emotion, and if you weave these different emotions together in a certain pattern the results can be explosive. People used to say that they could almost feel an electricity in the air when Tony was playing – maybe this was the reason why.
You can claim to be one of the first DJs to play hard trance as we know it – how did it come about?
It came about in the London underground scene about 1995 at places like Reclaim The Streets, Sunny Side Up, Savage etc. Back then, though, it was very different, tracks like Robert Miles – Children or BBE – Seven Days and One Week were considered to be hard trance, but tracks like Scot Project – U, Definition of Tekto – A.R.E.A and Commander Tom – Are Am Eye were more hard trance in my opinion.
What's your most insane party story?
I was at Twisted in the Bunker Bar many moons ago and a friend of mine named Cindy (who happened to be a white witch), was sat in the middle of the packed main dancefloor on a stool with a bucket filled with water peeling potatoes!! Seriously concerned for my friends I was like ‘Cindy, what on earth are you up to??’ Giggling hysterically, she then turned on her chair and replied…’I LIKE CHIPS’. Doesn't come more random that that hehehe!
How do you make sure you don't go all Pete Tong with a coke badger?
I get a gun and shoot it right between the eyes!
Most embarrassing thing to happen to you while DJing?
I turned the wrong track off and the whole place was in silence for about 20 seconds. Never did that again, haha!
Name a few of your biggest musical influences – both past and present?
Past: Tony de Vit, Jean Michel Jarre.
Present: Anyone who writes with their heart and soul in it.
Are there any producers you really admire and enjoy working with, at the moment?
Paul F and Kye Shand are really great to work with on party tracks, but for twisting up the formula it would have to be Gridbreaker.
You've got a phenomenal discography! Your first release, Ricochet, was released on 12” vinyl in 2001, on Fevah House – which of your releases do you love the most and why?
I love all of them to be fair. Every time I do a track I do it to reflect my life's state at that time, almost like a stamp on the era, so each of my tracks have a special meaning to me. I think Blueprint had to be the best response though.
Is your sound / musical identity still changing? If so, where are your tastes and interests going, what are you experimenting with?
My interests are always changing directions – otherwise we would all get bored very quickly! But my value has always been to entertain rather than educate, so hopefully you will always have a fun edge in my sound and that is what keeps it fresh.
How do you keep new tracks sounding fresh and, importantly, unique?
It’s hard to say ‘unique’ as it’s formula based sequencing and that formula has been ripped to shreds so even if you do something unique, it has probably already been done numerous times before. I add a lot of atmospherics to my breakdowns to give it a natural feel – I don’t think there are too many people doing that these days.
Two years ago you launched Presence, with its seven labels covering all areas of dance and electronica. Why seven labels?
It was a concept to find the best up and comings and give them a respectable platform in which to evolve as a collective, it was all about giving people an opportunity to shine whereas with other brands they had been ignored.
Do you personally pick the tracks that they all release? How does this all work?
We've got seven individual label managers, and they pretty much run them – Phizz and myself co-ordinate.
People are paying for music less and less now more people are making tunes – do you think we will get to a stage where tracks are released for free?
People are already making tracks and giving them away for free purely for profile. I think it will just stay how it is for the moment, although I think soon it will be more accessible to own your own shop, cutting out middle men could save a fair whack.
What are your aims, hopes and dreams to achieve in 2010?
Be healthy, be happy and get to play some damn fine tunage!
Any planned collaborations, amazing new tune ideas, or events you'll be playing at soon?
Coming up I have:
Carl Nicholson & Emilio Feat Lucy Clarke – Infinity (Nicholson & Fallout Remix)
Carl Nicholson & Paul F – Higher & Higher
Carl Nicholson & Kye Shand – Trash Can
Carl Nicholson – Paradise (Adrenaline Dept Remix)
Carl Nicholson & Grant Molloy vs Chrysus Feat Stace – Second Chances (Shawn Cartwright Psychotic Remix) all coming out on Presence from now till April.
Then I have Carl Nicholson – Bring It Home out on Elasticman with an Ilogik remix and MDA Spherical, Identikal and Simon Qudos’s remix of System Shock out exclusively on Tidy Digital.
Complete this sentence with a relevant statement that is better than the original?
I got 99 problems but... a missed episode of ‘Got To Dance’ ain't one.
For more info click these links:
http://www.myspace.com/carlnicholson
http://www.myspace.com/presencerecordings
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Carl+Nicholson
[size=1]Photos courtesy of Carl Nicholson. Not to be reproduced without permission.
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The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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