| Popular |
| Comments |
| Archives |
| Categories |
| Tags |
| Press : Interviews/Features | Subscribe to our feed | Thursday September 02, 2010 |
Nuvo: "Foreign Exchange: North Carolina Dutch hip-hop"
Posted by nicolaymusic on August 13, 2009 at 8:27 AM
Sure, the Internet is killing off multinational conglomerated music Goliaths, but it's also spurring a new era of creativity and collaboration between artists previously separated by genres and geography. Consider how hip-hop duo The Foreign Exchange came together. North Carolina...
Article by T.J. Reynolds
for Nuvo
Sure, the Internet is killing off multinational conglomerated music Goliaths, but it's also spurring a new era of creativity and collaboration between artists previously separated by genres and geography.
Consider how hip-hop duo The Foreign Exchange came together. North Carolina native Phonte (of the rap group Little Brother) and Dutch producer Nicolay met on the Web site Okayplay.com and began to send tracks and vocals to each other via instant messaging. Those tracks eventually came to constitute the duo's first album under The Foreign Exchange moniker, Connected, which was released to critical acclaim before the artists ever met face to face.
Phonte couldn't quite believe his ears when he first heard Nicolay's rich production. "We had a bunch of conspiracy theories going on, because at the time he was overseas and was kind of like a mysterious figure," Phonte recalls during a recent phone interview. "It wasn't like we could hook up over at his house. We thought, 'What if he's really a girl? What if he's got a whole staff of beatmakers?'"
Consider how hip-hop duo The Foreign Exchange came together. North Carolina native Phonte (of the rap group Little Brother) and Dutch producer Nicolay met on the Web site Okayplay.com and began to send tracks and vocals to each other via instant messaging. Those tracks eventually came to constitute the duo's first album under The Foreign Exchange moniker, Connected, which was released to critical acclaim before the artists ever met face to face.
Phonte couldn't quite believe his ears when he first heard Nicolay's rich production. "We had a bunch of conspiracy theories going on, because at the time he was overseas and was kind of like a mysterious figure," Phonte recalls during a recent phone interview. "It wasn't like we could hook up over at his house. We thought, 'What if he's really a girl? What if he's got a whole staff of beatmakers?'"
Continue reading Nuvo: "Foreign Exchange: North Carolina Dutch hip-hop"
VIBE.com: 60 Rappers In 60 Days: Phonte
Posted by nicolaymusic on June 29, 2009 at 11:29 AM
Phonte was singing before your favorite rapper sang!
It's a cliché to say, but in the case of Phonte, the North Carolina MC may just be your favorite rapper's favorite rapper. In a recent interview, Drake, the current "it" boy of hip hop, mentioned Phonte, as one of his favorite MCs. Period.
For those who've followed Phonte Coleman since he burst onto the scene in 2003 with his partner-in-rhyme Big Pooh, and producer 9th Wonder, collectively forming Little Brother, Drizzy's pick came as no surprise. MC and critics alike have given props to Phonte's witty wordplay and Southern-tinged flow since Little Brother's debut, The Listening (ABB). But in 2004, Phonte switched things up and began to amass a new set of fans with The Foreign Exchange, a collaboration with producer Nicolay. Together the two released Connected (BBE, 2004) to critical acclaim. In 2008, they released their sophomore effort, Leave It All Behind (Hall of Justus/ Nicolay), which Phonte is currently promoting on a nationwide tour.
For those who've followed Phonte Coleman since he burst onto the scene in 2003 with his partner-in-rhyme Big Pooh, and producer 9th Wonder, collectively forming Little Brother, Drizzy's pick came as no surprise. MC and critics alike have given props to Phonte's witty wordplay and Southern-tinged flow since Little Brother's debut, The Listening (ABB). But in 2004, Phonte switched things up and began to amass a new set of fans with The Foreign Exchange, a collaboration with producer Nicolay. Together the two released Connected (BBE, 2004) to critical acclaim. In 2008, they released their sophomore effort, Leave It All Behind (Hall of Justus/ Nicolay), which Phonte is currently promoting on a nationwide tour.
Continue reading VIBE.com: 60 Rappers In 60 Days: Phonte
SoulBounce: "Nicolay's Soulclap Remix Is The Perfect Segue Into Summer"
Posted by nicolaymusic on June 12, 2009 at 1:49 PM
There's this great weekly* feature on SoulBounce fave Nicolay's website called Off The Shelf. In it he takes a song from his catalog and anoints the masses with it for free. As this Summer has been a slow-starter with weather...
Article by Ro
for SoulBounce
There's this great weekly* feature on SoulBounce fave Nicolay's website called Off The Shelf. In it he takes a song from his catalog and anoints the masses with it for free. As this Summer has been a slow-starter with weather that is certain to burst into super-hot sweatiness any day now, it's nice to take a pause and just bask in the betweeness. This remix of United Soul's (now U.City) "Soulclap" plays nicely amid the interim. It's smooth and warm with appearances by YahZarah and Phonte that swim along with Nicolay's fantastic production perfectly. It's unsurprising that though this remix is from 2005 it holds up today.
Download United Soul's "Soulclap" (Nicolay Remix) now.
Download United Soul's "Soulclap" (Nicolay Remix) now.
Nicolay's cover of "Nautilus" chosen as 'Click hear' on Exclaim.ca
Posted by nicolaymusic on June 1, 2009 at 9:39 PM
More props for Nicolay's version of the Bob James classic!
Article by Del Cowie
for Exclaim.ca
Along with James Brown's "Funky Drummer," Melvin Blisss's "Synthetic Substitution" and the Honeydrippers' "Impeach the President," "Nautilus" by Bob James qualifies as one of the most important and most sampled records in hip-hop history. James may be best known for "Angela," which became the theme song for the TV show Taxi, but many of his tracks have been cribbed for hip-hop tracks, with "Nautilus" turning up on Run DMC's "Beats to the Rhyme" and Ghostface Killah's "Daytona 500" among countless others.
Remaking "Nautilus" isn't a task that one would take on lightly, but Nicolay, the producer comprising one-half of eclectic soul outfit Foreign Exchange has just decided to let his version out of the vault for free downloading. Apparently, back in 2006, the Dutch-born producer was approached to work on a project called "Sampling Bob James: The Nautilus Project" and he delivered a total re-working of the track from scratch sans samples, for a project that has yet to see the light of day.
Remaking "Nautilus" isn't a task that one would take on lightly, but Nicolay, the producer comprising one-half of eclectic soul outfit Foreign Exchange has just decided to let his version out of the vault for free downloading. Apparently, back in 2006, the Dutch-born producer was approached to work on a project called "Sampling Bob James: The Nautilus Project" and he delivered a total re-working of the track from scratch sans samples, for a project that has yet to see the light of day.
Continue reading Nicolay's cover of "Nautilus" chosen as 'Click hear' on Exclaim.ca
The Last Broadcast interviews Nicolay
Posted by nicolaymusic on April 16, 2009 at 12:06 PM
Hailing from the Netherlands, Nicolay has brought a new sense of style and grace to the world of Hip Hop. A sound that is smooth as silk and has enough beat that it can get your body moving. Music as...
Article by Turtle
for The Last Broadcast
Hailing from the Netherlands, Nicolay has brought a new sense of style
and grace to the world of Hip Hop. A sound that is smooth as silk and
has enough beat that it can get your body moving. Music as unique and
fantastic as his is compared to very few. Being a solo artists, one
half of The Foreign Exchange Producer for numerous artists Nicolay
brings a fresh new sound to the world of Hip Hop. He is as cool as his
music and as nice as anyone can get. I had the privilege to talk with
Nicolay, this is what he had to say.
Turtle: How are you doing today?
Nicolay: I'm not doing too bad today actually, it's a day like any other I'm just working on a few things. Just finishing up a few things so its not bad.
T: Can you give a little back story on how you became a producer?
N: I was actually the type to play in bands, that was my main musical reference point. It didn't always go the way I wanted it to. It wasn't paying the bills, so I decided to stop all of that, and just get a job. In the evening hours I more or less started producing for my own enjoyment. I never really intended doing more than that. Out of that freedom grew something that ultimately people really liked. So, really it was a matter of me almost stepping away from music to get back to it in a very different way.
Turtle: How are you doing today?
Nicolay: I'm not doing too bad today actually, it's a day like any other I'm just working on a few things. Just finishing up a few things so its not bad.
T: Can you give a little back story on how you became a producer?
N: I was actually the type to play in bands, that was my main musical reference point. It didn't always go the way I wanted it to. It wasn't paying the bills, so I decided to stop all of that, and just get a job. In the evening hours I more or less started producing for my own enjoyment. I never really intended doing more than that. Out of that freedom grew something that ultimately people really liked. So, really it was a matter of me almost stepping away from music to get back to it in a very different way.
Continue reading The Last Broadcast interviews Nicolay
The Foreign Exchange talks to SoulBounce.com
Posted by nicolaymusic on March 26, 2009 at 8:41 AM
Phonte, Nicolay, YahZarah, Zo! and Darien Brockington sit down with SoulBounce to talk shop about Twitter, The Foreign Exchange music, upcoming projects from the entire crew, what would happen if Barack Obama cut a record with Auto-Tune and why they would never do a reality television show. You already know the comedy that comes with Phonte speaking.
Nicolay is SoulBounce's 2008 Producer of the Year!
Posted by nicolaymusic on December 17, 2008 at 9:44 AM
SoulBounce has announced Nicolay as their 2008 Producer of the Year!
Article by nOvaMatic
for SoulBounce
He's good.
I've been banging the drum for Nicolay since this site's inception, and being able to feature and write about him so thoroughly here has been as much a blessing as listening to his music. In 2008, Nicolay earned the distinction of being the only artist to have two album reviews published here as well as an audio interview. I even had the pleasure of seeing him live when he came to DC with Kay Jackson to perform tracks from Time:Line. Not a single album in his catalogue has skippable material, not even the straight instrumental joints. There are reasons.
I've been banging the drum for Nicolay since this site's inception, and being able to feature and write about him so thoroughly here has been as much a blessing as listening to his music. In 2008, Nicolay earned the distinction of being the only artist to have two album reviews published here as well as an audio interview. I even had the pleasure of seeing him live when he came to DC with Kay Jackson to perform tracks from Time:Line. Not a single album in his catalogue has skippable material, not even the straight instrumental joints. There are reasons.
Continue reading Nicolay is SoulBounce's 2008 Producer of the Year!
Creative Loafing Atlanta: ''A new song and dance for The Foreign Exchange''
Posted by nicolaymusic on December 3, 2008 at 7:28 AM
Rapper/singer Phonte is a little nervous, though getting him to admit it takes some coaxing. Yes, he's toured the world for years as one half of the acclaimed rap group Little Brother, but this is the first time that he's...
Article by Jacinta Howard
for Creative Loafing Atlanta
Rapper/singer Phonte is a little nervous, though getting him to admit it takes some coaxing. Yes, he's toured the world for years as one half of the acclaimed rap group Little Brother, but this is the first time that he's ever toured with Nicolay, the Dutch producer with whom he makes up the genre-bending group Foreign Exchange. And even more notable, this is the first time that he's singing the entire way through.
"Nervous? Come on, fam," he exclaims, before laughing and finally succumbing. "Nah, there's always a bit of nervousness. This is literally the first time [Nicolay and I] have ever played together, like ever," he stresses. "But I'm beyond certain we'll do a great job."
"Nervous? Come on, fam," he exclaims, before laughing and finally succumbing. "Nah, there's always a bit of nervousness. This is literally the first time [Nicolay and I] have ever played together, like ever," he stresses. "But I'm beyond certain we'll do a great job."
Continue reading Creative Loafing Atlanta: ''A new song and dance for The Foreign Exchange''
NPR: ''The Foreign Exchange And The Internal Inferno''
Posted by nicolaymusic on November 25, 2008 at 9:53 AM
This tuesday 'House Of Cards' by The Foreign Exchange is 'Song Of The Day' on NPR Music!
The Foreign Exchange transports listeners to the internal inferno of an unfaithful lover in the sensual but scalding "House of Cards." Early on, singer Phonte Coleman croons about covering up his tracks and rehearsing his deceitful lines after returning home from a night out. His paranoia, however, finds him waging an inner war best illustrated by Mushinah's captivating wails. Here, she plays the role of not the unsuspecting love interest or the co-conspirator in the betrayal, but Coleman's guilty conscience. "I've seen the sorrow you were meant for / Your house of cards is gonna fall," she warns.
Nicolay Rook evokes a sense of claustrophobic consternation with his hazy soundscape of haunting keyboard riffs, angst-ridden guitars and jackhammer beats. The clamor nearly drowns out Phonte's voice to sublime effect as he confesses to himself: "There's no one else to blame / Your worst enemy is you."
Nicolay Rook evokes a sense of claustrophobic consternation with his hazy soundscape of haunting keyboard riffs, angst-ridden guitars and jackhammer beats. The clamor nearly drowns out Phonte's voice to sublime effect as he confesses to himself: "There's no one else to blame / Your worst enemy is you."
Ruby Hornet: ''The Foreign Exchange: No Rearview''
Posted by nicolaymusic on November 3, 2008 at 6:02 AM
The new Foreign Exchange album existed mainly as an idea, or topic of discussion for Hip Hop fans. Nestled somewhere next to that new Reflection Eternal disc, between Detox and Blackstar was a new LP that Phonte and Nicolay both...
Article by Roosevelt Treasurechest
for PopMatters
The new Foreign Exchange album existed mainly as an idea, or topic of discussion for Hip Hop fans. Nestled somewhere next to that new Reflection Eternal disc, between Detox and Blackstar was a new LP that Phonte and Nicolay both said they were working on. Fans held their collective breathes, hoping that the new album would actually come to fruition. Writers tried to sneak in questions pertaining to the new disc while conducting interviews about The Minstrel Show or Getback, Hear or Time:Line. The new record is now in stores, and the interviews focus on Leave It All Behind, rather than rumors and hopes of what it could be.
"I think in the past we were reluctant to talk about it cause we didn't want to ruin the surprise of it. We were still trying to find our way in terms of what we were going to do, or, if and when we were gonna do another Foreign Exchange record," Phonte told us just a couple days after the release of the LP. "Now that it's finally here it feels good to finally have it out for the world to hear."
"I think in the past we were reluctant to talk about it cause we didn't want to ruin the surprise of it. We were still trying to find our way in terms of what we were going to do, or, if and when we were gonna do another Foreign Exchange record," Phonte told us just a couple days after the release of the LP. "Now that it's finally here it feels good to finally have it out for the world to hear."
