Let us introduce you to the world of Nihil Young aka Less Hate.
Make no mistake, this prolific artist doesn’t care about any trend, rarely plays at any of the gigantic commercial festivals but the man truly makes good music. In an industry that is now so often formatted, where most artists are pushed to do something similar to their neighbors, Nihil subsists and has been running now his label Frequenza Records for over 7 years. First mentored by John Acquaviva, his releases are now a true form of expression, just look at their titles, “True Shaming”, “Touched The Sky” or “Vertical Skyline” released with Toolroom.
His latest creation “My Friend” features his own vocals, a daft punkest jam defying any established genre. If you hear that addictive vocal only once we can guarantee you will sing it in your head for the next few days or even for the years to come. As the lyrics nicely say “What’s the matter with you my friend?” is followed by some mystical arpeggios and a bass line reminding of the best Anjunadeep or Pryda tunes, at the break the vocal and pad are layered beautifully growing into a fine build up. This track will work on any dancefloor world wide. We sat down with Nihil to find out more of his secrets of production, his relationship with the Saunderson family and his admiration for Stephan Bodzin.
“My Friend” is available 4 August on Frequenza Records. PRE ORDER
Where do the vocals from “My friend” come from?
I recorded my own vocals for My Friend, I was very inspired in the studio and that’s actually how I started the tune, layering harmonies and the foundation around the first melodic vocal take.
Do you follow a certain routine when producing?
Not at all. I must say that I’m not using any of my own templates ever, which is time consuming of course, but I feel like the foundation to any track must always be unique. When I produce I might start from an idea from above, or even the slightest harmony I can think of when browsing samples (like noises, ambiance recordings, sirens) and vocals. At times I also love to do sample based music since I’m a long time hip hop, funk, soul and disco fan.
How do you stay motivated in the studio?
Owning and managing a few labels also helps me to be in the studio all the time. I also love helping, giving advice and even coaching artists I follow and sign. So there’s not much time left for being there without actually getting any work done, daily. I also love to make a list of things i want to achieve daily in order to stay motivated and finish the job, I just write them down every morning and they need to be completed before I get out.
What is the secret to run a label successfully these days?
The secret as always lays in communication I believe. The quality of the output is always the first thing to look at and pursue, but without quality communication it’s very difficult – if not impossible – to launch a successful music label which has actual impact on the scene or catches onto fans. There are simply too many labels and too many artists. Too many good ones too! Label parties are also a must, it’s pretty easy to understand how having a connection – or even your own – venue will enhance your label.
Do you follow any trend when making tracks?
No, never did and never will. Maybe I do unintentionally, as it’s impossible to stay absolutely “clean” and clear minded about the music you intend to put out, but I’m trying to avoid looking at what’s selling and what’s the current genre and all these things because it doesn’t pay off in my opinion in a long run. Building a sound or a concept might be harder and slower, but I’m not going for the charts.
Is there someone you feel has been a big inspiration in your career?
I respect and admire anyone who managed to create and push his or her own signature sound.
I really don’t have a favorite techno artist or tech house artist. When I was first fascinated by underground electronic music, i remember i used to love what Stephan Bodzin was putting out at the beginning of his career, that was amazing stuff, Gabriel Ananda, Martin Buttrich, Format B, Alex Niggemann, Maetrik (maceo plex), Ben Klock… Again, whoever had an instantly recognizable signature sound regardless of the genre or sub-genre they were doing.
Describe your relationship with the Saunderson family?
The Saundersons are a great family, they are real music lovers and real professionals. They are putting out quality stuff as solo artists, and Kevin is doing better than ever. I love his DJ sets. Dantiez and DaMarii are some of the best people I met in the industry so far. They are kind, passionate and real people. I interact with them almost daily, as we are working on a bunch of collaborations and I’m working on original music and remixes for their classic Detroit KMS Records imprint. Our single Happy Days with Inner City’s Ann Saunderson just got out a few weeks ago on KMS and more exciting releases are about to come out.
