‘I’m a jungle / drum and bass kid at heart: breakbeats and rhythms are holy to me’
Nomine: spanning that rich, evocative territory that perfectly lends itself to forward-thinking D&B sensibilities and the downtempo mindset alike, his Empty Rooms ep on AMAR being a fine place to start if you wish to get acquainted. We certainly did, so we caught up and broke down what makes him tick…
Hello Nomine how are you? What are you doing?
I am good thank you. I’ve just finished teaching – should be marking students work, but doing this interview instead. Shhhh…
I am reminded of so many great things when I listen to this staggering ep. Here’s some disparate words and phrases that sprung to mind when I did: 1978, underpass lighting, euro cities/trams, room ambience, smoking in bars, tall buildings, dust in streets. So what about you, what sort of things does this throw up in your mind?
Thank you for the kind and creative words.
The one image I see when I listen to this EP is a rave in a warehouse with everyone dancing to the same beat of a multiple genres. Dancing without a destination in mind, dancing for the sake of dancing without purpose – just the process.
I used to try and attach concepts and a narrative to my compositions, but these days I just see music as a form of non-verbal communication with the world without any purpose or meaning.
For me it is about the process of composing and the listening experience without a goal and purpose – just being.
It amazes me that I don’t even have to try and attach concepts, emotions or a story and that each listener will have their own individual narrative and feel different emotions.
Are you tempted to do visuals for this music? What things occur to you in the way of visuals?
I am a university lecturer and we have some amazing facilities and talent here in the media department that I am yet to take full advantage of. It would be nice to give someone free scope for making something based on what they feel, with no direction from me whatsoever.
Maybe even commission a few different creative people to do a video for the same piece of music and see the difference in their own narratives.
Can you take us through ’99 Aachen ft 9er’ ? Love the ‘Power Rangers’ line…
Aachen city in Germany was the first international gig I played many moons ago and it felt right to pay homage to that. MC 9NER who features on the track is a very good childhood friend of mine who played an important part in the evolution of the Grime scene as a member of Macabre Unit.
He was a friend before music and we both had our first international gigs together in Aachen, so that just worked. The track takes influence from both grime and jungle, which represents both of our roots in music as one.
What music influenced you growing up?
I’ve always loved music since I can remember. My uncle used to record the top 40 chart countdown on cassette tape for me every week, which of course consisted of all-sorts. In most artist interviews that I read, it seems like their parents all had amazing and kool taste in music that influenced them. My parents had drunken house parties and played the likes of Elvis, Neil Diamond, Boney M and Al Jolson.
The first genre I got into was hip-hop and from that it was rave music from the early – mid ’90s, then jungle and drum and bass. All of which have a huge impact on my musical direction and compositions.
Here’s a rave mixtape of mine, to give an idea…
Why the ep title? Is it about the world we’ve inherited from people who should’ve known better?
‘Empty Rooms’? Trying to empty the rooms in my head and stop – or ignore – the chatter and commentary without trying.
You obviously love beats and especially those beats which are coarse and rich at the same time… why do you think you are drawn to them?
I’m a jungle / drum and bass kid at heart: breakbeats and rhythms are holy to me.
I love it when beats and percussion talk to me in their own language.
I listen with pure enjoyment and delight, but have no idea what they are saying – the saying is enough.
What D&B do you gravitate towards?
Old Metalheadz, Digital and Spirit, old Jonny L, old Optical and Matrix, Old Source Direct and Amit.
Tell us about your production outlook.
I have a dedicated studio room at my house and sometimes use the facilities where I teach. My home studio is pretty minimal: Mac computer, Logic X, Maschine, MIDI controller, some ollllld drum machine, Adam A7X monitors, a vintage pair of Tannoy Super Red 15” monitors and a load of software.
My most productive time is early morning and daytime. Come 8pm my, brain shuts down.
What sort of stimuli do you find helps? Coffee, energy drinks, fags, anger…
Coffee and green tea.
What is a studio session of any era that you would have liked to have sat in on? Any.
I would have loved to have been with Karlheinz Stockhausen when he wrote Kontakte – his innovative works are an essential part in the development of electronic music as we know it.
And continuing the time travel: if you could go back in a time machine, where to and why?
I often think about what it would be like to live in Victorian times and cause havoc.
Music related? I would love to have been raving in the late 80s/early 90s.
Any films you like? Or documentaries?
I love anything to do with sharks – movies like Jaws or documentaries. I am also a bit obsessed with Zen Buddhism these days and watch a lot of documentaries on that.
As we finish, what would you like us to know about?
I have just finished a multi-genre album for Tempa that will be released later this year on all formats and supported by a world tour. Contact for more info on that.
Here’s my recent mix Rinse FM Mix consisting of 99% Nomine material:
Any shouts, Nomine?
Mum, Josh, Callum, Em, Bronx, Digital and Linda, Amit and fam, Danny Modular and fam, Josh, Callum, AST and fam, 9NER, the students that I teach and all that support me.