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Features
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Interview with Innovate Resident Nick Sentience
Reported by Sharon B
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Submitted 16-07-04 14:14
When it comes to the world of Hard Dance there are many names that grab some people’s attention, but few names that grab many people’s attention. Various artists appeal to a variety of clubbers and artists but few manage to retain that special je ne sais quoi, the star quality, that sets a true artist a cut above the rest. Ever since his debut in 2001 Nick Sentience has always retained that star quality, appealing to both clubbers and peers alike, with his fearless and boundless approach to creating to new styles and infusing a variety of influences in productions that not only push the boundaries but set new frontiers.
Having won numerous awards for his production and DJing work, it was with his release of his Universal Language DVD and the creation of his 5 minute MTV video that brought Nick’s work to the attention of the world. Nick has dared to tread where other dance artists rarely go, creating a direct link with the work that is so celebrated week in and week out in the clubs of London we all know and love, by building bridges between the secular world of Hard Dance and the more commercial pop world of an MTV generation and making the music all the more accessible to a new age group.
After a successful spell working with the Nukleuz label Nick set up his own record label Quality Trax and it is through this that Universal Language has been released. Blending the highest quality computer visuals with Nick’s unique sounds Universal Language brings in a new era for Hard Dance, and takes the clubbing experience of light shows and visual graphics right into your own front lounge.
Many people often argue that when it comes to the production of Hard Dance a number of producers create a sound that lacks diversity. Often new tracks are levelled with the criticism of being formulaic and lack originality. Yet when it comes to Nick’s productions no such criticism is made. Having a wide ranging interest in music and having been in a breakbeat band prior to moving into hard dance production, Nick manages to bring in a wide variety of musical influences into his work and refuses to become stuck in a formulaic rut. His constant search for new sounds and new frontiers stands him head and shoulders above his peers as a true artist – breaking boundaries not for sake of commercialism, but for the sake of creativity and art.
It is precisely this attitude and approach to his work and his music that has led to his new residency (his sole London residency) at the Fridge’s new hard dance event Innovate. Launching on Saturday 17 July Innovate is a chance to bring the best of London’s DJing and production artists to the Capital with an emphasis on pushing boundaries and creating new frontiers. With live PA’s and enormous attention to detail, both musically and atmospherically, innovate promises to be a new night that will create new frontiers and be an inspiration to all. Alongside established artsits BK, Justin Bourne, Ali Wilson, Nicki S and Marc Antonine and with a funky room boasting the talents of the Ignition Crew featuring Matt Williams, Stevie B and HUgh Stevenson this promises to be one party that is guaranteed to fire the imagination. Inspire. Create. Innovate.
Sharon B: In 2001 you burst onto the dance scene and ever since then have managed to maintain a level of success and repute that can only be described as enviable amongst other artists – how did you first get involved in the dance scene and how important is reputation to you in terms of how clubbers view you and how your peers within the industry view you?
Nick Sentience: I started off writing at home as a bedroom producer as most do, and then I sent a demo off to Future Music magazine who put my track on the front cover cd. Nukleuz heard this track and asked me up for a meeting. At the time I was writing breakbeats and inspired by the festival dance scene such as Fluke, Underworld, Leftfield, Prodigy etc and wanted to do live sets in that way. I started working in the Nukleuz studio daily and BK was the in house engineer at the time and was showing me how to use all the equipment. I started “Sentience” as a breakbeat live act with Martin Dawson on guitars and Tom Neville on vocals and we did quite a few great gigs but eventually decided it wasn’t quite working out and I went solo as Nick Sentience and they joined the Ignition Crew and we all worked at those. Nukleuz started releasing my records shortly after that and I received early Radio 1 support from Judge Jules and Dave Pearce and started collaborating on the Hardbeat EP’s with BK. At the time the London Hard Dance scene was kicking off big-time and I got caught up in the buzz of the scene and the energy in the clubs so dedicated my time to producing and DJ’ing in it. With regard to how I am viewed I just get on with producing what I like to make and try and make it the highest quality that I can and hope for the best!
SB: Being heaped with such enormous praise from so early on in your career must have created certain pressures upon you to continue to do well. How have you managed to keep your feet on the ground and not get carried away or side tracked by the praise and subsequent pressure you have received and experienced?
NS: I always enjoy positive feedback but I’m the hardest critic on myself so that keeps my feet down to earth. I have had times I’ve had to reality check myself, but the main thing has been starting a record label. I’ve learnt so much about the mechanics of the music industry and it’s been invaluable experience. These are notoriously challenging times for the music industry so there’s enough up’s and downs to keep me realistic.
SB: What do you hope your music gives to others? Do you hope that people find inspiration in your sense of adventure and artistic expression?
NS: It’s impossible to please everyone all the time, and some people react differently to others about the directions I take, for instance the reactions to “Universal Language” have been really interesting, seeing who likes what tracks. A lot of people who are normally strictly hard music heads love some of the more breakbeat experimental tracks like “Digerydon’t.” I think that’s probably it for me. I like to surprise people and there’s nothing better for me than someone coming up and saying “I don’t normally like breakbeats but I love the first half of that album.” That’s when I know I’ve made a difference challenged the listener with new ideas.
SB: You have been wowing the country with your impressive live performances for the better part of the year – what made you decide to go in the directions of live performances? Do you feel it has been a natural progression from your DJ’ing and production skills?
NS: I did a couple of solo live sets a couple of years ago, but decided not to do it again on my own and would wait until I had more ideas for a show rather than just me on stage. Now that I have my “Universal Language” album and DVD and the concept of sound and visuals, I thought I would dust off the mixing desk and keyboard stands and get back on it again. The last few years of DJ’ing have definitely helped and I do feel it’s a natural progression. There’s certainly a lot more involved than just turning up with a box of records!
SB: Where do you feel the future of the dance scene lies? Do you think that more artists will play live? Is live production a part of the natural evolution of the scene?
NS: I know that BK and Paul Maddox are planning live sets so there’s two already. As a producer, it’s got so many more possibilities and it’s not just playing a set of other people’s material, it’s all your own tracks, so you need a back catalogue to draw on. As the scene and the producer’s in it develop, it’s something that will happen more and more. There is also an amazing software package called Ableton Live which we all use and is taking live electronic music to the next level. Truly revolutionary.
SB: Is the only way forward for artists within the dance scene to move into production as well? Are the two now intrinsically linked for good?
NS: I don’t think it’s the only way, some DJ’s like Eddie Halliwell have never been in a studio, but you have to have something pretty special about you as a DJ now to make it without productions. In most cases, people who produce will get booked as they will bring a unique flavour to the night with their own sound.
SB: Innovate is a new event that is going to be held at The Fridge in Brixton and has its debut night on 17th July - What is the ethos behind the party and what are the hopes and goals for the party in terms of what it can create and achieve?
NS: First and foremost, we want the clubbers to have a great night out and a lot of fun. It is also a night that is dedicated to showcasing producers and new talent that are committed to bringing new and fresh ideas to the scene as well as playing tracks that have inspired and that were innovative in their own time. It will also be orientated heavily towards live acts and performances. The goal is to create a club where the clubbers can hear upfront what the producers and Dj’s are creating and where they’re headed without having to wait weeks for pressing plants to print vinyl and some of their favourite classic tracks.
SB: With so many hard dance events on all over London at the moment what is it about Innovate that you think will offer something different to clubbers?
NS: The night will definitely have it’s own unique flavour as all of the DJ’s and producers know that this is about putting forward new ideas and pushing themselves creatively. Innovate will offer clubbers the chance to hear the latest upfront material from the top producers and live acts and also is on the hunt for new talent. This club is where the tracks that have just been finished in the studio that day and are hot onto CD will be road tested on an up-for-it crowd of party people.
SB: You have been one of the most in-demand DJ’s and producers on the scene for the last few years with promoters and events clamouring to get you on their line-ups, yet Innovate at the Fridge is your sole London residency – what was it about this event in particular that made you decide to accept a residency there?
NS: Firstly, the Fridge is my favourite venue in London at the moment and a lot of effort and time goes into the parties and productions that go on there. You can always expect a great night with pyrotechnics, dancers and spot on DJ’s, so when I was asked to be a resident I was excited by the prospect of being able to use this venue to do my live sets and DJ every month. There is also a great team of people at the venue and promoting the night so I’ll enjoy working with everyone a lot. The concept of the night is right for me as well. I know the aim here is for me to challenge myself creatively and artistically, and to try all the ideas I possibly can and I feel ready to take that sort of commitment on at the moment. Bring it on!
SB: Nearly all DJ’s who have played the Fridge since it has been re-opened have commented on the new sound system and the incredible attention to detail that the sound engineers and new owners have devoted to The Fridge. Have you played your live PA at the Fridge before? Will there be any changes to your performance for the venue? Any added extras or adaptations to take your environment into consideration when playing out?
NS: This will be the first time I’ve played live at the Fridge since it re-opened but we will be pulling out the stops with fire-jugglers, dancers, visual screens and pyrotechnics to fully put the venue through it’s paces.
SB: Being able to play out regularly in the same environment offers an artist a level of comfort not afforded at one off events or special performances. Do you feel that you can be more adventurous with a residency?
NS: The main thing I want is for the clubbers to have a great night out when they come and leave with a smile on their face and having loved the music. At the same time I’ll be trying out all my new ideas and having a good laugh at the same time.
SB: How do you feel your style will develop as a resident? Does knowing your environment and crowd afford more opportunity to experiment more with your style and where do you hope this could lead to?
NS: I’ll see where it leads, I hope it can be a club that the clubbers can rely on to have the night of their lives and see all their mates while enjoying the music so I’ll be playing all the music I think will create that. I’m not just going to stick my head down and go for it regardless of the crowd, just to try new ideas, but a combination of keeping it fresh while making sure the vibe is always about having fun.
SB: You used to be in a break beats band called Sentience prior to moving into dance music – listening to your more recent productions and watching your live shows you can hear some of this break beat influence in your work today – is this a conscious effort to bring in the musical influences you have experienced throughout your life?
NS: What I’m doing at the moment is writing whatever music I want to and just enjoying my studio work. I still love the energy of the hard dance clubs and still want to write for the scene, but the only way I’ll keep writing hard dance that I like is by incorporating other ideas into it, otherwise it will become formula based and stay the same. At the end of the day, I just love great music, anything that grabs my attention, whether hard dance, breakbeats, house, chill out or whatever, so that’s what I write. Some of it is suitable to play when I DJ and for clubs and other tracks are more just for listening to.
SB: Many would argue that a lot hard dance music is quite formulaic, yet you draw from a range of genres from break beats to trance to acid techno and can’t be so easily pinned down – Do you make a conscious effort to not repeat a style in terms of production?
NS: There is just so much music that I like and I started to get really into music when people like Leftfield and Prodigy were throwing out the rule book, so have always come from that school of thought. Good music is good music and if it does something for you then it’s working and that’s all it needs to do, regardless of it’s category.
Photos courtesy of Quality Trax
INNOVATE The launch Party
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On:
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Saturday 17th July 2004
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At:
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The Fridge [map]
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From:
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10 - 5
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Cost:
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£12 advance MOTD
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Ticket Info:
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£12 advance MOTD
www.ticketweb.co.uk
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Buy Online:
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Click here to buy tickets
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More:
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Innovate is a new night that is about to take dance music to that next level With Nick Sentience as our Resident he will be bringing you tunes direct from the studios direct to the dancefloor this event will run Every Third Saturday of every month
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Flyer:
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Other Features By Sharon B:
What's it all about? Alfie! - Getting Technikal with Alf Bamford
Heat UK presents....SW4!!! - Interview with Damian Gelle
Interview with TWIST promoter Steve Darragh
Interview with Ferry Corsten
Talking to a Legend - Interview with the world's Number 1 DJ - Tiësto
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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And a big well done to Nick 
See you on Saturday!!! 
