DJ Nikki Interview

One of London's Premier DJ's chats with Phatmag.com

Nicki: We're doing this show at the Cobdom Club on Tuesday

Phatmag: Is it a showcase or just a show?

Nicki: Don't know really

Phatmag: or kind of in between?

Nicki: Yeah I guess so and they've got this wicked guy playing guitar who used to play for the Lighthouse Family and he is so talented.

Phatmag: I can't believe you play the cello. You can't jut drop that and then move on to the next thing

Phatmag: You know what I mean....totally unexpected

Nicki: No but I went to music school from when I was seven so I'm like a classically trained piano and cello

Phatmag: oh you play the piano as well

Nicki: I play keyboards enough to be in the studio and know what key everythings in and stuff but chello I'm grade 8 so it's like I went through orchestras....

Phatmag: so you're pretty good?

Nicki: I'm alright but I haven't played professionally for a long time - I've been DJ'ing 'cos that's what I really love now. But this might combine both 'cos I'm scratching on like 4 tracks and then the 5th track I come out and I'm on the cello

Phatmag: So are you part of the group

Nicki: Sort of 'cos they've said to me they want me there...they want committment...like it's the two guys that are the main song writers and they've written everything but 'cos I've produced my own stuff and I've done remixes and stuff as well so....I've not written any of the songs so I couldn't say I'm part of the group like that but there's only 4 people that are included - me, the guitarist and the 2 main guys so yeah, the two of us have been brought in as part of the group

Phatmag: So you're playing both cello and scratching as well and DJ'ing. That's cool

Nicki: Yeah I've got my turntables - I'm scratching and then the 4th track I'm coming out and like playing chello on it so it's mad. But that's what I want to do with my music - produce hip hop but then play instruments and live instruments like a live bass

Phatmag: Will you be doing a lot of your own stuff or...

Nicki: Fingers crossed yeah. I just did a remix for somebody - a new Swedish artist for this geezer that used to manage Spice Girls actually and he's managing this new production team with a vocalist. They asked me to a mix for that. She's quite cool

Phatmag: Who's the Swedish girl

Nicki: I can't remember whether.... it's her name but I can't remember her name to be honest but I just a remix for them last week - I just got out the studio doing that. But me and my brother have got our own little production team - the two of us so what we wanna do is start doing more hip hop and r n' b but probably work with Americans as well. So yeah we're just working on our own stuff as well 'cos that's what I really want to do is bring out...like the Neptunes have done - produce other people but bring out my own music but it's bloody hard when you're DJ'ing as many nights as I do 'cos I'm a director of Hip Hop Connection as well

Phatmag: Hip Hop Connection the magazine?

Nicki: Yeah so I do that during the day and then go in the studio when I get some time off

Phatmag: How long have you been doing that

Nikci: I've been working with them since they were at Ministry and then they bought the magazine out themselves and I've been Director since Christmas so it's cool. It's good - it's hard work but it's good

Phatmag: So how do you manage to juggle that between your producing and you're....

Nicki: I don't sleep. I'm not even joking I'm an imsomiac really badly. Like I sleep probably about 4 hours a night and then wake up and need to get on with something. So I don't sleep

Phatmag: So you don't sleep and make loads of money

Nicki: No I wouldn't say I make loads of money but I'm alright. I've got expensive taste and I have to put a roof over my head so...I never rely on anyone else for that

Phatmag: Nicki, tell us about yourselve - where do come from? Who are you?

Nicki: I come from all over the place. I was Scottish originally and I've lived in Scotland then I lived in Hertfordshire and then I lived in London and I wouldn't say I've got any roots anywhere

Phatmag: When did you start DJing

Nicki: I started DJing....

Phatmag: What's your love though...you're love of music 'cos I know what we hear you play

Nicki: My love of music is right across the board from Stevie Wonder, James Brown.... all the stuff my dad used to listen to like when I was a kid. I never listened to...like my cousins used to listen to Abba and that kind of music 'cos I'm a 70's child and I was into Stevie Wonder, James Brown..... my dad's a big jazz man so it's Ella Fitzgerald, a lot of the old jazz stuff so I guess that had an influence on what I was listening to and by the time I was 14 I was going to a lot of hip hop jams and going to a lot of rare groove things so from then....I just sort of started buying that kind of music from when I was 14 and then when I was 17 I decided to get decks and that's when i kind of moved from playing classical music into playing what I really wanted to play and that's when I started DJing 'cos I thought.... I done all my grades through classical music and I played in orchestras and I'd done loads of music training and that's when I thought this isn't for me anymore. This isn't the kind of music I want to play so I bought some decks and everyone laughed at me 'cos then - that was like 10 years ago. There was no girls doing it then and in a way, I wished I persued it properly then but that wasn't really thought of as a career 10 years ago.

Not a proper proper career. My parents would have been 'whay the f**k' but no they know it's a solid kind of job so yeah it took me a long time to get the confidence to get over the nevers and the....'cos it's still a boys game like even now and I remember when I used to play out people would unplugged the monitor and unplugged the desks and like really try to hold me off for ages. And you still see it going on in clubs. Like a lot of girl DJ's will tell you that guys will like stretch out their set and the next one will come on early and they've got a whole little system going on and that still happens. I think a lot of it is still really male dominated and the way I've got round that is by making my own nights with my business partner. Like we've done 57, we've done loads of partys like we done Missy party and we've done Guru party, Damages party, Kelis' party and we' ve just built up our contacts ourselves and like 'f**k you' basically

Phatmag: Are you a resident DJ of different clubs or each night....?

Nicki: My nights yeah....I do 57 Germain Street every Tuesday and we do this on Thursday's which is with Hip Hop Connection and then Saturday nights....

Phatmag: Oh tonight is inconjuction with Hip Hop Connection?

Nicki: Yeah that's why we've been getting so many afterpartys. Like Mos Def came last week and we've done Word Play with Slum Village and Guru's Jazzamatazz tour - we did the afterparty for and it's all through contacts with the the magazine as well. And then Saturday nights I was doing 10 Covent Garden but we've moved it to 10 Tokyo Joes now so I've got 3 weekly residencies and then I play for Ministry sometimes, Rotation, Femi and those guys on a Friday at Sub, I've played just about every club in the West End I think - China Whites, Cabaret, 10 Rooms...everywhere. Been quite busy.

Phatmag: Did it take you a long time to get where you are from....

Nicki: From professionally...yeah but I went to university and did a degree and I DJ'd through that

Phatmag: What did you do?

Nicki: Fine Art - paining and sculture

Phatmag: so you're a proper artist

Nicki: that's all I can do - I can't read or write. So I did that for 4 years and then I went and got a sensible job 'cos I needed to pay bills and stuff and then from that - working in media....'I'm not happy, I'm not happy' - I wanted to work in music so I did that and my day job like DJ'd - built up my own nights and then about a year and a half ago I think, I turned professional completely. I think it's only been about 2 years properly since I've been pushing my DJing again that's it's all kicked off but I've done like so much in that time. Like it seems mad. It doesn't seem as though I've done anything else

Phatmag: Where did you study?

Nicki: Surrey Institute down in Farnham which was like the most boring place in the world and I just spent my whole time getting pissed and going clubbing basically and I was always in London and always out like with DJ's. I was a lot on the US soulful house - I was really into that so I used to go Hip Hop, R 'n B and soulful house. I've got to say a lot of musically influences come from Masters @ Work and those guys - watching them DJ. 'Cos Kenny Gonsalaz is like a really hip hop head but then he plays wicked beats and they can do 4 desks mixing between them. Like I've never seen anyone work like that before so I used to go and watch those guys a lot and they're album....like if you listen to New Norecan soul - have you heard that albulm? That's like a mile stone for me 'cos it's got Hip Hop, it's got Salsa, it's got House, it's got Roy Ayres, it's got everything on there so I would say that encompasses musicsal influences for me - they're kind of sound

Phatmag: Are you looking to eventually give up DJing and concentrate on production

Nicki: Well not for another 15, 20 years until I'm like Quincy Jones' age and I've stopped going out to clubs because I'd be too sad but no I don't want to give up DJing 'cos that's where you get a feel for what's working in clubs. I think if you can DJ really well and produce as well then you're gonna know what's going on do you know what I mean? You know, up to minute and know what's going on on the dance floor. Like to me at the moment, the Neptunes are killing it and that's what's doing really well in clubs and...

Phatmag: But don't you find the Neptunes stuff to be a biit samey though?

Nicki: It is but it's like Premier. Premier's stuff has been the same for yeears and he openly admits that he's got a formular and he sticks to it....I think Dark Child, he's got a formular - they all do have their formulars but at the moment I would say Neptunes are just killing it right across the board - they've tracks on every single artists album and maybe next year they might dry up but they'll probably find a new formular and move on.

Phatmag: Another thing I wanted to know....apart from this band that you're working with are you doing any other things musically in terms of apart from DJing

Nicki: Me and my brother are doing our production and we're gonna be working on tracks and hopefully get signed to someone. I haven't really let anyone hear our finished stuff because it scopes right from Hip Hop beats to Drum 'n Bass to Jazz - it's a real mixture. It's more British because our influences are a bit of everything and he used to DJ Drum 'n Bass and he's only young - he's like 21 but he's been DJing since he was 12 so he went through the Drum 'n Bass thing and I was like Hip Hop, US House - buying all those records right from back in the day. So yeah that's what we want to do is produce and get our own stuff out but it would be nice to get some more remixes as well

Phatmag: Have you bee approached by any record companies, A&R....

Nicki: People keep talking to me about it...

Phatmag: Anything interesting

Nicki: Yeah quite a few. I wouldn't like to name any names

Phatmag: Why not?

Nicki: What for me to do A&R? No I don't want to do A&R

Phatmag: Has anyone asked you to. Has anyone invited you into a record company....

Phatmag: 'Cos you are a hot DJ

Nick: I don't really want to do that. It's like radio. I've bee offered deals to do radio but right now, I'm too busy to give it my time properly and for me to go and work with a record company and be on the other side, I want to be signed as a producer than to and work in A&R - that's not for me. I'd be bored rijid doing that. I want to be in the studio because I'm a musician really and see DJing as an extension of that and that's what's putting me in the spotlight at the moment in the clubs and stuff but no I don't really want to do A&R. Not really.

Phatmag: Do you DJ around Europe or is it mainly UK

Nicki: At the moment it's mostly UK but purely because I haven't got time to go away. And if I do go, we're gonna go and do some partys in Ibiza this Summer - me and my business partner and do like some really nice bar out there

Phatmag: When are you going?

Nicki: End of July, end of August, end of September so we're gonna do 1 a month which should be wicked. But for me personally I don't want to particullarly want to go to Europe - I want to go to the States because that's wehere a lot of my friends are in New York and all the artists that come over here, they're like 'oh my God, you've got to come over'. Like I've met so many managers of 57 coming down to my club and a lot of artsist. All the American's seem to like me for some reason

Phatmag: So how soon are you thinking of doing it - going to the States?

Nicki: I'll probablly go and come back, go and come back and I've got a lot of friends I can go and stay with

Phatmag: Will you be organising nights or just be going there...

Nicki: Yeah probably, because I know a few people in clubs as well. I might take Liz my business partner and say we wanna come and do a night and just get our friends out there to come down and create a vibe between us

Phatmag: Like a private night

Nicki: Yeah probably something like what we do at 57. Maybe a one off and hopefully do it like every couple of months but it's very difficult when you've got so much going on here because you don't want to loose it here and go over there and spread yourself too thin because in a way, through our success at 57, I've met so many more people than I probably would if I'd just gone cold out to the States and said 'yeah I can DJ' 'cos people are like 'yeah shut up'

Phatmag: Do you know Emma Feline

Nicki: No I don't know her

Phatmag: Have you heard of her

Nicki: Yeah I've heard of her yeah. She's a garage DJ isn't she. I've never met her I don't think. I've met Ladies First - they're garage DJ's as well. There's quite a few of them

Phatmag: We did an interview with her and she's done a little tour of the States a couple of months ago

Nicki: Are they feeling garage because they're not sure about it are they

Phatmag: Well she seems to have a few clubs hooked up in like Washington, New York, Florida, Texas so it seems like they're feeling it. And I think it sounds like they've got they're own little scene there

Nicki: It's a bit Miami Bass'ish isn't it so they kind of understand it a bit

Phatmag: But they've got they're own little scene there. You know you have a couple of people that are a bit more broad minded and know what's going on outside of the US so they've got they're own little movement and I guess she knows people there so they keep her invited to come over. But yeah she goes down well so I'm sure you'd definately go down well

Nicki: Yeah. Ideally I should get an American Manager but I've always steered away from management because half the time you know more people than they do, you work harder than they do and it's like you have to spoon feed them all the time

Phatmag: What's the most amazing place you've ever played?

Nicki: I don't really get impressed by anywhere that I play to be honest

Phatmag: Wha'ts the biggest venue you've played - the most people?

Nicki: I don't know - maybe a 1000

Phatmag: Hip Hop?

Nicki: Yeah. Because I've been in London mostly a lot of the venues are really that big....I must say, I really like playing Subterrania still on a Friday

Phatmag: Why?

Nicki: Because I can play loads of Hip Hop even though they don't want me to play Hip Hop (don't put that in because they'll be pissed off)...but they always say to me, 'don't go too hard core' but my nature is.....

Phatmag: But it's a Friday - it's a Hop Hop night

Nicki: But it's not really. They want to play R n' B.....they want to filter out all the badness but you can't really put that in because they'll get really pissed off with me - but for me personally, I prefer to play Hip Hop and I prefer to play harder but unfortunately a lot of places like this, people still want to hear all the hits and you end up having to play the top 5 top tunes

Phatmag: Can I ask you a question? Did you hear about Tim Westwood and Radio One not performing at the Carnival

Nicki: No

Phatmag: The BBC have band Radio One because of the violence that happened last year

Nicki: At the Hip Hop stand

Phatmag: It was pretty bad actually....because that kind of reflects on the kind of music you want to play. How do you feel about that

Nicki: I find it really sad but I guess there's violence at Ragga does, there's violence at Garage does, therte's violence everywhere now. That's a lot to do with drink. A lot of violence in clubs that I've seen is to do with coke - too much cochaine. I find it really sad - I don't even drink

Phatmag: Have you seen any?

Nicki: Yeah I've seen loads. God over the last 10 years of clubbing and DJing and the last two years even, me going out as a woman on my own, I've seen loads. Loads of stuff kick up

Phatmag: Does it scare you

Nicki: Well it's not nice is it but you just end up just kind of...not getting used to it but you just have to deal with the situation but I do think a lot of it is fueled by drugs. It's like football matches - like they it's fueled by alchohol and some people just like fighting. I've had a few punch ups you know what I mean.

Phatmag: I don't believe that!

Nicki: I used to have a really bad temper but I'm trying to calm it down now because I know it's not a good thing....I'm getting older and maturing....but the whole violence thing - I didn't even know about that Radio One. It's sad.

Phatmag: Do you feel as though sometimes the music you play can insite a crowed?

Nicki: I remember once when I played 'Ante It Up' MOP and it kicked off - I was like ahhh 'sh**t' but some R 'n B on but for me it's really difficult to know becuase obviously a lot of the messages in Hip Hop are violence and thugged but.....I don't know. I guess it could insite violence I really hope it doesn't but if someone is violent, they're gonna be violent anyway

Phatmag: Be honest - if you're in a club and you're playing certain tracks and you see it getting a bit rowdy, do you get excited and play another one to keep that contention going

Nicki: No I don't. I try and bring it down. I try and do my set so I bring it up to a certain level then play maybe and R 'n B record and then bring it down a little bit then bring down a bit more and then bring it up again 'cos you can't have just rowdy, rowdy, rowdy and also if it was up to me, I'd probably be playing for men all night but you can't just do that 'cos I'm more in to Hip Hop and that's more of a mans thing but I have to play for girls as well so I have to kind of balance it with softer tunes as well. But no it doesn't excite me to think they're gonna get really wild and start jumping up and down and have a fight. That's not good is it.

Phatmag: On the flip side which are the clubs where you find the crowd to be really warm - so not necessarily negative but more positive vibe and everybody having fun and enjoying themselves

Nicki: 57's like that on a good night. Sometimes there's a lot of people in there that shouldn't get in there but on a good night it's wicked. A lot of the times though you do control the vibe

Phatmag: How many partys have you done?

Nicki: I've done loads. I'd have to look it up on my CV to see how many we've done now. There's been so much. I've done fashion shows, I've done Elle Style Awards, I've done Heat magazine charity award, I've done football celebrity party, I've done stuff for sickle cell anaemia, I've done the Stroke Association Celebrity events - loads.

Phatmag: So your favourite club that you look forward to playing at

Nicki: 57 I love....I've done something for someone recently and had real fun but 10 Covent Garden that I've been doing on Saturday's - it's called Blonde Afro and I do that with 2 other girls. That's the most fun that I've had recently 'cos I've played old school - I've played Soul II Soul, I've played Fair Play and then Cameo and then the next minute I've played Jay-Z. We play right across the board just that's been wicked recently and I look forward to that every week

Phatmag: So what's the future Nicki

Nicki: Keep working. Keep working consistently. Make some money. Make some music I'm really proud of - something that will outlast me

Phatmag: When are you going to make that big jump

Nicki: Well I'm giving myself the next few months to get lots of tracks done basically and I want to see the next year as my time to do the music and see how it goes with all the other projects I'm involved with