This week Nelver released his first LP on our sisterlabel Celsius. To celebrate our 10 year anniversary with this dj we sat down and asked him about his latest release.
How are you doing? What have you been up to lately?
Hi guys, thnx for having me on board with this interview. Thank you, I`m fine. I have been doing a lot of music lately, as always actually. I have an online radio show “Proud Eagle”, which has been around for 7.5 years, I have my Celsius Recordings Podcasts which are updated monthly to the Souncloud page, and I am continously making music. I am deeply involved in all my projects, I give them a lot of attention and devotion ,so I am constantly busy with either radio and podcasts or making music, pretty much every day of the week.
When did the idea of making this album start? is it different from your EP’s?
The idea to record an album originated somewhere in mid-2018, and it started because I wanted to celebrate my 10 years of collaborating with Fokuz and Celsius Recordings in 2019. I have a lot of respect for the labelboss (Marco Grijsen), who has done a lot for me over the years. It was actually something that just had to happen sooner or later, and 2019 is the perfect year to celebrate. This album is different compared to all the previous EP’s because on this project we have been collaborating on a deeper and closer level than ever before, to try and make a strong tracklist that would best represent all my musical styles.
Can you talk about production techniques for this LP? Any production tips you’d like to point out?
All tracks have been created and recorded in Reason 5. This specific software tool has been my favorite for many years. I know its a little bit oldschool, but I have always loved making music with this. Somehow its seemed to best serve me for making my own signature sound. Now that I finalised this album, I am finally ready to get updated, and ready to start using Reason 10.
Any tracks in particular you want to talk about ? What was your favorite track to produce, and which song is the most special for you?
I find it very hard to judge my own tracks to be honest. I can’t really select any favorite track from this album. Each of these tracks has a special meaning to me, and each track represents a part of my soul. I just hope that I can touch the people out there with my music, and I hope that my followers can find something special in each of the songs on this album.
Who is your biggest inspiration for this LP and why?
As I said earlier – the main reason that I decided to record an album is my friendship and collaboration with Marco Grijsen, he has been a big inspiration for me. Other motivators around me are; the people I meet at events, outdoor nature in general inspires me a lot, the weather, the planet and just everything in life somehow triggers me to make more music… You need to be able to enjoy the little things in life and I celebrate life with my music.
Where should people tune in to hear more about Nelver.. (your mixes, any gigs coming?)
You can listen to my radio show “Proud Eagle” weekly, every Wednesday at 9 pm Moscow time on the website: http://radio.dropthebass.ru
Also every Thursday there is a replay of my radio show on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/Nelver
I’m always very active on the chat and comments, and I love to communicate with my listeners, to get involved and answer all their questions.
As for parties, I play regularly in Russia, and people can find me on lots of different events.. However for my european fans and followers its not so easy to catch me playing somewhere..From my Social Media feedback I understand there are a lot of people who would like to see me , so if anybody out there is wondering or thinking about how to get this arranged.. I would love to come over, lets make it happen.. you can reach me on my Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Nelvermusic
Any other plans for this year?
Yes, there are always plans! I am continuously working on new music. I am currently working on tracks for Galacy Records, it looks like I will have some new music on Liquicity Records soon, than there’s Offworld Recordings with whom I will be collaborating soon, and offcourse Rune Recordings for whom I am recording my 2nd breaks album.. So there is a lot of ideas in the pipeline and loads of music forthcoming.
How did you get involved in the drum n bass scene? Is it big where you are from?
I didn’t hit the drum and bass scene right away, and it has taken me quite some time to get involved at a deeper level. main reason being I was alone a lot of the time.. I was born and raised in a small provincial town in central Russia where drum and bass was not a very common thing. Therefore, I didn’t have many people around me with whom I could enjoy this music, and this is why it took me a bit longer before I fully discovered my joy and potential in this Drum & Bass music scene. Then I moved to a bigger city called Orel where I lived for almost 10 years.. Here is where I fully got in touch with D&B and this is where I developed myself into the person and Artist I am today.
What is your take on liquid drum n bass in Russia?
In Russia, the liquid drum and bass scene has been represented, but it is not as strong and refined as its currently shaping up in the UK or other European countries.
I have had the experience of observing attitudes towards musicians when I was playing at the Liquicity Festival in 2018, and I was amazed at how people where treating both famous, but also the very infamous artists who only just came into this scene. This has been insanely motivating. This to me, seems to be what is pushing and developing the scene outside of Russia to its biggest potential! I would love to come over and play more shows here; I feel that the people in western europe are more open to my tunes, and the subgenre is definately more popular here. Sometimes it’s pretty hard in Russia to get people enthousiastic for what I do. The response I get when I am here is therefore overwhelming and very welcome!
I want to express my deep gratitude to everyone who listens, buys and appreciates my music. You are my main motivation. Thank you Radicall and Fearbace for participating in the creation of my album. Thanks also to Marco Grijsen, as well as to all the guys who are involved in Fokuz and Celsius Recordings. It’s an honor to be part of your family.
See you,
Nelver
Green Colours is available now via Beatport & Spotify!
Buy: https://bit.ly/1X0tiOE
Stream: https://spoti.fi/2MlQWqv