Anthony Nicholson Interview
ANTHONY: Clairaudience is a label that I own in part with my friend in New York named Samir. It's been around for at least 15 years. It's a real special label because it's not a label to really to make money. It's just one of those labels that you think is dead and then it comes back every once in a while.
Circular Motion was started with the hope of rejuvenating some different music. I kinda developed it with Chicago in mind, but it ended up being more of just a label for me to put out some of my own stuff. So I'm not closed to the idea of someone submitting anything. It's like, in this day and age of the digital download - you know - you're sort of a one man operation.
Infinite Audio is another label that was created with the intention of releasing music that wouldn't necessarily be defined by a certain style - just something free-form.
Clairaudience is an established label. It's been around for a while, but my two other labels, they're just an outlet for me to just really get out some diverse music.
5: I know that you also go by Miquifaye. Can you talk about that?
ANTHONY: It's just a production name that I go under sometimes because I'm always self-conscious about putting anything out under the name Anthony Nicholson.
5: Why is that?!
ANTHONY: Miquifaye can act like a buffer between introducing me and can make it sound really freaky and can get people talking.
5: How did you come up with that name?
ANTHONY: Actually, it's not real deep. People think it's like a voodoo name or something. Actually, my wife's name is Michelle. My son's name is Quincy.My daughter's name is Faizah. So, I called it Miquifaye.
5: Awhhh... that's so cute.
ANTHONY: It's corny... but it's cool.
5: So, what's coming up for you in the near future?
ANTHONY: I have an album coming out on Deep Soul Records based out of England called Life, Rhythms & Lessons. I just released an album that I produced for a local jazz artist by the name of Hudson and the name of the album is Hudson. My son worked on the album as well. I have another album project coming out to be released digitally. It's a collaboration with another musician... And I'm producing an album with another Chicago artist by the name of William Kurk.
5: I know William Kurk from back in the day when I dabbled in the breakdance community here in Chicago.
ANTHONY: He's a talented brother. He's a breath of fresh air. So he wasn't lying about being able to break?
5: No, not at all!
ANTHONY: He's like my right hand man.
5: I really like your track "Ahh Sabu". How did you come up with that?
ANTHONY: Sabu was a famous percussionist. I was just really inspired by the chanting in the music and a friend of mine, a production partner, we were messing around with some chords and stuff like that, some drum programming, and we were making a song in a real frantic pace. We were working it and working it - sort of experimenting - and next thing you know, we were pretty much finished.
5: You seem to use a lot of African beats within your music. Do you ever incorporate music from any other cultures?
ANTHONY: I don't know, I never really noticed all this ethnic inspiration in my music. I don't know if I ever set out to make music Afro-ific or even include a strong presence of ethnicity. It's probably just that when you're programming drums or programming rhythms, you have your traditional African pattern going on or a traditional Latin rhythm, but I don't know if I consciously ever incorporate any into the music. I think it's just more of natural thing, just growing up around those elements and they become a part of you. That's all.
5: I read that you don't like to always classify yourself as strictly House.
ANTHONY: I don't like to classify myself as House at all. No disrespect to House Music. I don't have a problem with House Music. I just don't want to say at this point that I'm a House Music producer or a House Music DJ because I've never really embraced the concept of House Music.
I find it strange that my music is always being classified as House, but at the same time House is being played all over the world. I feel like if you're the one playing it, you can call it whatever you want to.
I never really set out to make House Music. Even my first attempts to make music, I thought I was making "dance music", but people were calling it "club music". When I was in high school, I was going to parties and stuff like that. We didn't call it House Music. I didn't know anything about House until my records were coming out and had "House" in the titles.
It's funny when you're in a situation - it's like you're in a movie and as far as you know, the movie has no name. You step outside the movie, and they're all calling it something. So, it's like - that ain't no damn movie, that's my life!
I don't know, I guess I'm not a House Music member. I say that out of respect for House Music. I would never want to come off as being a House pioneer.
I just don't get it. Where I come from, we didn't have to call it anything. It's like now, it's more of a big thing to define something than to actually experience it. Music is bigger than some clique-ish thing. I look at music as a gift. I can't really define what my style of music is. There would have to have been some retribution from me to claim, early on, ownership or affiliation.
5: What are your thoughts about Chicago being the birthplace of House?
ANTHONY: Chicago is definitely the birthplace of House, but Chicago is also lacking in the progression of House. Chicago created it, but New York and Europe took it to the next level. At the same time, Chicago has a thriving party scene. There's just no industry here.
5: So, what do you think needs to happen for Chicago to take House to the next level like, as you say, New York and Europe?
ANTHONY: Chicago would have to start supporting its artists. Chicago is really caught up in celebrating and holding onto the past. Some producers are not getting anywhere near the type of recognition that some of the past (producers/DJs) have experienced.
Over the years, House Music has had very limited resources - sort of primitive tools. It's been on the cutting edge for years, but at the same time there's really no support for the producers who have made great music forever, like Glenn Underground, Ron Trent, Mark Grant.
5: In wrapping up, what would you say then to the House community here in Chicago?
ANTHONY: Be a little more open-minded to programming and DJs. Break out more. Art is not a straight line. There are bumps and twists and turns. Don't be afraid to dive into different aspects of the art of music.
You can check out more from Anthony Nicholson by visiting myspace.com/miquifaye1sbcglobalnet.
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