Anthony Nicholson Interview

by Laurie Canning | Published August 2007 | Features Archives

SINCE THE EARLY 1990s, DJ, producer, and collaborator Anthony Nicholson has been blowing up the underground airwaves with his dance music while doing what he does best - producing and spinning. With hit tracks like "Dance Anthology" (Peacefrog Records), "Don't Stop" (Circular Motion), "Dirty Soul" (Trackmode), "The Alter Ego" (Clairaudience) and "Twisted Energy" (Nite Grooves), as well as owning a trifecta of record labels, Anthony has come to be one of the most well-respected music gurus of this generation. As he continues to hold down his residency at Sonotheque's Inner Sound System (1440 W. Chicago, 1st Saturday of every month), his music is constantly being played and sought after by others.

Born right here in Chi-Town, Anthony proudly brings his staunch views and beliefs about music, life, and art from Chicago to Europe, from the turntables to the studio and everywhere in between. He constantly keeps his family at the forefront of it all, and never looks to the future or the past, simply staying in the present.

I had the pleasure of speaking with the colorfully articulate Anthony Nicholson as he revealed his strong opinions on DJing, producing, his labels, and what House Music really means to him.

ANTHONY NICHOLSON: Oh yeah, you're the bogus one. I bet you wanted me to say "Nah, nah!" - but you're bogus.

5: What neighborhood did you grow up in and how did you start DJing?

ANTHONY: I grew up on the Southside in the Washington Park neighborhood. I kinda got into DJing probably around 15 years old. There was a field house in the summertime - older guys would DJ and bring out their big systems, and I just started hanging out with those guys and got into it.

5: Who do you give credit to for helping you start your career?

ANTHONY: For helping me start my career? Me. I give myself credit for starting my career. I give my wife credit for being supportive, and my family. There are people that inspired me, but I'm not going to give anybody credit.

5: Do you remember the first party that you played at that you got paid?

ANTHONY: The first party that I ever got paid at - it was actually a fashion show. That was my first paying job, DJing. It was a series of fashion shows that were paying gigs. One was at a loft on Michigan Avenue. It was for one of the top black lifestyle magazines at the time. It was fun. I was 17 or 18, but I don't want to talk about how long ago that was because then it makes me feel old!

5: Do you remember the first record of yours that you heard someone else play?

ANTHONY: It probably was a record I put out on Movin Records called "Thrill Me," and I think the first person I heard play it - the first time I heard it out - Andre Hatchett played it. Yeah, that was the first time I heard one of my records in a big club.

5: How did it feel?

ANTHONY: I felt pretty good. I felt a sense of pride, but I wasn't too comfortable. Putting out my first record, I still had a lot of work to do and a lot more stuff to learn about producing music. I was happy that it was being played, but in the same sense I was insecure about my music. I'm probably just getting comfortable with the music I put out.

5: Just getting comfortable now?

ANTHONY: Yeah, and that was in 1991. This past year I started to get comfortable with my music and started accepting it.

5: When did you make the transition from just DJing to producing?

ANTHONY: From 15 to 22 years old, I was just doing recreational stuff and then I started working with Ron Trent, and I got more serious and started experiencing more stuff.

5: Talk me through your process of creating music.

ANTHONY: It's hard to say because it's different every time. You know, you'll be messing around with the keyboard or just playing around with some drums or working with some virtual drum machines or stuff like that. It varies. It's never the same thing every time.

It's like if I hear something really interesting and it grabs my attention - I have a really short attention span - sometimes I'll just do it over and over or do it enough to just put it on my computer. I work with very good quality musicians, and I'll bring them in, and we'll go through the ideas, and we'll sit down and talk about the possibilities and compose parts of the song. Sometimes it's like a real collaboration and sometimes it's like I'm being a control freak for the whole thing. And, sometimes I'll just play off stuff myself, particularly if it's something I feel can be manipulated in a way where people won't focus on my bad keyboard playing.

5: Have you ever used a live band or live musicians when you were DJing?

ANTHONY: I've DJed with various live elements: live percussionist, live horn player, but I don't think I've ever DJed with a whole band. That would be very frustrating - for the band and for me.

5: So, you've been DJing for Inner Sound System at Sonotheque for three years now...

ANTHONY: I know I've been DJing at Sonotheque for at least four or five years - for as long as they've been open, I've been DJing there. But for the Inner Sound System, yeah, that's been about three years.

5: That's a long time to have something regularly for any type of genre, but especially in House Music. That must be something you're really proud of. Do you anticipate it lasting for another three years?

ANTHONY: I think I always take everything one day at a time. I wish it would last three more years, but then again maybe after three more years that could be the worst thing to happen to me. I believe that every good thing comes to an end. I would really like to look back and at least have something to feel good about. I don't think about how long it's being going on. I don't think about how long it possibly can go on. It's a situation where I just deal with the now. Tomorrow is not now. Now is now.

5: Can you tell me about your three labels - Clairaudience, Circular Motion, and Infinite Audio and how they differ from one another?

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