DCist Interview: The Foreign Exchange
The internet age has brought people from all over the world together. Perfect examples of this are rapper/singer/comedian Phonte of the Durham, North Carolina-based hip-hop group Little Brother, and Nicolay, a Dutch-born producer. After posting several beats on the music-oriented Okayplayer site, Nicolay found himself getting a message from Phonte, who'd turned heads on his group's debut album, The Listening, praising his skills. Shortly thereafter, the two were exchanging vocal and music tracks electronically, a practice they continued for roughly a year and a half. The end products were the formation of The Foreign Exchange and the well-received album, Connected, in 2004.
Since then, both have put out several projects and, in 2006, Nicolay left the Netherlands to settle in Wilmington, North Carolina. Now, with only about 150 miles between them as opposed to a few thousand, the duo has dropped what's being widely heralded as one of the best albums of the year, Leave It All Behind. At points dark and moody but overall uplifting, the release serves as a challenge to hip-hop heads whose narrow construction of the genre or the possibilities within it ultimately limit their ability to enjoy out right quality. Not to mention, it features three D.C. artists, including Three Stars alumni Muhsinah and Zo!, as well as YahZarah.
DCist caught up with the men behind the music as they prepared for their appearance at the Black Cat on Sunday.
Nicolay, hip-hop fans tend to know about Phonte and what he's done with Little Brother, but less is known about how you got started. What were you doing prior to the first Foreign Exchange album, Connected?
Nicolay: Working a day job mainly. I’ve always been a musician playing in bands but there was a moment when I didn’t see it going anywhere so I focused on paying my rent. I started doing music at night by just making beats. That’s what I was doing when I posting beats on Okayplayer in 2001. Phonte heard some of the first ones and was really feeling them. I was honored. A couple weeks after that, I received the first (vocal) tracks and we’ve pretty much been recording ever since.
Phonte: I couldn’t believe that he wasn’t a millionaire yet. He should've been doing tracks for Janet Jackson. I knew I had to work with him.
Phonte, were you trying to do something different post-The Listening?
Phonte: I don’t think it was me wanting to do something different. I was just trying to deal with whoever was making good music. When I heard his stuff, it just felt natural.
What were you trying to accomplish with Connected?
Nicolay: I was just trying to make music that I would like to listen to. I’ve always had that approach. We didn’t have a clear goal. We just were enjoying that we had chemistry and were doing this really cool thing.
How long did it take to make that album?
Nicolay: It took about a year and a half. We worked on it in stages because Phonte was touring with Little Brother.
Phonte: We took it one song at a time. Nic would do a song and I’d hear it. I’d do my thing over it. He might make adjustments. It was a back and forth effort.
Now we have the new album, Leave It All Behind. Musically, it seems like a departure from Connected and not only because Phonte sings on a majority of the album. Sonically, it gives a nod to Radiohead's Kid A or some of Zero 7's work. Was a concerted effort made to have this release be different?
Phonte: Part of it was a concerted effort. We knew we didn't want to rehash old shit like repeat Connected or make Nic's Groove 2. But as far as what the direction would be, that didn't happen until we started doing the songs.
Nicolay: To me, we didn't want to do the same thing twice. For me, it was putting down musical sketches and sending them to Phonte and seeing what he thought of them. Over the course of a year and a half period we went with the flow. We knew early on that we were going to do something we aspired to do and at the same time enjoy the ride while not think about it much.
Phonte, we've heard you singing on Zo! and Tigallo Love The '80s as well as the new Jazzanova album. Was there a point at which you determined you wanted to be considered more of a serious singer than what you were doing with your character, Percy Miracles?
Phonte: The Percy Miracles stuff was me just having fun. But it got to the point I had to stop hiding behind the comic elements of it. I never really took myself seriously when it came to singing until I started getting props from singers and producers I really liked. Then I thought, "Ok, maybe I should be a little bit more serious (about singing)." Over the past year, I've started doing more of it. Leave It All Behind is a culmination of that journey of me accepting my singing voice.
Nicolay, how did you go about creating Leave It All Behind's sound?
Nicolay: As much as Phonte was developing himself as a singer and songwriter, I was developing myself as a composer and arranger instead of just a beatmaker. I used a lot of instrumentation and as a result I think the album has a lot of layers. It's not a long record but the music is dense.
Marc Mac of 4hero provided some assistance to you all on this album. How did this relationship develop and did he help shape the the album's sound at all?
Phonte: Marc's a personal hero of mine. I met him in London and I was in total fanboy mode. I did the "Give In" track with Darien Brockington off of the last 4hero album. After that, we kept building and sending each other more music. I sent him the Stevie Wonder cover I was doing ("If She Breaks Your Heart") for the album and he said he'd do strings for it. That just took it over the top for me.
Nicolay: Having Marc involved was a really humbling experience. Coming in contact with people you admire and consider to be teachers is one of the perks of doing music that I love most.
What was the idea behind the "Daykeeper" video? Did you all develop the concept?
Phonte: We wanted to create a visual that fit the dream aspect of the song. One of the themes of the song was about addiction not being a one way street. If someone is addicted to something, the people helping them get better can become addicted to that feeling of being needed. The video showed how that cycle of addiction always perpetuates itself.
Leave It All Behind is on our D.C. album of the year honorable mention list because there are three artists from here on it: Zo!, Muhsinah, and YahZarah. We've talked to Zo! and Muhsinah about how Phonte reached out to them. Why, though, were you all drawn to them and why did you include them on this project?
Phonte: All the people I reach out to are people who I'm a fan of. In the case of Muhsinah, I was wondering why is she not on? Zo! I got up on because of some Little Brother remixes he did. I heard his playing and I thought he was amazing. I like working with people who make me work harder. In the end it makes the music better.
Nicolay: All three of the D.C. artists bring unique personalities that help add that extra spice. Muhsinah definitely added her flavor by adding more grit as she did on "Daykeeper" and YahZarah by representing a lighter side.
What can people expect at a Foreign Exchange show?
Nicolay: An utter spectacle. We really don't know what to expect. We jump in the deep end and see how long we can swim for. That's what makes it exciting for us. We want to translate the music to the stage and get in touch with people who bought the record and enjoy the new stuff.
Phonte, are you going to be as dapper as you were during your last D.C. appearance at Busboys and Poets?
Phonte: Hell yeah. The suits are back! I'm going to be pretty. With Little Brother and a hip-hop crowd, you know you're going to be jumping around and the volume is going to be up to ten. But with this, it's a little bit more of a chill experience. The suits will be in full effect. We'll be looking good, smelling good, and singing good. It's going to be a good time.
Looking forward, what are the plans for The Foreign Exchange and for you all as individuals?
Nicolay: There might be another project in 2009 but right now I'm putting all my eggs in this basket to make sure this record reaches as many people as possible.
Phonte: As a unit, I already have tracks with Nicolay that might be used for one of his next albums or we might save it for the next Foreign Exchange album. I'll probably have another project out at the bottom of next year. My goal is to spend a solid year marketing and promoting this record and then come with something new. But now, I'm focused on making this record all that it can be.
The Foreign Exchange will be performing at the Black Cat this Sunday. They'll be joined on stage by Muhsinah, YahZarah, and Zo!. Also, London by-way-of New Zealand musician Mark de Clive-Lowe will be the opening act along with singer Lady Alma. $18, 8 p.m.