DCist Interview Update: The Foreign Exchange

Is being on the road as much as you have been a negative?
N: Touring is a prerequisite of being successful. The album was very well received but, in large part, the shows kept that fire burning. You get to see the people who love your music.

Nicolay, you've put out several non-Foreign Exchange albums, including your latest, City Lights Vol. 2: Shibuya. Do you prepare differently for your group projects than your solo releases?
Foreign Exchange is the biggest thing that I do. I rep that first and foremost. I might do something more experimental than I would with a group, but my method of working is basically the same.

Seeing that you included it in the title of the album, what is the significance of Shibuya to you?
N: The significance to me, as a companion piece to Leave It All Behind, the subject matter is very similar. Both albums have a lot to do with freedom. I went to the district of Shibuya in Tokyo in 2006 and it had an effect on me. It reinvigorated me as an artist. City Lights Vol. 2 is more of an instrumental expression than a vocal expression.

And Phonte, even though it was primarily an instrumental album, you arranged the vocals and wrote some of the tracks. What was that process like?
In doing this, I wanted to make sure that it all felt natural and fell in line with Nic's vision for the album. In deciding to make Carlitta (Durand) a part of it, I wanted her to be the narrator to guide people through the album. Just like the Connected (the first Foreign Exchange album) was a lot different from Leave It All Behind, we knew that the first City Lights would be a whole different can of paint when compared to City Lights 2. In order to help listeners make that transition, my idea was to add Carlitta for a few songs as a tour guide through Shibuya. If City Lights 1 was the first thing you ever heard of Nicolay and you then jump into City Lights 2, it is like you're going to a city that you've never been to before. It doesn't sound like the albums were done by the same people. Even though this is different from anything we've done before, there are common threads that run through all the projects.

This issue came up in our previous conversation, but is the aim of your projects to defy the previous notions people have of you all every time you put out an album?
N: I think for us, when we work together we don't want to do the same thing twice. I could easily do three more City Lights albums with hip-hop beats, but what's the point? I've already done it. The only given there is with us is that each new chapter is going to be different from what we've done in the past.

P: We don't necessarily do things to shape people's perceptions of us. It's more us doing what we feel. You can't really look to the crowd to tell you where to go artistically. Fans are going to tell you what they want and they're going to tell you what they'd like to hear you do but you can't really listen to that. You can take things into consideration and sometimes fans give you good ideas. It's always good to hear fans out and hear their frustrations but from an artistic side, you can't cater to their every whim. You have to find your own creative energy and hope the fans follow you. They have to follow you, you can't follow them. If you follow them, you're a fuckin' prostitute.

So do you feel as though some fans have been trying to lead you down a road of prostitution?
P: Surprisingly, the response to Leave It All Behind has been incredibly good. The biggest thing has been people saying, "I wasn't expecting this but I'm glad I got it. I can't front, this shit is dope." As long as they can say that, as long as people are willing to give it a fair chance and listen, I think we've don our job. You'll always lose some fans. They'll say, "I just wanted you to rhyme on this," but you have to write that off and expect that to come. The album has opened us up to a whole new audience and it's been a blessing.

N: In the beginning there were some hesitation (among fans) about our new direction but now we really don't hear that anymore. The new fans are very much in love with Leave It All Behind. It's been really interesting how the perception has changed from the release of the album.

Given that you've been promoting the Foreign Exchange album for nearly a year now, do you have any other projects that will be breaking out soon?
P: Definitely. Nic and I have expanded the Foreign Exchange brand to incorporate a lot more stuff. With our Foreign Exchange Music imprint, we've incorporated more acts into the fold. In the next year to really push Zo!'s and Carlitta Durand's upcoming albums. Nic and I will be involved with those projects. In building a movement, the movement has to be bigger than the (primary) artist. The Juice Crew wasn't just Big Daddy Kane. It was Kane, (Kool) G. Rap, Marley Marl, it was a whole family. And that, in turn, serves to make everyone else bigger. Our plan for the next year is to get Zo!'s album, Sunstorm, out, get Carlitta's album out, keep working City Lights and pushing that on tour, doing work on my solo record and also working on another Foreign Exchange album. There's a lot more music coming down the pipeline. We stay working.

N: It seems like we've never really stopped working. Phonte has been dropping projects every year since 2002. For me, it's been that way since 2004. We've really been putting a lot of ourselves into these albums. An album is 45 minutes of music and that's not a little to do. At this point, I'm excited not having to do an album presently. It's a different kind of pressure. I'm enjoying doing remixes and individual tracks. I know, though, that I'll be itching to do an album soon.

Speaking of Zo!, are both of you contributing to that album?
P: I'm writing songs for it and I'm on it a few times. We're finishing up on his "...Just Visiting Too" album. We're distributing it through our Foreign Exchange Music banner. I'm on it, Carlitta's on it, YahZarah's on it, Darien Brockington's on it. It's a family affair.

The Foreign Exchange will be performing on the Black Cat's mainstage Sunday along with Zo! and the ELs, YahZarah, Carlitta Durand, Darien Brockington and Rapper Big Pooh. $20, 8:30 p.m.