Nik Fish - The Black Album
Nik Fish, a man who needs no introduction to readers of 3D, talks to the mag about his new CD, Black.
The new Black CD is out now, and it’s promising to take no prisoners. What did you have in mind when you were putting this mix together-
I’m known for playing hard dance music and right now I’m totally embracing hardstyle, which for the uninitiated is kind of like a mash-up of slowed down hardcore and hard trance and originates predominantly from Europe, mainly Holland. Hardstyle is huge in Australia as well. The mix I did for the CD features a range of this sound from more commercial to underground and this is reflected across two discs. There’s nothing else out in the Australian market that sounds like this at the moment.
You’ve been behind the decks for almost 20 years now – what keeps it interesting for you-
The music keeps it alive for me, I don’t think there’s a moment in my day when I’m not listening to something at my home office or in my car, and not just dance music either. I hate silence – music can really set a mood! I travel extensively all around Australia, which keeps me interested as well.
How do you feel about all the young DJs flooding the scene, who’ve never even held a vinyl, getting gigs just from a laptop mix tape and mp3s from the web-
I think it’s fantastic – technology is awesome. There’s so many options now on how you can obtain music and deliver a set. I’m not a vinyl purist like I used to be, it’s hardly available anymore, anyway. I totally embrace all the formats available. For example, you can do so much more on a CD player than a vinyl turntable, like looping FX, reversing beats, sampling and more. If this technology was around 20 years ago I’d say most well-known DJs would’ve embraced it then as well. As a DJ I’m always hunting and looking for new sounds, gear, etc. More power to the new DJ generation!
You’re quite adamant about not giving into the trends of the moment or sacrificing what you love about dance music just to make a few quick dollars. Why so-
I’ve always developed my own direction musically, for example when electro became popular, I’d been listening to it at home for ages, I even bought tracks I liked, never really had an ambition to change my style and become an ‘electro’ DJ but I did try it out a few times but at then end of the day I didn’t feel comfortable playing it out publicly, even though it was extremely popular and I liked it. I signed up to a harder edged sound as a DJ and through the years it’s evolved. I think I’m good at the music I play as it feels so natural to me.
WHO: Nik Fish
WHAT: Black through Cybergroove / Stomp / Plays Transmission at Sydney Olympic Sports Centre
WHEN: Out now / Saturday 30 May
MORE: myspace.com/nikfish / transmission.net.au