We Get To Know Nasiika this week; the Sydney-based duo have just dropped their debut single ‘Time Is Running Out’, featuring the vocals of ‘The Voice’ starlet Mikaela Dean.
Both Elliot and David decided to have their say in our feature and their answers below are marked with either an ‘E’ or a ‘D’ below as a result.
1. Name : Nasiika.
2. Where are you based? Sydney.
3. How did you get your start in music? E : I’ve got a pretty musical family so I started on piano, learnt classical guitar from age five then picked up and studied classical double bass at age 10. Since then I’ve played as a session bassist on TV shows, tours and recordings.
D : I’ve been playing drums professionally for over 10 years. I have been doing sessions, touring and playing in bands, however none of it felt like it was mine. This year has been transitional and I decided to invest in getting my production chops up to make my own music and spend time write songs. This is how Nasiika was born.
4. Give us five words to describe you as a band. E : Fresh, Fun, Familiar, Foreign, Feel. D : Ambitious, Dance, Fresh, Adventurous, Modern.
5. Tell us a little bit about your sound and how it developed. D : Nasiika’s sound came about quite naturally. An artist’s sound is something that constantly develops but we knew we wanted to make people dance. The two of us started getting together and writing. With both of us being musicians, it all emerged seemlessly.
E : Pretty much what D said, we’ve been playing music together for a long time and this seemed like a natural progression for us. I feel like we’re always on a journey to find new sounds and fit them into a pop context.
6. Who have been your musical influences? E : The basis of my musicality comes from Bach, Beethoven, Dvorak, Saint-Saens. Composers like that. Later on it’s Chic, EW&F, Sister Sledge, Incognito, Daft Punk. Anything with its roots in disco, funk and soul.
D : I always find it hard to answer this question as everything I’ve listened to has been an influence on me in some way. I’ve listened to so much music and different styles over my lifespan. Artists like Earth, Wind & Fire and Chic were early influences. Bob Marley, Michael Jackson, Prince… these guys made people dance. In a more contemporary setting, I grew up going to bush doofs and rave parties so I guess that culture rubbed off on me to some extent.
7. What are your favourite songs of all time? E : Probably ‘Lovely Day’ by Bill Withers. D : Wow. An even harder question. How can you make me choose!? I have a dirty secret… ‘Guilty’ by Barbara Streisand/Barry Gibb. Just because it’s such a great tune. The whole of Bob Marley’s discography is flawless as well. Didactic messages the whole world can learn from.
8. What were the first albums you each bought? E : I distinctly remember the first album that was gifted to me was ‘The Cat Empire’ by The Cat Empire, which is a great record. But one I bought myself, was probably the ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ single by Weezer. Amazing tune.
D : I’m pretty sure it was ‘Dookie’ by Greenday around 1996. My parents had a whole lot of classic albums from the ’70s and ’80s as well which I grew up on.
9. Give us a fun fact about yourselves that people might not know. E : Man, what don’t people know about other people these days. Uhh maybe that I broke and dislocated my pelvis in a major car rollover in the desert when I was 17.
D : D couldn’t think of one so I’ll answer for him. He’s actually a nice guy. That’s a fun fact that people might not know. (Laughs)
10. What would your chosen careers be if music wasn’t an option? E : Either living on the family farm… that’s not a career but it’s what I’d do. Or something hella business.
D : People ask me this all the time. I honestly don’t know. Maybe some farmer out in the middle of nowhere. Or just leave me on a desert island.
11. Whats the best advice you’ve ever been given in your careers? E : ‘you do you’. D : ‘Don’t stop dreaming’. Or ‘Don’t loose the groove to find the right note’.
https://soundcloud.com/nasiika/time-is-running-out-feat-mikaela-dean
12. Tell us about your latest release. We released ‘Time Is Running Out’ as our debut single. We felt the name and vibe of the tune was appropriate for our first release. The song is a catchy, full power house song featuring Mikaela Dean.
13. What do your future plans involve? E : Yeah hectic, time right? The future… just gonna keep making songs for us you know. Songs that sound good to us. Yeah also interstellar domination. D : The future. More songs. And take over the world.
14. Where can our audience catch you live? We’re organising our live show as we speak. It’s a big one. Lights, music, vibe. Probably not until early next year though.
WEBSITE : http://www.nasiika.com
FACEBOOK : https://www.facebook.com/nasiikabeats
SOUNDCLOUD : https://soundcloud.com/nasiika
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