FACES Podcast 06 w/ Nicolas vogler
Better late than never! We are glad to introduce you in a more intimate way to our last FACES’ guest. This 22 years old producer born and based in Londrina (Brazil) has a lot to offer to the techno scene at this moment. He’s being providing amazing tunes and dj tools through this whole pandemic, drawing the attention from big and respected names in Europe who have been playing his tracks all over the globe.
Fast, raw, 90s-like spicy sounds and textures, make from Nicolas productions a safe weapon to set any dance floor on fire. We had the opportunity to know a little more about him and hope this interview lets you open a window into Nicolas’ life for a while. In the meantime, why don’t you play the podcast he mixed for us? It’s full of bangers! Enjoy :)
I remember you were one of the first names I discovered at the beginning of the pandemic... I could tell you were pushing hard. It’s been almost two years now, how do you feel now if you look back through this time??
Despite not having parties here, musically speaking, these last 2 years were amazing. I dedicated myself a lot to my music, the work was really hard, but it was worth it. I got a lot of support from renowned artists and made a lot of good friends in the techno scene!
I’m counting 14 EPs, 8 tracks on V/A compilations, 29 mixes for different platforms. What’s the real trick to keep that focused/productive? Did you hire your girlfriend as a manager? (hahaha just kidding).
Hahaha great idea! Well... to be honest it takes a lot of dedication to make all these accomplishments. I try to devote at least an hour a day to my artistic career and I try to follow a schedule of tasks to the letter. I have a panel at home full of post-its of things I have to do. One piece of advice I give to anyone starting out in music is to treat your career as if it were any other job, where you must fulfil goals. Get serious. It's rewarding.
Do you have any day-time side job? How would be your routine on a normal day of your life?
Yeah! I work with cars, car detailing! Music and cars are my passions! My routine looks like this:
Early in the morning I start the day running in the park/lake. Take a little sun to wake up the system!
Then at home, I produce a little bit. At the morning is the best time to produce, my ears are fresh and I feel in a good mood. I have some university classes too.
From afternoon til night I stay in the shop working in the cars. Then I go to the gym to lift some weights.
Late night at home I use this time to study or do something that I have to do and couldn't do before. and then I sleep. [repeat]
Have you ever had any problem with social media being too distractive?
No doubt! Social media is very distracting. But in this last year I managed to reduce (a lot) the use of them. I only use it to do what is necessary.
How is life in Londrina? Do you have cool parties going on there or do you have to drive to other cities to find some more excitement?
Londrina is an excellent city to live. I love this city.
We have several clubs here but currently none of them play (good) electronic music. Until a few months ago we had Mobil Club, a wonderful underground electronic music club but unfortunately it was closed for a long time due to restrictions and ended up having the sound system stolen. Very sad...
Luckily the city has always had several electronic parties, from ilegal parties to renowned festivals. But currently there is no more... let's see what the future will bring us!
By the way, next year I'm going to São Paulo to enjoy the TimeWarp festival! I hope they bring a great line up haha
Tell us something about your childhood.
I lived in Berlin for some time when i was a little child. Despite being just a little boy, I already felt the vibe that only that city can provide. Good memories. Without a doubt the strong rubber smell that Berlin subway stations have is one of my favourite smells. Mix this with cigarette and Donner smell and you have the perfect nostalgia combo hahahaha
Which were your first music influences and how did you discover electronic music?
My first musical influence was the blues. My dad gave me a crossroads festival dvd, where i could see a lot of amazing guitarists... it was pure art. A few months later I had to learn to play guitar and since then I've known a little bit of everything related to rock n' roll.
About electronic music, a friend of mine took me to a place that played deep house and since then I went to several parties of different genres, until one day I came across true techno:
Picture a HUGE party, on a very hot beach at night... DJs playing some happy vibes house music... something around the typical 120 bpm... now imagine a small space located on this beach, looking like a small chapel. The party have had around 5,000 people but inside this chapel there were only about... 10 people. the chapel was extremely dark and acted as a second stage. Nothing more than just green lasers spinning frantically across the ceiling, a powerful soundsystem and strobe lights hitting the gothic windows.
Unlike the party going outside, inside, the feeling was completely different: it was a dense, static, agressive yet numbing sound. It's hard to describe how it feels to dance to techno music for the first time, it's like that small dance floor was turned into a spaceship engine room. It's like love at first sight. At that very moment I was dancing to "Acid Phase" by Emmanuel Top for the first time. Since that day I got really deep into techno music and started going to techno nights in my city.
Talking about techno... who are your biggest influences at this moment?
Jeff Mills, The Advent, Surgeon, Claude Young, Dj Shufflemaster, Gaetano Parisio... the list is loooong, but those are the names I'm hearing the most lately.
Ones to watch (name some talents you recently discovered).
There are many amazing artists out there but some I can name: Herdslenk, PageOne,
Undivulgued and Ikari!
You said cars were your other biggest passion apart from music. What does it mean for you, and how did you get started on it?
Well i grew up in the early 2000s so... I collected miniature cars, spent my afternoons playing Need for Speed and watching Fast and Furious! In short, I became a gear-head
since I was a kid! Besides, my family has always liked vintage vehicles, so I think it's in the blood!
If you like cars too, you are a strong candidate to spend all night talking to me lol.
Getting into the music production world... Choose just 5 instruments to make a track:
TR909, SH101, DX7, Akai Sampler and a cheap mixer!!!! Old School baby!!!!
Which are your favourite plugins/hardware gear? What’s the key to get that vintage crispy sound off your tracks?
My favourite plugin is the full bucket Modulair. It's an incredible (free) plugin where you can assemble several modular synthesis setups, it's wonderful! 90% of my tracks are made with modular synthesis.
My favourite hardware is an analog desk, I believe that any studio I set up, will have an analog desk. Analog desks are amazing and make a big difference, from water to wine.
A lot of people talk about this vintage sound stuff, well... first of all I produce in the box but I mix outbox, and that causes a big change in the sound... the sound comes out thicker, dirtier and more dynamic. Second, I'm a big fan of saturations, I use saturation pretty much for everything. Third, this whole process is not enough for me, so I like to saturate the master channel, in other words... boom!!!!!!!!! A lot of people don't like tricks involving the master channel, but I don't care, this is techno baby!
By the way, if you want try to emulate a vintage sound, remember: less is more! Therefore, forget about extreme EQs, fancy compressions, and irrelevant details. Focusing on textures is everything in this situation.
What do you expect to happen in the following year? And what do you wish the most that would happen?
I hope to go to Europe soon. It would be super super awesome to play at parties there and meet everyone in person!
To finish the interview, you can write anything you would like to say. This is a free space for the artist. It could be a quote, a thought, a greeting... whatever is appreciated. Thank you <3
First, i would like to thank 64CREW for inviting me to this wonderful interview! I enjoyed it so much.
Finally, I would like to thank everyone for their constant support in my work. Every message I receive is fuel for me to continue doing what I do!!!!
With love,
Nicolas