Artist Interviews

Q&A: Nero

By | Published on Tuesday 26 July 2011

Nero

DJ and production duo, and jungle fans, Nero, aka Daniel Stephens and Joe Ray, gained a grass roots following via a number of tracks released on specialist dance labels, before coming to wider attention remixing for the likes of Plan B, Beyonce, Dizzee Rascal and The Streets.

They subsequently signed to Chase & Status’ MTA Records label, released popular dubstep double A-side ‘Innocence/Electron’, and found themselves on the BBC’s Sound Of 2011 shortlist. The singles ‘Me & You’ and ‘Guilt’ duly followed, while new track ‘Promises’ will be released on 8 Aug, a week ahead of the duo’s debut album ‘Welcome Reality’.

They are also developing their live show, having recently taken part in a ‘Dubstep Symphony’ with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and one-time Elbow concert composer Joe Duddell, and have been booked to support Tinie Tempah on his next arena tour. They are also playing a number of festival dates this summer. Ahead of their next slated appearance at Kendal Calling this coming Friday, the in-demand duo found some free time to address our burning Same Six Questions.

Q1 How did you start out making music?
We both had a love for electronic music, especially jungle, and decided to start producing it together about ten or eleven years ago.

Q2 What inspired your latest album?
Our main inspiration was the 1980s, and an 80s vision of the future. All the futuristic sounding synths that were manufactured back then, the music that came out, and the sci-fi films that were big in the cinemas that decade, all contributed to what you hear on the album. We feel that it sounds very cinematic, and epic, something we got from watching movies like ‘Blade Runner’ and using equipment like the Moog Voyager and Roland Jupiter 8.

Q3 What process do you go through in creating a track?
It’s different on different tracks, sometimes we start off with a vocal and melody and build a track around that, or other times we write a track, then strip it back and write the lyrics. Vocals are important to us when creating a song, as we feel it adds a new dimension.

Q4 Which artists influence your work?
Every artist we’ve ever listened to! Whether they are good or bad. I guess our main influences range from Daft Punk to Prince, and from Radiohead to Mozart. Daft Punk is our biggest inspiration, though.

Q5 What would you say to someone experiencing your music for the first time?
Turn it up.

Q6 What are your ambitions for your latest album, and for the future?
We’re really eager to get this album released on the 15 Aug, and then to tour it with the live show.  We’ve been working really hard to get the live show together, and have been totally involved in the whole creative process of the build. Next year we’ll be back in the studio working on album two and touring as much as we can!

MORE>> www.thisisnero.com



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