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Nicolay "City Lights Vol. 2: Shibuya" 17''x11'' Poster
Nicolay "City Lights Vol. 2: Shibuya"
"Time:Line" Men's T-Shirt (Size: 2XL)
"Leave It All Behind" 11''x17'' Poster
"Time:Line" 11''x17'' Poster
"Take Off The Blues" baby blue Boyshorts (M)
Nicolay "City Lights Vol. 2: Shibuya"
"Time:Line" Men's T-Shirt (Size: 2XL)
"Leave It All Behind" 11''x17'' Poster
"Time:Line" 11''x17'' Poster
"Take Off The Blues" baby blue Boyshorts (M)
| Elsewhere |
| Home | Subscribe to our RSS feed | Thursday September 02, 2010 |
Media : Photos
The Foreign Exchange "House Of Cards "/ "I Wanna Know " video shoot | August 2009
Posted by nicolaymusic on August 18, 2009 at 7:11 AM | Comments
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161 photos by
Stephen Stewart
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View full gallery of The Foreign Exchange "House Of Cards "/ "I Wanna Know " video shoot | August 2009
Media : Video
The Foreign Exchange at Athenaeum, Indianapolis | August 15, 2009
Posted by nicolaymusic on August 17, 2009 at 7:21 AM | Comments
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Video by
seaniemic
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Press : Interviews/Features
Nuvo: "Foreign Exchange: North Carolina Dutch hip-hop"
Posted by nicolaymusic on August 13, 2009 at 8:27 AM | Comments
| Writer T.J. Reynolds
Publication Nuvo | Sure, the Internet is killing off multinational conglomerated music Goliaths, but it's also spurring a new era of creativity and collaboration between artists previously separated by genres and geography.
Consider how hip-hop duo The Foreign Exchange came together. North Carolina native Phonte (of the rap group Little Brother) and Dutch producer Nicolay met on the Web site Okayplay.com and began to send tracks and vocals to each other via instant messaging. Those tracks eventually came to constitute the duo's first album under The Foreign Exchange moniker, Connected, which was released to critical acclaim before the artists ever met face to face. Phonte couldn't quite believe his ears when he first heard Nicolay's rich production. "We had a bunch of conspiracy theories going on, because at the time he was overseas and was kind of like a mysterious figure," Phonte recalls during a recent phone interview. "It wasn't like we could hook up over at his house. We thought, 'What if he's really a girl? What if he's got a whole staff of beatmakers?'" |
Continue reading Nuvo: "Foreign Exchange: North Carolina Dutch hip-hop"
Media : Podcasts
Son Of Soul Podcast 66 includes "Lose Your Way"
Posted by nicolaymusic on July 31, 2009 at 10:12 AM | Comments
Something soulful for your player
Here's a nice podcast courtesy of Greg Clifford aka The Son Of Soul. Good looking out on including 'Lose Your Way'!
Media : Video
A message from Carlitta Durand
Posted by nicolaymusic on July 29, 2009 at 2:06 PM | Comments
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Video by
carlittad
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Music : Singles/EPs
Lose Your Way feat. Carlitta Durand
Posted by nicolaymusic on July 28, 2009 at 3:56 PM | Comments
"Lose Your Way", featuring Carlitta Durand, is the first single taken from Nicolay's album release, City Lights Vol. 2: Shibuya | Download for FREE now!
Continue reading Lose Your Way feat. Carlitta Durand
Media : Audio
Nicolay feat. Carlitta Durand - "Lose Your Way" (from City Lights Volume 2: Shibuya)
Posted by nicolaymusic on July 28, 2009 at 2:11 PM | Comments
See me smiling in the city lights...
We proudly present you with the first single taken from the upcoming Nicolay album "City Lights Vol. 2: Shibuya", in stores September 15 on Foreign Exchange Music/HBD. Click on the single cover below for your FREE download!
As always, we encourage you to spread the word and forward this to anyone that you think may like it. We appreciate it!
Music: Nicolay/Lyrics and vocal arrangement: Phonte
All lead and background vocals: Carlitta Durand/All instruments: Nicolay
All lead and background vocals: Carlitta Durand/All instruments: Nicolay
As always, we encourage you to spread the word and forward this to anyone that you think may like it. We appreciate it!
Blogs : Inside The Producer's Studio
Inside The Producer's Studio: Making "Raw Life" (1/2)
Posted by nicolaymusic on July 24, 2009 at 12:56 PM | Comments
Nicolay breaks down the production and mix of Raw Life by The Foreign Exchange (from Connected).
Music: Nicolay/Lyrics: Phonte, Joe Scudda/All instruments: Nicolay/All vocals: Phonte and Joe Scudda
Backstory:
It should be no secret that the incredible beatwork of the late great J Dilla has been hugely inspirational to me, especially when I was first getting into production. I learned by studying his music, that there is room for musicality and for experimentation, as long as there is a strong and steady foundation going on underneath. Dilla's signature tracks always had that "sweet spot", that chord progression or melody that would tug at your heartstrings, while the drums and the bass would work on your neckmuscles at the same time. As a producer, his drums were eye-opening for me, not only because of his choice of sounds and of ways to process those sounds, but because of his often-imitated "drunken" style of drum programming. Before I got into Dilla's music, I suppose I more or less thought of drum hits as being relatively "fixed". For example, in one bar of four counts, you put a kick hit on the one and the three, a snare hit on the two and four, and hihat hits on every eighth note, with "swing" timing applied (or not, depending on what is called for). Dilla's programming taught me that if you exaggerate this "swing" timing, the drums come alive and feel more "human" and "in the pocket".
Continue reading Inside The Producer's Studio: Making "Raw Life" (1/2)
Blogs : Off The Shelf
Off The Shelf #5: Nicolay & Ugene - "Love Is In Control (Finger On The Trigger)" | FREE DOWNLOAD
Posted by nicolaymusic on July 21, 2009 at 9:21 PM | Comments
Leave off that safety catch!
Today, I am another year older, and what better to commemorate this than with a particularly festive 'Off The Shelf' download, aimed for the dancefloors!
In the previous installment of this series, I broke down the story of how I first met the lovely and talented Moon Baker, many years ago. That story really isn't complete without acknowledging another good friend of mine, the amazingly talented Dutch singer and keyboardist Ugene.
In the previous installment of this series, I broke down the story of how I first met the lovely and talented Moon Baker, many years ago. That story really isn't complete without acknowledging another good friend of mine, the amazingly talented Dutch singer and keyboardist Ugene.
Continue reading Off The Shelf #5: Nicolay & Ugene - "Love Is In Control (Finger On The Trigger)" | FREE DOWNLOAD
Media : Video
Real Frequency x Kevin Nottingham: Indepth w/ The Foreign Exchange
Posted by nicolaymusic on July 16, 2009 at 7:15 AM | Comments
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Video by
Real Frequency
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Media : Video
KevinNottingham.com: Indepth with The Foreign Exchange Pt. 5
Posted by nicolaymusic on July 15, 2009 at 8:43 AM | Comments
Sean Deez of KevinNottingham.com sat down with Phonte and Nicolay for an interview a little before soundcheck for their sold-out show in Toronto (Part 5)
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Video by
Real Frequency
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Alright Ladies and Gents. This is the last installment, loaded with great pieces of information. This episode starts off with a conversation with Nicolay regarding his possible pursuits of a Soul Survivor-esque and he delves deep into the "Valleys" one can run into if that album was attempted. Of course, we flip the tables on Phonte and ask him about a possible solo album with a dream team of producers. There is hope that both will eventually drop their own pieces like that. It's crazy because here we hear Phonte say that he's on a Premier track with Royce. WHAT. Speaking of Premier, we talk about him (it's me... why wouldn't we?) and his influence on Nic's production style. Gangstarr came into the discussion and so did Guru's most recent "Fastlane" track. Of course, Phonte and Nic both drop their thoughts on that record...it's pretty funny stuff. |
Media : Audio
?uestlove/The Foreign Exchange/Zo!/Carlitta Durand EXCLUSIVE!
Posted by nicolaymusic on July 9, 2009 at 8:51 AM | Comments
I don't care where we go, I don't care what we do...
PURPLE FLIP [right click and save to download MP3 file]
Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson- Drums, Samples
Nicolay- Fender Rhodes, acoustic piano
Zo!- Korg synth, additional rhodes
Phonte and Carlitta Durand- Vocals
This is the first in a series of random goodies that we will be periodically dropping off in your mailboxes. (Who loves ya, baby?)
We recorded this over a month ago specifically for a ?uestlove tribute party dedicated to The Purple One himself. Other than passing it off to a few DJ friends who vowed to keep it on some secret squirrel, "bet you aint up on THIS!" status, no one has ever heard it. In the wake of the incredible loss we suffered on June 25 however, this joint took on somewhat of a deeper meaning.
We decided to share it with our fans not only as a token of appreciation, but also as a way of paying respect to one of our last living musical geniuses.
Let's not wait until tragedy strikes before we show love and gratitude to our heroes, people. Give them their flowers while they live.
This one's for you, Mr. Nelson. You are loved and appreciated.
Enjoy!
One Love,
'Tay and Nic
Media : Audio
Nicolay on the Rickey Smiley Morning Show (97.9 The Beat)
Posted by nicolaymusic on July 2, 2009 at 9:44 AM | Comments
Ooookkkaaayyy!
Nicolay calls in to the nationally syndicated Rickey Smiley Morning Show for a quick interview about The Foreign Exchange. We find out that Rickey is a big Foreign Exchange fan, who plays Leave It All Behind every evening and thinks every track on it is a HIT! Listen to the audio below.
Media : Video
KevinNottingham.com: Indepth with The Foreign Exchange Pt. 4
Posted by nicolaymusic on July 2, 2009 at 9:40 AM | Comments
Sean Deez of KevinNottingham.com sat down with Phonte and Nicolay for an interview a little before soundcheck for their sold-out show in Toronto (Part 4)
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Video by
Real Frequency
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Once again, we are back with yet another one. With this heat rock, we dig in with one of KevinNottingham.com's most popular posts, Phonte's Top 15 Rap Performances [read here]. We get to dig in on my Phonte overdose for a bit and get to talk to P and Nic about what their favourite Phonte verses are and their opinions on the list. Moreover, we flip the switch and talk to Phonte about what his favourite Nicolay beats are and what Nic's personal favourites are. The best part of the interview comes when it gets noted that Phonte actually had his chance to take on various Nic beats that either ended up on another Nic album or other albums i.e. EMC's "What It Stands For." Phonte on that beat? Damn. Lastly, we talk briefly about Nicolay's creation of "Nautilus," [check out his recreation here] comparing it to the original, the creation of it, and their favourite use of that sample. Enjoy.
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Press : Interviews/Features
VIBE.com: 60 Rappers In 60 Days: Phonte
Posted by nicolaymusic on June 29, 2009 at 11:29 AM | Comments
Phonte was singing before your favorite rapper sang!
| It's a cliché to say, but in the case of Phonte, the North Carolina MC may just be your favorite rapper's favorite rapper. In a recent interview, Drake, the current "it" boy of hip hop, mentioned Phonte, as one of his favorite MCs. Period.
For those who've followed Phonte Coleman since he burst onto the scene in 2003 with his partner-in-rhyme Big Pooh, and producer 9th Wonder, collectively forming Little Brother, Drizzy's pick came as no surprise. MC and critics alike have given props to Phonte's witty wordplay and Southern-tinged flow since Little Brother's debut, The Listening (ABB). But in 2004, Phonte switched things up and began to amass a new set of fans with The Foreign Exchange, a collaboration with producer Nicolay. Together the two released Connected (BBE, 2004) to critical acclaim. In 2008, they released their sophomore effort, Leave It All Behind (Hall of Justus/ Nicolay), which Phonte is currently promoting on a nationwide tour. |
Continue reading VIBE.com: 60 Rappers In 60 Days: Phonte
Media : Video
Phonte discusses Michael Jackson's legacy
Posted by nicolaymusic on June 27, 2009 at 11:32 AM | Comments
Phonte of The Foreign Exchange on WNCN/NBC
News
Rest In Peace, Michael
Posted by nicolaymusic on June 26, 2009 at 12:24 PM | Comments
One of the greats has left us today. He will be missed.

Media : Photos
The Foreign Exchange at Revival Bar, Toronto (CA) | June 5, 2009
Posted by nicolaymusic on June 26, 2009 at 12:21 PM | Comments
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20 photos by
Star P Photography
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View full gallery of The Foreign Exchange at Revival Bar, Toronto (CA) | June 5, 2009
Media : Photos
The Foreign Exchange at Revival Bar, Toronto (CA) | June 5, 2009
Posted by nicolaymusic on June 26, 2009 at 12:03 PM | Comments
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68 photos by
Philip Litevsky
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View full gallery of The Foreign Exchange at Revival Bar, Toronto (CA) | June 5, 2009
Media : Photos
The Foreign Exchange instore at Amoeba Music, Hollywood | June 14, 2009
Posted by nicolaymusic on June 26, 2009 at 12:00 PM | Comments
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12 photos by
Cecilia Jurado
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View full gallery of The Foreign Exchange instore at Amoeba Music, Hollywood | June 14, 2009
Older entries
The Foreign Exchange at The Roxy Theatre, Hollywood | June 14, 2009 in: PhotosThe Foreign Exchange at Amoeba Music, Hollywood | June 14, 2009 in: Video
The Foreign Exchange at The Roxy Theatre, Hollywood | June 14, 2009 in: Photos
The Foreign Exchange at The Roxy Theatre, Hollywood | June 14, 2009 in: Photos
KevinNottingham.com: Indepth with The Foreign Exchange Pt. 3 in: Video
The Foreign Exchange - Take It All With You (Mixed by DJ Mensa) in: Audio
Off The Shelf #4: Moon Baker - "Stay" [prod. Nicolay] and more! | FREE DOWNLOADS in: Off The Shelf
KevinNottingham.com: Indepth with The Foreign Exchange Pt. 2 in: Video
KevinNottingham.com: Indepth with The Foreign Exchange Pt. 1 in: Video
Soundwaves (KPFK) interviews The Foreign Exchange in: Video
SoulBounce: "Nicolay's Soulclap Remix Is The Perfect Segue Into Summer" in: Interviews/Features
June 14, 2009: The Foreign Exchange | Instore & Mini-Performance @ Amoeba Music, Hollywood in: Events
The Foreign Exchange at Revival Bar, Toronto (CA) | June 5, 2009 in: Video
Off The Shelf #3: United Soul feat. Yahzarah & Phonte "Soulclap" (Nicolay Remix) | FREE DOWNLOAD in: Off The Shelf
Time:Line Extended Edition available now on iTunes and Amazon! in: News
Time:Line Extended Edition in: Albums
Nicolay's cover of "Nautilus" chosen as 'Click hear' on Exclaim.ca in: Interviews/Features
Off The Shelf #2: The Last Poets feat. Keith Murray "Dakari (Nicolay Remix)" | FREE download in: Off The Shelf
Gilles Peterson plays Nicolay's 'Nautilus' remake on BBC Radio One! in: News
June 14, 2009: The Foreign Exchange | The Roxy Theatre, Hollywood in: Shows








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