Nicolay (one half of the group The Foreign Exchange) has unveiled “Lose Your Way” from his upcoming album Shibuya (City Lights Volume II) which drops September 15th. The song features the newly signed Carlitta Durand who brings soft, smooth vocals to the song.

I’m really feeling the relaxed, sort of dreamy feel to it.  Looking forward the upcoming CD, definitely keep an eye out for that one. Check out the song below — what do you think?

Nicolay says about the new album: “It truly is like stepping into a different world”, says Nicolay about his trip to the city. “What fascinated me most about Shibuya was the co-existence of ‘old’ and ‘new’ in seemingly perfect harmony. The most advanced technologies and innovations exist next to traditions that are rooted in thousands of years of civilization.”

In the spirit of fan appreciation and giving an artist props while they’re still here, check out this gem from Questlove & The Foreign Exchange crew. Check it out:

“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

Purple Flip

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Yet another great look from the fellas. You can view the post and download the song here.

Nicolay’s latest installment of his “Off The Shelf” series features an amazing vocalist by the name of Moon Baker. You can download the song here, but this is an excerpt on the background of the song:

….Fast forward to 2004. Moon called me up one day and told me she was at long last going to start working on her solo debut, and she wanted me to be the album’s main producer. Over the course of two years, we worked on and off on writing, arranging and recording her album, titled “ABC Of Romance”.

It was released in 2007 by Supertracks Records, and knowing that, the term ‘Off The Shelf’ should not be taken literally in this particular context. However, I think that the release was limited to The Netherlands, Germany and Japan, so I don’t think you’ll mind if I drop one of my favourite songs that we did together, “Stay”.

The song “Stay” is available as a free download at his site, as well as the Nicolay Remix of “ABC of Romance” f/Kay. As always Nicolay represents and does a great job of connecting with his fans by offering great music and giving them an inside peek at his work and thoughts. Be sure to cop The Foreign Exchange album, Leave It All Behind [Explicit] while it’s still on sale for $5.00!!!

I’m sure he has some other great gems he’ll be sharing with us in the future, but it’s also a (sad) reminder of how much great music that is out there, that never sees the light of day, for a myriad of reasons (in this case limited distribution). Check out a couple of clips of Moon Baker after the jump.

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Part two in Nicolay’s Off The Shelf series.

Things don’t always work out as you would hope, and the reasons why usually have little to do with music, and all the more with the people “behind the scenes”, as the following example illustrates. Of course, not everyone in the music industry is a shark, but it certainly is my personal experience that the good people are exceptions that prove the rule.

Continue reading and get the download!

Check out Off The Shelf Part #1.

Source: www.nicolaymusic.com

Another one for the ‘artists who get it’ file. Aside from being a great musician, producer and creative force behind The Foreign Exchange, he is always giving his fans more of what they want. More great music, more personal insights, more access & more free treats! As a Bob James fan, I can especially appreciate his approach to this project as well as the time and creativity it took to put this together.

This series, along with his “Inside the Producer’s Studio”, gives you yet another reason to check out Nicolay and support great music. Check him out, in his own words:

In July of 2006, I was approached by people representing world renowned jazz keyboardist Bob James. They were working on putting together a project, to be called ‘Sampling Bob James: The Nautilus Project’, on which several DJ’s and producers would present their take on one of the most sampled tracks in hip-hop history, ‘Nautilus’, from Bob James’ 1974 album ‘One’. To my delight, I was invited to be one of the contributors, but instead of sampling the original, I chose to ‘cover’ it and re-create the track from scratch.

Get the download

The video has finally landed and it was worth the wait. Certified dope.

Make sure you cop the album and support FE all over the universe.

Follow the crew on Twitter: @Phontigallo and @Nicolaymusic, @FEofficial

Check out Nicolay’s new blog where he systematically breaks down his production process and influences.

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I was at New York’s lovely Highline Ballroom with other soul & hip hop fans in the city a little over two weeks ago to catch The Foreign Exchange (Phonte of Little Brother & Dutch producer Nicolay).   They brought along singers Darien Brockington and YahZarah as well as the Zo! & The ELs band to put on a night of soulful, resonating music.

Phonte performed in a bow-tie and hat, Darien in long sleeves and a vest, but they both rolled up their sleeves and took off their jackets by the end of the night.  Each performer complemented each other perfectly, bringing their own personalities, styles, and layers to the music throughout the eveing. Phonte, the night’s host, kept everyone laughing with stories and quips, and his dynamic rapping style. Darien Brockington kept the mood soulful, performing songs from his debut and songs from the new album with a distinctive, nostalgic R&B sound.  YahZarah, pretty much one of the most talentist vocalists I’ve seen lately, balanced out Phonte’s style with strong, passionate vocals and brought incredible energy to the stage, clapping and dancing along with her fellow performers and the audience below.  And of course, Nicolay, in the corner bringing out the sounds and beats we all know and love from the Foreign Exchange.

Videos from the show and a review of their new album Leave It All Behind after the jump.

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The much anticipated new project from supa producer Nicolay & Phonte (best known from the breakout group Little Brother), together known as, The Foreign Exchange is now available digitally at iTunes, Amazon & Rhapsody.  2 CD Digipak available 10/14.

I had the pleasure of meeting Nicolay at Terry Bello’s International Soul Music Summit held in Atlanta a few weeks ago, and his exact words to me were “you need to check us out, we make Grown Folks Music”.  Now, I hear that from ALOT of artists, but few deliver. 

Well, there is no doubt about it, this is GFM.  Excellent production, & arrangements, strong vocal performances (Phonte, Muhsinah and Yahzarah), who will be featured in upcoming posts, and raw emotional content.  The sampler was beautifully mixed and just wet the pallette for what was to come  — innovative, real soul, real hip hop. Listen for yourself — download the free sampler at their website .

Craig D. Lindsey from the News & Observer has a great interview with the guys here:
Musical Exchange  

Thanks to Grown Folks Hip Hop for the reminder as well!