Innovation is something that can be difficult to find in today's landscape of electronic dance music. In many ways breaking the mold and producing an original sound is taking a risk. There is no denying that majority of the EDM fans today have a certain expectation of what they want their music to sound like. This has created a stale scene in many aspects. It is also why artists like French producer NEBBRA are so very important to the positive evolution of dance music. NEBBRA has perfected the art of genre bending and has done so in a way that brings in fans who are seasoned veterans as well as those who are just getting their feet wet. NEBBRA has an undeniably original sound, and his vehicle to get this sound to the masses is the remix. Having reworked tracks from indie rock bands to pop anthems, the artist has demonstrated his unique ability to put his own spin on a tune while keeping the original's integrity. Having such an eclectic collection remixed tracks I was curious what inspires him to remix a track.
“When it comes to remixes, I need to find something catchy in the original track. All the remixes I've done are with vocals, so for me to decide doing a remix, I need to be inspired by the vocal.”
I'd say that my sound is Original, Groovy, Chill, Mysterious , between good and evil…
While even NEBBRA himself wont deny that much of his success has come from his innate ability to remix tracks, he has also taken on some original endeavors with fantastic results. His original track ‘Darkness' takes samples from Anime and lays in heavy trap bass and pitched vocals that creates for an absolutely sexy sound. ”Darkness' is a track that is consistently played out in my car and Laptop, I mean I love it. It is brilliant, and with that in mind I wanted to know if French mystery man had any more originals in the making.
“It's true that I've been focusing a lot on remixes because, it helped me get more visibility before working on originals. Darkness was something I've been wanted to do, working with the sample of an Anime.
I'm still doing some remixes because it might bring me good opportunities, but, I'm focusing most of my time working on my original tracks to build my EP/ album. So yeah, I'm totally working on some original tracks.”
I have been following NEBBRA for quite some time now and when a new tune drops I want to share it with the world. That being said the trouble I have run into is trying to describe the style or sound that characterize his tracks. Unique and awesome are the two words I tend to overly use but that being said I decided to go straight to the source and asked how he would describe his style in a few words. And honestly, I could not agree more with his answer, “I'd say that my sound is Original, Groovy, Chill, Mysterious , between good and evil…”.
While NEBBRA has been in the game for a few years now, these past 12 months have brought him an enormous amount of success. All of his hard work has culminated in an official remix for Selena Gomez and A$AP Rocky. It is not everyday that an ‘official' falls in your lap from one of the worlds biggest main stream pop stars. I am always curious what an artist's experience is like during their blow up year. Many times from other artists I get a generic answer. What NEBBRA had to say on the subject matter was just pure humility. It is beyond clear that for him music is a craft and a true love, money is not the motivation.
“2015 has been a great year for me. I had the chance to get some recognition for my music, and it really gives me the will to go further and to see beyond.
I have been lucky to have a great team around me that found me some great opportunities. Then it's up to me to make them concrete but, without my managers I would never have been able to do a remix for an artist like Selena Gomez.
About this remix, well it was quite easy: they gave me the opportunity to remix it, and I really loved the vocal and the atmosphere, and I was inspired by it.
I was totally free on it, no obligations, so I delivered my version of the track, and it was then up to her staff to see if they wanted it, but the good thing was that, I was able to do exactly what I wanted.
Honestly, I don't really realise the impact it can have on me and what it could bring me.”
It is obvious NEBBRA appreciates his fans to no ends. Evidence of this are his countless vocalizations from his socials, but also his release of so much of his music as free downloads. I still wanted to give him a chance to share anything with his loyal listeners that he has not had a chance to. In his response, the one word that comes to mind is gratitude. NEBBRA is an enigma of dance music at the moment, a positive force not only in his sound, but his outlook. He is truly what the scene needs to stay afloat, and I cannot wait to see what he does next.
“I had the opportunity to thank them many times for the support but I'm going to do it again. Without them I wouldn't be able to go further with my music. It's because of the fans that I can keep moving forward. They can be sure that I will continue delivering some new tracks as long as I can…”
