New Jersey’s Nasser Baker has put himself on a path that will seemingly put him amongst the upper echelon of rough ’n ready house music for years to come.
Tracks on Objektivity, Circus Recordings and now Green Velvet’s Relief Records have seen him continuously impress the masses with his well-crated, straight-forward club sound.
We caught up with the American artist to chat about his new Bodytude EP for Relief, how he describes himself as a DJ, his favourite club to play at, and what’s on his Christmas list. Get the full discussion below.
Hey Nasser, how are things? We’re loving your new Bodytude EP for Green Velvet’s Relief imprint! Tell us about the EP? How did it come together in the studio?
Hey! Things are great. Thanks. I’m glad you enjoy it! I had two weeks to complete the EP and it was intense. One track a week! ‘Bodytude’ was the first record I finished. ‘Bodytude’ is an idea that I came up with that is very open ended and anyone can have their own interpretation of it. To me ‘Bodytude’ is a person’s style, vibe, and energy. It’s everything about the person, not just their looks.
‘Picklehollaback’ is another idea where it represents if you are in a pickle (bind, struggle), if you hit a wall (figuratively), you can get past it. The EP as a whole represents what we are go through on a day to day basis of life (Picklehollaback) and who we are (Bodytude).
And how did it come to be on Relief?
Green Velvet asked me out of the blue if I would like to do an EP for him. He’s been a big supporter of my tracks for the past year or two. He asked if I would be able to complete it in two weeks. I said yes of course! It usually takes me a little longer to complete an EP, but I took on the challenge.
Other labels in your catalogue include Objektivity, Circus and Suara. How do you typically approach a label when wanting to release with them?
I’ve been with Dennis Ferrer for about 10 years now so he hears everything I’m working on and he would tell me if he wanted them for Objektvity. That’s how that typically goes as far as Objektivity. For other labels I typically have my management reach out to to the labels that I am interested in, and they usually have the contacts to those labels. I also have a few contacts that I have come across from meeting at events.
And what advice would you give to an aspiring producer that’s having trouble getting a track signed?
The advice I would give is to keep reaching out. There are many channels to reach labels and people who work for those labels. I would keep reaching out until you get a response. The hope is that someone will respond eventually. I would just keep reaching out.
Do you have any other releases in the pipeline that you can tell us about?
I’m working on a few projects at the moment, but I can’t say for who. You will know when you find out the release date.
How would you describe yourself as a DJ? What can a punter expect when they come to see you play?
I would say I would describe myself as a fun DJ. I just want to have a good time when I play. The records that I choose to play make me dance and thats the records I like to share with the partygoers. They can expect to have a good time and dirty shoes because their feet WILL be moving.
And what would you say is your favourite club to play? Can you tell us about one specific moment that sticks in your mind from playing there?
One of my favorite clubs to play that I would never forget is Caleton in Odessa, Ukraine. When I played there I felt like I could play what ever I wanted and they would enjoy it. The vibe of the place and people made me feel at home. I played there twice already and it was the same both times. Too much fun and I would love to go back any day.
Thanks a lot for chatting to us! Before we go, what’s on your Christmas list?
You are very welcome! Thanks for having me. Time with family is on my Christmas list. Thats all I want.
Nasser Baker’s Bodytude EP is out now on Relief Records.