DJ N.K. talks production, entrepreneurship, and the driving force behind S.E.Dub.

Over the summer, one of our feature artists here on TheBuzz, Milwaukee’s own DJ N.K., released his latest album, Branded by the Struggle. As a DJ, producer, rapper, and merchandiser, N.K. knows what it’s like to build and manage a successful independent career as a musician. We caught up with him to see how album sales were going, and to get his insider perspective on what it takes to grow within, and beyond, a tough midwestern market.

SW: Last time we spoke to you, you had just released Branded by the Struggle. How has promotion of the album been going since then?

NK: Actually, it’s just been local but getting GREAT responses and sales. Reason being that I decided to shoot a video for the single “Go Hard” and my distributor suggested we update the DVD, which is included with the album, and then release it into major retail outlets since we had a fresh video to help market and promote the album.

If you don’t live in Wisconsin, and you wanna get a limited edition, order from myspace.com/nkonline now!

You produced the album yourself through your A.L.L.O.U.T. Records label. How did you come to the decision to self-produce?

I was always into producing. I started DJing at the age of 7 and got into production and writing around 14. I was one of the best Battle DJs in the States in 95-97. I won several battles in the downtown Milwaukee scene as well as in TX, and I was making money on club venues and mixtapes like Murder In The First, which sold about 10,000 copies underground.

Support and help can be a funny thing. If some one offers to help someone, most would hope that they are helping to get that person moving forward to a better place, closer to success. Or perhaps delivering some of the tools or resources (including, yes, money) that will lead to bigger and better things. However, there are those that become enablers. Their intentions are good, but they may end up hurting more than they help.

Everyone has heard the old joke, “what do you call a drummer with no girlfriend? Homeless!” It’s funny but also, in a number of cases, true. There are numerous aspiring musicians that are supported by their family, their girlfriends, their boyfriends and plenty of others when it comes to money. That is not always a bad thing. If communication is good, if expectations are clear, and the guidelines for support are set in place before a dollar changes hands, that help can be worth its weight in gold. That help can bring the artist to the next level if they are struggling. It can make things a little easier. It’s not a golden ticket, it’s not a back door from paying dues and learning invaluable lessons. It simply makes a long hard road a little easier for a few miles.

The right help

(January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977)

Blending elements of folk, jazz, indie pop and cabaret, Shayna Zaid’s melodically inclined lyrical work leaves traces of solace, reflection and affection. The combination of Zaid’s dynamic stage presence, her powerful smoky voice and her playful jazzy swagger lends an enchanting display.

Raised in the 60s by free-spirited artists living like gypsies in picturesque locations like Cheyene Walk, Chelsea or Cornwall, Klay D-C (AKA Klay Dumas-Copas) is a master of creating musical tapestries that are full of flavor and life. His latest solo release, Ritmo, is a magical musical journey that combines technical prowess with an ear for colorful melodies.

A natural story-teller, the first track, “Mungabunga,” introduces us to a soft acoustic piano before blossoming into a wiggy, upbeat number garnished with salsa rhythms. The totally unexpected arrangement dances between the acoustic piano and electric instruments (guitar and bass) in a melodic tease that excites and intoxicates.

The typical musician spends much of their time being musically creative and so a lot of musicians that should be using Twitter to market their music just aren’t sure where to start or how to use it to its full potential.

So, to help out those that could be using Twitter more effectively I’ve listed some things you could be doing to market your music, whether you are a DJ, band, music producer, promoter or even if you have a podcast to promote.

Luckily, Twitter is simple and easy. The only work that really needs putting in is a little thought and some time on a regular basis. Hopefully that makes you feel a little better.

I read an article on Billboard.com [awhile] ago which said that Coldplay is going to give away their live CD “leftrightleftrightleft” to all fans attending its Viva La Vida summer tour. Brilliant!

“Playing live is what we love,” says Coldplay. Exactly! It should be. Surely, a day doesn’t go by where you don’t hear about how you should be giving away free music, right? You should be. As I’ve mentioned before, music as a product doesn’t have much value anymore because it’s too common. It’s basic supply and demand.

Ok, so now, instead of hoping in earnest that somebody buys your tracks, you should be hoping that as many of them as possible download them for free. But does that mean you’ll make a penny off of your free downloads down the road? Well, it depends. Coldplay does. And they’re making lots of it. So why can’t you?

Phoenix will be returning to the states this winter and making a stop at The Joint on January 28.

2009 has been a career-defining year for the band with the release of their critically acclaimed album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. Selling more than 200,000 copies to date, WAP is being heralded as one of the best albums of the year. These incredible songs spring to life even more so on stage, with dynamic guitars, infectious choruses and addictive rhythms building to sheer exhilaration as the audience rides Phoenix’s sonic high.

Music publicity has changed drastically in the past few years. Gone are the days when just having a CD was considered a shoe-in, and gone, too, are the days where staying on the road for 6-10 months a year guaranteed a good living.

Here are the days of Pro Tools, cheap CD manufacturing (or DIY at home with a color printer) and the internet… Immediate access to free music and total information overload at the tip of your fingers! The internet is both a blessing (just about everyone with a pulse has access to it) and a curse (just about everyone with a pulse has access to it).

Imagine Joe Hisaishi’s piano combined with Sigur Rós’s crescendo and the images by Hayao Miyazaki running in the background. This is “She Goes To France…” by japanese solo project American Green, in exclusive for Bad Panda.

American Green – She Goes to France… [mp3] [ogg]

There are a lot of musicians and groups that artistically want to stretch people’s minds and make people think, figure out and really dive deep in to the meanings of their songs, their name, their image, different elements of their marketing and other underlining elements that many artists think will add that hip or cool edge to them. The problem that can occur though is flat out confusion or actually deterring more people away from your music and you than helping bringing them to listen to you and want to find out more about you.

Don’t get me wrong, adding elements of stretching the mind and being creative is a great thing, but think about it as a later step or being placed a little deeper in your marketing rather than right there where people get their first impressions. Make it something that fans will have to dig in to as opposed to overly confusing the new listener or first time visitor to one of your social networking sites or website.

Wild stories, confusing bios, songs that make no sense or tie in to the more experimental side of you can be red lights for many people to not want to dig deeper. For example, if you are a grunge/industrial type band with fast loops, dirty guitars and in your face samples with brash harmonies and powerful hooks, having song sample number one on your site be one of the tunes that is least like your sound or one of your more experimental and say softer and more trancesque tune that you use right in between two powerhouse tracks, you may loose the interest right off the bat of the listener that happens to pop on to your website for a minute.

Independent musician Matthew Ryan has announced that he will be releasing a downloadable version of his latest album, Dear Lover, on Oct. 27th.

Ryan posted a bulletin on Myspace, which included a few lyrics from the album:

#9 The World Is… (Copyright PlasticViolin 2009): “I started out with wonder, With air on my teeth, Careful what you wish for, There’s something underneath. Because the world is held together, With lies and promises, And broken hearts, And brand new days, For you to start… all over again.”