We recently met up with our friend, Brooklyn-based recording artist Nana B, to talk about recording, performing, the future, and the journey. Read our conversation below.
Nana plays us the unreleased track “10k Hours”
Simen and I have been working on that song for maybe a year and a half/ two years. We finally finished it, but it’s gone through probably four versions. I originally got the beat from this guy in Atlanta, and wrote to it. I sent the beat to Simen and he found a new sample, and we recorded something. We went back to it again with a whole different beat. Then I had an idea for like a third beat which ended up being what we have now.
It went through a long process but we’re finally done and it sounds pretty cool to me. I’m excited about it. It took 10k hours to write '10k Hours' pretty much (laughs).
How similar is this final iteration to the original piece?
It’s actually kind of like four different songs, and what we have now has been what we’ve been trying to get out of it.
Deciding when a project is done always seems to be the hardest part.
It’s only one song, but it’s the kind of a song that will help all the other songs. Like ‘are they as good as this one?’ it just gives us a good base. It’s pretty dope, I like that we’re starting with this one.
Are you planning to release an EP, singles, an album?
With the project I was initially going to try a lot of these different sounds we’ve been messing with. Different feels we like. I was going to do a couple EPs like three songs that are a certain vibe, three with another vibe, and another one. Instead, now I think it’d be more fun to just put out a song a month, and keep performing live, building the following.
So, 10k Hours is the one we’re putting out in May, and then we’ll go from there. I’m excited man, I’m hyped.
I don't think we've talked since your show at Wooster, how was it?
It was crazy. I went to school there. I graduated about five years ago. Being in New York, and then going back to Wooster, I feel like as soon as we got on campus- it was obvious that we were like the new guys in town. It was crazy. It brought back a lot of memories. It was really fun. People were excited. It was awesome. I want to do more schools, that’d be a lot of fun.
You’ve got some more shows on the schedule too?
We’ve got a show coming up on May 28th at Pianos, not too far from Arlene’s Grocery where the last one was. I’m excited. Simen and I are going to be rocking for like an hour. Then we’ve got a bunch of other shows planned out for the summer that I actually just found out about today.
The show at Arlene’s was rad.
That was my first time performing there, but I’ve been there a lot. It was great. The sound and, the vibe were great. There were a lot of people there too man.
The place was packed.
Somebody hit me up like ‘I can’t get in’. I was like what are you talking about bro?
The line was down the block!
(Laughs). I couldn’t believe that. That’s wild, crazy.
What’s the backstory for the '2AM Cruise' shows/project.
I feel like there are two meanings. It’s about the journey, like everybody’s journey. All the things that have happened to get you to where you are now. Then it’s also about me. I moved around a lot before I got to New York. You know that feeling when you get to a new city and you go out, and you get back home at like 5am, and you get that adrenalin rush because it’s a new place. We’re trying to get that vibe.
That’s interesting when you’ve played unreleased/ unfinished songs, you’re kind of including your audience in your journey.
I think that’s another reason why I want to put out a song a month. I’ll put out a song, and then we’ll have a show, then maybe another song. I’d want to keep adding to the songs as we go. Like 10k Hours, when I performed it in February it was different than when I performed it in April. Now when we perform it, it’ll be the finished version. And then we’re going to go to the next song, and the next show.
I’m excited for the journey.
Follow Nana B.
Nana B. (SoundCloud)
@nanabcool (Instagram)
nanab.com
Nana plays us the unreleased track “10k Hours”
Simen and I have been working on that song for maybe a year and a half/ two years. We finally finished it, but it’s gone through probably four versions. I originally got the beat from this guy in Atlanta, and wrote to it. I sent the beat to Simen and he found a new sample, and we recorded something. We went back to it again with a whole different beat. Then I had an idea for like a third beat which ended up being what we have now.
It went through a long process but we’re finally done and it sounds pretty cool to me. I’m excited about it. It took 10k hours to write '10k Hours' pretty much (laughs).
How similar is this final iteration to the original piece?
It’s actually kind of like four different songs, and what we have now has been what we’ve been trying to get out of it.
Deciding when a project is done always seems to be the hardest part.
It’s only one song, but it’s the kind of a song that will help all the other songs. Like ‘are they as good as this one?’ it just gives us a good base. It’s pretty dope, I like that we’re starting with this one.
Are you planning to release an EP, singles, an album?
With the project I was initially going to try a lot of these different sounds we’ve been messing with. Different feels we like. I was going to do a couple EPs like three songs that are a certain vibe, three with another vibe, and another one. Instead, now I think it’d be more fun to just put out a song a month, and keep performing live, building the following.
So, 10k Hours is the one we’re putting out in May, and then we’ll go from there. I’m excited man, I’m hyped.
I don't think we've talked since your show at Wooster, how was it?
It was crazy. I went to school there. I graduated about five years ago. Being in New York, and then going back to Wooster, I feel like as soon as we got on campus- it was obvious that we were like the new guys in town. It was crazy. It brought back a lot of memories. It was really fun. People were excited. It was awesome. I want to do more schools, that’d be a lot of fun.
You’ve got some more shows on the schedule too?
We’ve got a show coming up on May 28th at Pianos, not too far from Arlene’s Grocery where the last one was. I’m excited. Simen and I are going to be rocking for like an hour. Then we’ve got a bunch of other shows planned out for the summer that I actually just found out about today.
The show at Arlene’s was rad.
That was my first time performing there, but I’ve been there a lot. It was great. The sound and, the vibe were great. There were a lot of people there too man.
The place was packed.
Somebody hit me up like ‘I can’t get in’. I was like what are you talking about bro?
The line was down the block!
(Laughs). I couldn’t believe that. That’s wild, crazy.
What’s the backstory for the '2AM Cruise' shows/project.
I feel like there are two meanings. It’s about the journey, like everybody’s journey. All the things that have happened to get you to where you are now. Then it’s also about me. I moved around a lot before I got to New York. You know that feeling when you get to a new city and you go out, and you get back home at like 5am, and you get that adrenalin rush because it’s a new place. We’re trying to get that vibe.
That’s interesting when you’ve played unreleased/ unfinished songs, you’re kind of including your audience in your journey.
I think that’s another reason why I want to put out a song a month. I’ll put out a song, and then we’ll have a show, then maybe another song. I’d want to keep adding to the songs as we go. Like 10k Hours, when I performed it in February it was different than when I performed it in April. Now when we perform it, it’ll be the finished version. And then we’re going to go to the next song, and the next show.
I’m excited for the journey.
Follow Nana B.
Nana B. (SoundCloud)
@nanabcool (Instagram)
nanab.com
