The Creative Process and Soundscapes with Nils

Carl sits down with Nils, a multi-talented German smooth jazz artist and producer. His music is heavily influenced by funk and fusion. To stay fresh musically, he listens to various genres, including electronic music and old-school R&B, while also looking for new ideas and avenues to advance his artistry. Nils describes his creative process, which begins with writing every day without criticism, compiling ideas into folders on the computer, and refining each song by editing performances and sculpting the music. He usually records 15 songs for an album, but only 12 make the cut. He revisits old tracks to find new inspiration or use them as competitive pieces for his next record. His favorite parts of producing are creating original ideas at the beginning, playing lead guitar at the end, and mixing, which he has become confident enough to do himself. Live-streaming shows every Saturday kept Nils in touch with his fans during the pandemic.He shares his story of how he flew to Germany when both his parents were in the hospital, expressing gratitude that he had the chance to be with them. He also wrote a song for his father based on the Hendrix classic “Hey Joe” and added chord substitutions to make it more interesting. Tune in to find out about his latest album, written during a challenging time in life, containing upbeat and bluesy songs meant to uplift people instead of bring them down. Listen to Nils discuss how being a rock guitar player taught him jazz and other styles, allowing him recently to produce a rock & roll record while looking back at his early roots.Episode Highlights10:04 - The production process always seems to be longer than I want because then I can get other musicians involved and edit their performances and what you had in mind. It becomes a cohesive recording and presentation of the music.10:26 - Usually I leave my own guitar playing for the end. I start with the guitar when I write. I lay down a melody, and I'll basically just improvise or come up with certain things that are here in my head, so I have a guide to what it's going to be.20:27 - I'm feeling confident enough over my mixes and now have been mixing for other artists quite a bit, like I've mixed Johnny Britt's record and a mix of film scores for my friend, Catherine Bostic. For me, that's a big part of the production in a way because when I lay down certain parts, I hear where they're supposed to be in the mix.ContactFresh Coast Jazz FestivalNils