11. Herbie HancockDedication
This goes from sad and elegant to funky – and it’s a real collector’s album. Where did you first hear it?
I have no idea where I first heard it. I heard Nobu for the first time in 2010 or 2011 and I was just like, ‘what the hell is this?’ And when I found out it was him, I was like, ‘can this man do no wrong, what is his DEAL?’ He’s a genius, you know. I was obsessed with the sequencer tunes, the synthesiser sound. I thought upon hearing this, “this is the greatest pianist of all time, having fun by himself, with his sequencers – one day I will have fun with sequencers”.Trying to imagine these things for myself, having chords, melodies – and finally I guess, like, ten years later I was able to realise this with this album.
Would you advise others to basically be radicalised by an album and embark on a whole career and creative process around it?
Absolutely. I think that my entire career as Nite Jewel is a matter of having been inspired by other people’s work, and what they’ve done, and thinking of it as a model of possibilities for me. I grew up in a time when people were superstars, and all these underground records’ sounds were guiding points and signposts for me… these were records that said, “there’s a path for you.”
Do you still think there is a space for superstars?
I think so, because I love Rosalía and she definitely is becoming a superstar. she has a vision, a very strong vision. That’s what separates superstars from viral stars.
