Christchurch Press 29 October 1999

While 1998s Movement established the Nomad as one of New Zealands foremost drum and bass producers, on his Second Selection he takes the slow lane into dub territory. Which is not to say that this is an album that requires a couch and a Camberwell carrot to fully appreciate there is still enough of a subtle jungle edge to keep you upright and shuffling. Layering the beats and effects over fat, floor quaking bass lines (courtesy of Salmonella Dubs, Mark Tyler), The Nomad calls in the vocal expertise of Pearl Runga, Farda P (Rockers Hi Fi), and Charmed 1 to round out the sounds. However as great as the vocal tracks are and Charmed 1s honeyed voice would sweeten any track it is on eerie, trumpeted Luna that The Nomad finds dub perfection.

Four out of Five

New Zealand Musician

There has been a bit of a revolution going down in the New Zealand music scene recently, centered around the garden city. Christchurch has thrown up a diverse crop of artists including Bic Runga, Zed, The Feelers, Dark Tower and Salmonella Dub, each of which have stomped all over the charts, dominating ears and airwaves alike.

As the ball continues to roll, the next artist ready to trap it, juggle it around, and smash it into the back of the net is beat-and-groove whiz kid, Daimon Schwalger, AKA The Nomad. Except hes not really from Christchurch.

"I was born in Dunedin", he informs. "I moved to Christchurch some time after that, and thats where I did my first album."

He does contribute an inside word on the Christchurch phenomenon though.

"Its maybe just the South Island being a bit more laid-back. People get their heads down and do a bit more work, rather than getting caught up in the city thing. Its cheap to live here, so you can put a bit more of a focus and money into passions like music."

And that is what he has done, with Second Selection, the follow up to his debut album Movement, released earlier this month.

Daimon started his musical career 11 years ago, DJing at local clubs in Dunedin.

"My first gig was at a real dodgy nightclub in Dunedin, right at the bottom end of the scale as far as DJing in cool places and wanting to be at the top goes. I slaved away over the decks six nights a week just playing music I liked hip hop and old school beat-masters house music."

After moving to Christchurch and winning a DJ competition things started to happen. Daimon has always been into beats and electronic music, recalling his time in Hamilton as a teenager, where he embraced break-dancing and "all that electronic stuff. "But thats enough about Daimon, lets move onto The Nomad for they are two almost separate entities.

"Daimon is the name I use when Im DJing, Playing other peoples music. When I create my own music and do live stuff, Im the Nomad".

The Nomads chosen poisons are dub, hip hop and drum n bass and his preferred means of dripping them into the listeners system is by getting in session musicians and guest collaborators to record live parts, which he then goes on to work on to obtain the finished product.

"Im more a producer that works with a lot of musicians. I record live music and go for a big love dubby, rootsy, organic feel. Ive been doing lots of collaborations (names hes worked with include Farda P from Rockers Hi Fi, Lotus, Pearl Runga, and Salmonella Dub). People can make music by themselves, but ultimately if you do get in people you wanna sample rather than getting something off a record then you have something original that moulds into the spine you made to start with, and it also sounds clearer. Remixings cool but creating something from zero is a really nice feeling."

Movement, The Nomads first album instantly found favor with beat fans and instantly sold out of its run. Festival Records took notice and as a consequence Second Selection is being distributed by the label.

"The first album I wrote and produced myself and recorded and mixed in my bedroom. I got 600 copies pressed at Dex Audio (Melbourne), and got it distributed through Border Music" (Auckland Distribution company), The Nomad explains. "I knew I had a product there, and I wanted to do the first one independently. It sold in eight months."

With a number of back orders The Nomad plans to re-release Movement again, possibly as a mix CD with a few new tracks. He has spent this year working on Second Selection.

"For the new album I had three record companies approach me. I choose Festival because they suited my needs and they have a real homemade style and vibe. Thats more important to me at the end of the day than someone else who thinks in units."

The Nomad is not pretentious in any way an accusation often leveled at DJs who get caught up in their own importance. Although DJing has changed drastically over the years he still uses his same old turntables and mixer (singling out his Technic 1200 for special mention), and he admits to having no idea what speed garage is (a sure relief to all those still struggling with trance and jungle).

One thing he is guilty of being is productive. With an album just out, The Nomad is busy planning his national tour. He will be back in Wellington where he currently resides, to shoot a video for Where Are You? after that, and is already talking about touring Australia and starting another record."

Second Selection was recorded in his home studio using "a sampler, a computer for sampling and sequencing lots of musicians, and a crazy mindset. The instruments were recorded live in my studio onto hard drive and then I mixed it down and produced it".

Wellington is a good city to launch the album says Daimon.

"As far as touring is concerned Wellington is a really convenient place to be based in. Auckland is close, Christchurch is closeits a nice middle place. Ive pretty much got my network sussed in New Zealand, and Ive got record company back-up, so it really doesnt matter where Im based I could be on a little remote island on the West Coast and still do the same thing.

So the Nomad cap fits right?

"Yeah, ever since I was a little kid Ive been travelling overseas and all over New Zealand, but the name is also Daimon spelt backwards." Now I bet you didnt know that.

Rip It Up

The Nomad aka Daimon has just released his second album aptly entitled Second Selection and the response has been massive. A year in the process, Daimon created Second Selection taking one track at a time and not realising the outcome or the response to the album would be so huge.

"It sort of just evolved naturally then at the end I though I might as well mix it down. All the production was done in my studio so I had a long time to spend on tracks without having to worry about paying for studio time. So the album for me had a real home vine to it."

Sampling is however one thing that Daimon tries to avoid.

"Ultimately I like to create stuff from scratch, so Im creating a new original sound."

Touring to promote his new album as well as several radio and television spots, Daimon has been very busy of late causing many a rukus where ever he is playing, a packed night recently at Aucklands Galatos proving this without a doubt.

Daimon has also been in collaboration with a great deal of local and overseas talent for the 'Second Selection' as well as other side projects in the wings.141, a track that features the mighty Farda P form Rockers Hi FI was a track that came out of the Nomads support throughout the South Island with Rockers on their recent tour. The track, already made, needed some vocals. When Daimon mentioned this and played the track to the Rockers crew, Farda P was more than happy to oblige.

Hailing from Christchurch Daimon has recently moved to Wellington. Christchurch scene-wise, is definitely getting better and bigger by the month, with huge interest in all areas of electronic music on the rise. However, one thing it is lacking (and not just Christchurch) is the need for different scenes and tastes to come together, one thing that Daimon strives for.

"Im interested in creating a universal sound a sound which stretches across all boundaries. Its like life; you have to be open minded to all different things. It is pretty important to me."

Daimons reason for moving to Wellington is because of its feel. "Its more creative and has a really nice transient vibe."

Daimon is also interested in starting up a collective in Wellington with his friends Simon, Downtown Brown and MC Antsman, they hope to start a recording studio as well as press vinyl. Jack of all trades Daimon is also co-producing his own music videos for the album, the first of which is Where Are You? a track which features local singer Lotus who has been residing in Australia of late. Daimon flew her back to New Zealand especially for the tour and since her arrival back in the country she has received a lot of interest in her wicked vocal talents.

Second Selection is being released as a limited double vinyl pressing later in the year, with various remixes from Suptropic as well as other bonus tracks and instrumentals. Look out.

Real Groove October 1999

The appropriately titled sophomore album Second Selection might come as a surprise to those familiar with his debut album Movement. Or indeed his recent remix of Salmonella Dubs For the Love of It. Second Selection jettisons Movements predominately jungle sounds opting for a tasty laid-back mix of dub and trip hop a combination which evidently come naturally to the Nomad aka Daimon Schwalger, whose musical roots are stepped in old school electro and hip hop.

"I used to be right into breakdancing when it first came out" explains Schwalger. "Old electro and Planet Rock, Rock Steady Crew I was about 12 years old and living in Hamilton. From there I moved to Dunedin and got into early Eric B and Rakim, Kraftwork and Mantronix. About eight-year ago I brought a drum machine and started doing my own stuff. I also used my own turntables. Id make some beats put some loops over the top of it, record it on to tape and the scratch over the top of that. It was a really old school way of doing things. I got seriously into it and I formed a band called Locust, which was like ambient Drum and Bass."

Schwalgers interest in drum n bass was evident on Movement although he is quick to point out that his musical tastes have no defined boundaries. "I was really into jungle and had been following all the breakbeat, hip hop styles over the years. With Movement I was into drum and bass but it wasnt the only style I was into and the same is true for Second Selection. I try to use different styles on all the projects I do and my next album will be something else again."

Second Selection represents a big step up for Schwalger. "As a person, Ive grown up quite a bit since Movement as far as production and the studio goes. Ive learnt quite a bit, collaborated with more people and become more open-minded. My new album represents me a bit better as far as production goes the longer you do it the better it gets.

Schwalger assembled an impressive band of collaborators for Second Selection including Rockers Hi Fi, MC Antsman and Farda P, who guests on 141.

"I toured with Rockers in the South Island when they came here, theyre lovely guys and I got to know them really well. They dug what Im doing and I suggested doing a track with Farda P as a joke and he was really into it. We went into the studio and recorded it freestyle in about an hour."

Schwalgers Nomad moniker stems not only from his musical intransigence but from the fact that he has never live in the same place for an extended period of time.

"I call myself The Nomad because Ive always travelled. Ever since I was a baby Ive travelled around the world and lived in different countries and all over New Zealand. I dont consider myself to be from anywhere in New Zealand. I just consider myself a New Zealander. I dont have any roots as to what city I come from because Ive lived in Hamilton and Pukekohe. I was born in Dunedin and Ive just moved to Wellington from Christchurch and Im touring the country for the rest of this year."

Schwalger was part of the close-knit Christchurch scene for over five years working with hip hoppers Beats and Pieces and contributing to Andrew Penman of Salmonella Dubs On the Beaten Track compilations. How does the Nomad see Christchurch in comparison to the rest of Aotearoa?

"The different cities in New Zealand are very similar in many ways, but as far as it goes, if people are going to succeed, there comes a time when you need to move away from small cities to where the money is. But Christchurch has been really good to me since Ive been able to put my head down and get lots of work done without too much night life happening. I like all the main centres and really like New Zealand as a whole. I really want to base myself here. Curiously, as with Schwalger, other New Zealand drum and bass producers such as Trigger X and 50Hz, have also moved away from making strictly drum and bass, incorporating the jungle sound into a wider canvas.

"Its like a whole new thing," explains Schwalger. "With the drum and bass scene the party vibe tends to be quite hard and dark. I prefer to go to gigs that have a really good vibe and don't feel so harsh. Most of the DJs playing drum and bass in New Zealand tend to look overseas for reference points. A lot of New Zealand producers are doing their own thing and dont have much to do with the DJs, who are hard-core about what theyre doing and not even producing their own music. Ultimately for me its about representing New Zealand and having an Aotearoa sound keeping it nice, happy and positive. Its all about being experimental and pushing the boundaries by doing music that you really like and not looking too much at overseas reference points. In New Zealand we like overseas music because it is foreign to us and because of its new and different sounds. It can also work the other way around with people overseas hearing something from New Zealand and going wow! This is really cool and different. And its already happening because theres so much amazing music at the moment."

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