Written by the B&B Crew
Wednesday, 15 February 2012 08:52
Q&A -
Nicky Romero & Deniz Koyu recently delivered a brand new compilation for Fedde Le Grand's Flamingo label. Click below for a lengthy Q&A with rising star Romero, who talks about the compilation, his methods of producing a track, and much more...
The acclaimed record label Flamingo Recordings has released their third smash-hit compilation entitled “Flamingo Nights 3 – Amsterdam Edition” which is a double disc mixed my Nicky Romero and Deniz Koyu. This hot CD compilation is a must-have to spice up any moment of your life.
Expect to hear anthems such as Fedde Le Grande ‘So Much Love’, Green Velvet ‘Flash’, Avicii ‘Sweet Dreams’, Axwell ‘Heart is King’, and even homegrown South African dance act Goldfish appear on disc two with ‘Soundtracks & Comebacks’ mixed by Fedde Le Grand. Nicky Romero, Hardwell, Dirty South and Wippenberg also blaze great sounds from the double delight production.
... now let's hand the mic to Nicky Romero.
For those that don’t yet know, tell us a little bit about yourself? I am Nicky Romero, Dj/Producer, active within the scene for about three years now. People may know me from tracks like My Friend, my remix for green Velvet’s Flash, Camorra etc.
After their first two albums, the Flamingo boss men Fedde and Funkerman have passed you the reigns of the series. Are you feeling a heavy weight of responsibility!? In a way I do, Fedde and Funkerman have been doing this for a while and it is hard to even try to match what they did for the first two installments of this comp. It was a meticulous job putting together a tracklist that I was satisfied with completely, but I am very satisfied with the result.
Define your mix in three adjectives. Big room, Energetic, Uplifting
How difficult did you find it to a) compile and b) mix it? Compiling the tracklist was a bit of a task. I found it hard to choose in a way as there is loads of good music out there at the moment. Then there is the issue of not being able to get all the tracks you want to used licensed which is a hard one sometimes. There are always exclusivity issues and territory restrictions, but on the other hand that is where the label comes in. So the frustrating thing sometimes is not being able to use that one track you were hoping to use because of legal hassles. But you have to accept this and move on, in the end we got there and I am very happy with the result. Once I had the running order for the tracks figured out the mix was there before I knew it!
What aspect of a compiled track do you find most important on a track: beats, synths, melodies, vocals or production polish? Well I try to hold a very high standard when it comes to the production standard so all the tracks I play and compiled for that matter have to be up to par. There is not one element that is most important it is a combination of these things that make a good track.
If someone was fancying the Amsterdam Edition as a Christmas present, which track from your mix would you tell them to check in order to seal the deal? That is a tough one as I feel most tracks on there would pull someone over the edge, I’d say Fedde’s So Much Love would do the trick. At risk of sounding arrogant maybe Camorra too J
In 2011 what do you think the dance capital of a) Europe and b) the world is? I’d say there is not one dance capital. You see all the techno guys hanging out in Berlin and I believe in LA there is a mass Swedish immigration movement going on at the moment. Music and the way it spreads throughout the net these days makes for a global scene I feel.
Flamingo Nights have now visited Ibiza, New York and Amsterdam. If it was up to you, where would you have them go next? MIAMI!
Which year did you first become EDM ‘aware’!? Ha ha, since I was 13 or 14 I would say.
How important is the endorsement/support of artists like David Guetta to you as a DJ? First and foremost, having people like David endorse me is one of the greatest honors ever bestowed upon me if you say it like that : ) I am flattered with this and of course having one of the world’s biggest artists back you up is very important. The reach he has is enormous, so chuffed!
Which of your tracks has had the most significant impact on your career to date? I would have to say it was the remake I did for my friend based on Groove Armada track and for the states it definitely was the remix I did for Green Velvets track ‘Flash’.
Have you got album plans? The plan is always there but it is still a tad too early for this to my opinion. I am starting a label early in 2012, I want to focus on that first and later-on start looking at doing an album.
How did your remix of Green Velvet’s ‘Flash’ come about? I was approached by someone to do this someone who brokers in remixes and is always on the ball and knows new talent, so he gave me a shot and I got to work.
Having Stefano Noferini‘s ‘Fucking House Muzik’ start the mix sounds like a strong statement of intent! Do you feel it’s an accurate one? Yeah I would agree with that statement hehe. I try to tell a story with this mix and was looking for a beginning that made sense, so a nice techy track with a great drive seems to work best.
Ending on Matteo Di’Marr’s Radiohead cover ‘Creep’ was an interesting move. How did you come across that track? I think I received that in a promo mail, sometimes these little gems are just thrown in your lap ;-)
Q&A - 
