Interviews

Interview: nomar slevik

nomar slevik
June 2007 – Interview

With a brand spankin’ new new album out on Hawaiian indie label SIQ Records,
Nomar Slevik ponders life outside his studio in Freeport, ME..

Are you from maine?
Yes, originally from Fort Kent, then on to Bar Harbor. I did a hot minute in Boston and then settled in to Portland for a while. Now I reside in Freeport, ME.

When did you start producing/mc’n?
Shit, long time ago… 1992. My father got a me this big ugly Casio keyboard, its been on ever since…
damn I wish I still had that thing.

Who are you listening to nowadays?
Howard Stern religiously… but in my current rotation… new Sage, new Grand Buffet EP/Single,
any beats RPM sends me and I cant wait to cop that new DJ Mayo CD.

How did your new record deal come about?
“Deal” is kind of a strong word, but just like any other label, I sent them my bullshit and they dug it. Seriously though, SIQ Records has been amazing, I love them fools.

What do you have for upcoming/new releases?
Out now is my new album “Sasquatch: The Great Dying”.
That shit took two years to come out. I hope whoever hears it, enjoys it. I also did a record with Moshe called,”The Tules - A Haunter’s Workshop”. This was fun because he did all the beats and I got to lounge around and write silly lyrics. It was a nice change of pace for me. During the whole Sasquatch ordeal,I recorded an EP called “Welcome to Fuckland”. Seven songs of straight industrial funk… yup Indufunk- deal with it.

What do you use for gear?
Roland D2, Casiotone MT-210, Sony Digital Voice Recorder and an old school, beltdrive Technics DJ turntable for samples. I plug that bitch directly into my computer’s soundcard, hot…

All time favorite piece of gear?
Boss DR-5 Drum Machine. Ask jdwalker, that fucker is addicting. If I could have anything though…
MPC 2000XL, sexy right?

What’s the best place to hear hip hop in Portland?
Shit yo, Big Easy for the Boondocks and Shade theme nights… thuh fuck you think?

How does Portland’s hip hop scene rate on a national scale?
Im really not sure, nor am I very smart, but I guess you could gage some of it by the Anticon success or by the likes of jdwalker, Sontiago, Brzowski, Moshe…

Who are your favorite local artists?
Rentone is still my favorite rapper… I love that dude. Bread is nasty. Anything jdwalker puts out is mad sexy. Producers…. Boondocks, RPM, Mayo and the homie Agent8.

What is something we as artists can do to improve the scene here in Portland?
I have no idea. Im very removed from the local scene. Not by choice because I am a local artist.
I just hide up in my house in Freeport making beats and writing songs. I dont know enough to comment intelligently.

Any last comments?
I just relaunched nomarslevik.com… please check it out if you can. Also, buy Sasquatch and you’ll be supporting cool shit. www.siqrecords.com.

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