Brightest Young Things

Header photo: Josh Sisk
all other images: Nadastrom myspace

Dave Nada and Matt Nordstrom are total badasses. They ride motorcycles, sell women, and take care of business with knives. That's not true. Nadastrom may not be outlaw bikers, but they do make totally out of control music that is getting recognized at the highest levels and by the most influential circles (that includes you!)

Nadastrom releases their EP "Saved" this Friday at the 411 warehouse (buy tickets here)- this will be their last performance until 2010 and the party is bound to be epic- If you're lucky, Nadastrom might wink at you and steal your soul.

We were able to sit down and talk to Dave and Matt about "vibing", wrecking hotel rooms, and the future of DC's music scene....

You guys are world renowned for a big, multi-faceted sound.  How long did it take for you guys to *click* and build this sound?

What is your creative process like? Do you work independently then come together with your ideas or do you start and finish together?

We've taken both approaches in the past. Sometimes I'll come up with a beat and Matt will come up with a melody and vice versa. Or we would create a track from scratch in one session. Ultimately, we don't like to limit ourselves in ways of creating music. We come from such diverse musical backgrounds, it's just kind of how we roll. We know several ways to skin a cat.

Outside of actually DJing and playing out, what are you listening to now in your ipods?

Lots of Jahdan. His new album is really hot, especially "The General". On a similar tip, "Yuh Love" by Dre Skull ft. Vibez Kartel. Been on repeat since it dropped earlier this summer. We've been listening to lots of Metallica (Masters Of Puppets & And Justice For All), Bad Brains, Sunny Day Real Estate, Baltimore Club and definitely Maxwell's new album "Blacksummer's Night".

If you could not DJ or produce but you had to contribute to the arts, what would you do and why?

We'd both would like to teach. After all of these years, we've learned that we're still huge nerds that loves to talk about music, art, culture and share that with people.

^{photo by: carleton hall}

You guys just released The Saved EP on Dubsided (which is already sold out on vinyl). What else is currently cooking in the oven besides your hectic upcoming touring schedule?

We did a remix for Will Eastman's new single "Feelin" on Plant Music that will be released early december. We're also working on a remix for our boy Pase Rock for a Dim Mak release. Besides that, we've been focusing on writing material for our debut album. That's been the prime focus for us right now.

How do you pass all the idle time that occurs when you are traveling?

Haha, we either work on music or watch Dave Chappelle DVD's.

It seems like this past year has seen a positive recharging of D.C.'s scene, with folks starting to put out tracks, open clubs, etc. 2010 isn't so far away. What do you think the coming year will be like for dance music in D.C.?

That's a great question. We've been really excited about all the music coming from our own backyard, from producers like Starks and Nacey, to artists like Output Message, to promoters like Chris Burns and the 88 techno cats, and to recent club owners Will Eastman and Tittsworth. There's a gang of talent (way too much to name drop in this interview) and so much room for growth and development. We are nothing more than excited for DC in 2010. Lezzgo.

You guys have been getting attention from some really heavy hitters internationally.  Is there anybody you'd especially like to meet or come across in your travels?

Man we're huge nerds so that list of people would be endless. We're privilaged to have already worked with and share bills with cats like Tittsworth, Laidback Luke, Major Lazer, Steve Aoki, Major Lazer, Crookers, Radio Slave, Dubfire, Duck Sauce, Riva Starr, Jack Beats, Blaqstarr, Kid Cudi, Nic Fancuilli, etc. We definitely want to catch Kenny Meez and Federation Sound do their thing as soon as possible.

What's your pre-gig routine? How do you get in the mood to throwdown?

Sometimes we'll listen to DJ Class and wreck a hotel room dead sober, or enjoy a nice healthy dinner with friends. That gets the job done for us.

Friday is gonna be a real treat for your hometown crew, especially since you guys rarely get to play long extended afterhours sets in DC. What are you guys looking forward to for Friday's party and what is gonna make it extra special?

Well, it's going to be a real treat for US too. Haha. We rarely get to take over an entire night and take people on a wild ride with us, so we've been looking forward to this night for a long time. Also, it's a celebration of our new EP, which we're super proud of. We're gonna go all out! Oh and of course we have the honor of featuring our friend and amazing producer Lazaro Casanova and Jay-You from Pet Food to spin sets as well. Damn, gettin' goosebumps just thinking about it. Lezgo.

Want more:

Socialize with NADASTROM online here: http://www.myspace.com/nadastrom and make sure you check out their EP release party this Friday.