Joining us at the KEF Space in the Nexus Lounge, Amsterdam, we spoke with Roland Clark about his favorite places to perform, his advice to young musicians, and the power of spoken word music.
A true DJ legend, his aliases include Jesus Jackson, Houseboy, South Street Player, Digital Pimps, and Dark Clark, but we all know the sound of Roland Clark when we hear him.
After first hitting the music scene in 1987 with his track “Why!” Roland Clark worked his way from success to success with notable tracks, including “I Get Deep,” “Running on Sunshine,” and “Flowerz.”
"I think Flowerz is the worst mixed song ever," said Roland Clark, when discussing his work, "but I think people loved it because of the vibe… Sometimes you can get away with things not being mixed right, but that means that the actual content of the song is so good that it doesn't matter."
Of course, over the years, Roland Clark has had plenty of opportunities come his way, but he says that his favorite venues are still small and intimate places. That said, he did note that playing at Ushuaïa was “Magical.”
Now, every artist has their reasons for making the music they do, but for Roland Clark, the message is perhaps more than most. He says it’s very message-oriented because so much of his work is spoken word. He aims to uplift people without being preachy and hopefully give them a message they haven’t heard before.
As an industry veteran, Roland Clark had a lot of helpful advice for up-and-coming musicians about the best ways to approach creativity.
"Don't Pigeonhole yourself. If you know how to do more than one thing, do more than one thing. If you think you can write a country song, then write a country song… There's a muscle in your brain, that creative muscle, and you help it grow."
Lastly, Roland Clark also had some important words to say on the business of music specifically and why young musicians should learn about the various ways – both traditional and less so – that they can make money through their own music.
"Keep things for yourself because when you give a record to a label, they control the master… You want to be able to control your own master; you want to be able to control your own publishing and your neighboring rights… Learn the business of music."
If you’d like to learn more about Roland Clark, his incredible collaborations, and his favorite Karaoke tracks, then why not check out the full, exclusive Nexus Radio interview? You can also follow his social media on Facebook for all the latest about his upcoming releases/concerts.
