The Brag

Nadastrom
Bring The Noise
By RK

Dave Nada and Matt Nordstrom are a spectacular and capable duo. Their project’s name requires no explanation, and their music speaks for itself. “Matt and I met through a mutual friend, who’s a DJ and club owner here in Washington DC,” says Nada, born Dave Villegas, of the embryonic stage of a fruitful relationship. “I’d known him for quite some time and we had crossed paths a couple of times – we went to a lot of the same raves and punk shows. Especially in the ‘90s, there was a big punk and rock scene here in the US. It was a great time. By the time the millennium turned, things were getting real, and by the middle of the decade I had a residency in Baltimore and was really digging the sounds of the day, and was releasing some cool records and stuff.”

It was as if by fate that a friend asked if Dave knew Matt, who was looking for feedback on some mixes. That was around the summer of 2006 and from there, the boys started sharing music, thoughts and ideas. Since then, their determination to make something special of it has only gathered pace. “At that time,” Dave says, “the Dubsided thing came along, and we started releasing on the label. Right now, both of us feel like we have such a wide background – I played in punk bands for years and Matt has an interesting background as well. I really have to give it up to the early DC/Baltimore scene around 2000, because there were so many crazy parties. There was such a range of things going on, and we grew up on that.”

The lads bring all of those old ideas into their productions, adding their own unique sound to the mix while being influenced by the current music they favour. “With the music we’ve been remixing and producing lately, it has been a real opportunity for us to do music that isn’t constrained – we can do hip hop and hood music, or something totally different. Our music is easy enough to work with, so we might fuse Latin or techno; bringing your own sound is like having an open platform.

“With the latest EP we did for Scion [Records], things sound a little more like techno,” he continues. “We’ve also done some other stuff that has a raw kind of drum and bass style – different vibes and feelings, that’s what we’re about. It’s not about slowing down a house record for us; we’re about energy, and we grew up on all kinds of music. We can flex even more, even with different tempos. We’re not just in the 130bpm range.”

The lads are chuffed about their pending return to Australia, which will see them playing the Ivy Courtyard on Australia Day – and they’re bringing with them some pretty special new tunes. “Between the two of us, we like to keep it pretty simple. For the gigs in Australia, we’re going to be showcasing tonnes of new music,” he says. “We want to bring the bass music in general. After coming off tour with Skrillex, we feel like that vibe has rubbed off a lot on us; it was bringing this amazing energy, and that is the sort of energy we want to bring to our shows in Australia. There’s plenty of exclusive stuff, and the two of us really want to bring the noise. It’s going to be a great party!”

With: Yolanda Be Cool, Starfucker DJs, Bombs Away, Dance Club DJs and heaps more
Where: Courtyard Party @ The Ivy
When: Thursday January 26 (Australia Day)