PRODIGAL SON: DJ NOBODY EP RELEASE
By Nayeli Garza
Photo by Joey Flaco
Low End Theory veteran DJ Nobody recently swung by Houston to promote the release of his latest project, Prodigal Son. Accompanied by Marcel Rodriguez Lopez, known as of late by his moniker Eureka the Butcher, Nobody titillated a House of Blues crowd on the eve of his EP’s debut, during a performance curated by local tastemakers Kill ‘Em Collective.
The Los Angeles native answered some questions about the current project, as well as his collaboration with Eureka the Butcher - who together are known as Big Game Huntas.
I just dropped this EP called Prodigal Son; it’s kind of like a throwback to my old style of music. My first record was called Soulmates, and it was all just made of, like, jazz and soul and psychedelic loops that were just kind of fit together.
Last year, I took this trip to Hawaii. And this dude showed up, at this record shop…I was with Nocando, so he text him like, “Yo! Where you guys at? I wanna drop off these records for Nobody.”
So I got those, met him, and then in the store copped like one or two other things… And these are like, funk records from Hawaii, you know, I’m talking about like the mellow, soft rock 70’s stuff, but still kind of funky.
The vibe of the records matched his own aesthetic perfectly; Nobody, with his music, evokes an atmospheric mood with an undercurrent of soul. “How high can we make these people feel?,” he laughs as he illuminates a target he keeps in the back of his mind while producing. “When we just make what we want to make,” he says, referring to himself and Eureka, “it just comes out mellow, like stoned, like psychedelic.”
The Big Game Huntas work with a variety of equipment, from synthesizers to instruments to software, to achieve desired arrangements.
It’s a different approach from what most people do nowadays,” Eureka says, and indeed it’s one that contributes to their dynamicity. “Trying to actually play it live then grab the best take for us makes the world of difference. We’re sitting there coming up with a part, and can layer… Oh! That’s the chord, or Oh! That’s the sound. It’s definitely a long approach but it’s that much more fulfilling.
He adds, “Some of the [tracks] we’re proudest of do tend to be the ones that sound like a 70’s band doing it,” which is a testament to the overlap of their musical inspiration, the good stuff that’s soul and rock and psychedelic.
When I took those [records] home, I had those samples, and they were just…
I remember saying, I’m just gonna do one and if it comes out dope, I’ll do more. And it came out mad dope. But then, our friend Ike passed away immediately after that. I kind of just ducked and didn’t really work on shit.
A few months later, Nobody took up the idea again, working again from the treasure trove of samples. Unsurprisingly, the successive attempts were capable of taking on a life of their own.
It was a purposeful attempt to recreate my old shit. I listened to a lot of the stuff I was listening to back then; a lot of DJ Shadow and Wu Tang, just to get my head in the same place. And then Eureka moved out to LA so he was able to add some to it… synthesizers and solos, and stuff to make it move a little more.
It became this almost dedication to our friend who passed away, Ike. I had my friend Satire, who is a rapper, write a song based on this saying he used to say all the time, that ain’t nothing good ever happen after midnight. Then I had my friend Mike Eagle do the last song on it. It’s kind of like a concept record, I wanted it to be about going home.
It’s kind of based on the biblical tale of the prodigal son. So it’s like a story record. I’m happy with the way it came out. People seem to enjoy it.
Cop the album via Alpha Pup Records, and be sure to check out DJ Nobody’s Soundcloud for a preview. For more sweet collaborations around town, tune into Kill ‘Em Collective’s social media pages to follow the buzz.
- Leo
