Nothing, not even a global pandemic, could stop Nils from once again dominating the radio airwaves with those trademark ultra-melodic, funky and infectious vibes that perfectly reflected the title of his 2020 album Caught in the Groove. Billboard declared the multi-talented guitarist, composer and producer the #1 Smooth Jazz Airplay Artist for all of 2021 on the strength of four hit singles that added extra fire to a 15-year legacy that began with making contemporary jazz history with his first #1 “Pacific Coast Highway,” which was Billboard’s Song of the Decade 2001-2010. In addition to the #1 hits “Caught in the Groove” and “Outta Sight,” his last album included “Above the Clouds” (#3) and the Top 10 track “I Like the Way You Do It.” Nils also scored big in 2020 as producer and co-writer of pianist Lisa Addeo’s #1 smash “Listen To This.” And on the side, he got back to his hard rockin’ roots by producing an album for emerging indie rock singer Ayline Artin.
Though the hipster title of Nils’ latest (and eleventh overall) Baja/TSR album Cool Shades might lead longtime fans to believe the collection is dazzling, eclectic and potential hit filled business as usual, there’s a deeper emotional story behind the recording that speaks to the power of music to be cathartic, healing and uplifting during challenging emotional times.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Nils about the music, the journey, what he stands for and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and how do You describe your style of music?
I grew up in Munich, Germany. I came to Los Angeles in the mid 80s to study.
By now I lived most my life here and became an US citizen a few years ago. My first musical influence was classic rock with bands like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple etc. Then I got heavy into Funk, listening to everything from Earth, Wind and Fire to Parliament. From there I moved on to soulful vocalists, like Chaka Khan and Al Jarreau, finally I got interested in jazz after seeing Steps Ahed feat Michael Brecker live in a little club in Munich. Combining these influences, I then moved on to, what we called Fusion, back then. Early Yellow Jackets, Jeff Lorber Fusion, Larry Carlton, and Lee Ritenour were big influences on my playing. That type of music is the precursor of what I am still doing today. They call it contemporary Jazz. I don’t like the label Smooth Jazz because it gets associated with elevator music, but when you keep in on the funky side it is what I love to do. This allows to implement all my influences into one.
How did you get here? As in, what inspired or motivated you to take on this journey through music and the music biz?
I came to go to school and study guitar at GIT in Hollywood in the 80s, then I went to Dick Grove School of Music to study composition and Arrangement. There I met a friend who had a recording studio and I worked as an engineer honing in on my skills as a producer and engineer.
I remember the agony I felt after graduating high school and college having to decide on a path and go to university. I just could not see myself 8 or more hours a day working in some job to make a living.
But when it comes to music, I don’t mind working for 12 or more hours every day, because it’s what I love to do. My parents urged me to go to university to get a degree, so I have something to fall back on. But I never wanted that safety net. I wanted to stay on course and not waiver on my path while going through the trials as a struggling young musician in Los Angeles.
How does your latest project compare/contrast with your previous release(s)?
I think on this CD I am playing a bit bluesier than on some of my previous albums. Especially on songs like Sweet Soul, Tangle and Our Last Goodbye, which I wrote in memory of my dad who passed away when I was working on the album. But there is enough upbeat and funky and upbeat material on the CD to make it a nicely balanced record. On the previous 2 albums relied a lot on horn sections for energy. This time, other than the opening song, I scaled it down a bit to a band sound yet maintaining the same energy level. Check out “Walkin’ the Dog” or “Step into the Beat” as an example.
I recently had to put a playlist together out of my previous 12 albums, and I did notice that this album as the previous one (“Caught In The Groove”) sound sonically better than my earlier work. I constantly work on improve my skills as a producer and mixer as well as a player. That’s one thing I love about music, there are always new things to learn.
Were you setting out to accomplish anything specific, follow a specific theme, or explore different styles of creation?
When I start working on an album, I just start writing every day without judging until I get a certain amount of really good ideas together. Then I look and see if I can find a certain theme and focus in on that, maybe put some songs on hold that don’t fit in. On “Cool Shades” however I started writing in Germany as I had to deal with both of my parents having serious health issues. So, at first, I came up with a lot of ballads, but I did not want to do a “sad” album, so I concentrated on adding some funky, upbeat tracks to balance out the record. Over the last few albums, I got very much into creating sonic textures, as I call them. Like for instance on the intro to Nine2Five, I recorded 4 rhythm guitar tracks. 2 are just scratching one the strings and I doubled that with 2 playing muted single notes to create that energy that opens up the song.
Name the biggest challenge you faced as a creative during these unprecedented? How did you adapt? How have you kept the creative fires burning during all this?
I count myself as one of the lucky ones. First of all, I have a studio in my home, so I kept busy on productions and mixes, although all the gigs were cancelled • In addition my CD ‘ Caught In The Groove” just came out when the pandemic hit and resulted in 4 top 10 Billboard Hits, 2 of which went all the way to number 1. That kept my financially afloat. To create some work for my band members, I produced a live in studio event ” Live at the Alvas” which was videotaped and broadcasted as a streaming concert. We played to cameras instead of an audience, but that I think is the biggest change many of us got used to. Interacting with the word through a camera via live streaming. I started to do weekly show on Facebook “NIis Live from Home’ which I keep going to this date unless I am traveling to gigs.
What do you stand for?
I could answer that in a lot of different ways. Musically, I like to create an environment of support and mutual respect. To me music is a community experience, a language that transcends boarders and cultures. I don’t like contests like battle of the band and such. I surround myself with like-minded musicians and we learn from each other, play on each other’s project, and support each other in our endeavors.
What was the last song you listened to?
Since I work in the studio on production so may days of the week, I enjoy silence :o)
Does that artist influence you in any way?
The last artist that had a big influence on me was Jeff Beck. I saw him in San Diego several years back and he took me to school :o) I am not the greatest fan of his music, but what he does on the guitar is just unreal. I started working on playing more with my fingers since I saw him and developed a whole new technique of playing, relying less and less on a pick.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? 8-tracks? Cassettes? CDs? MP3s? Streaming platforms?
I like vinyl for the culture of respect for music and albums it brought with it. With vinyl records you had to be careful not to scratch them and always put them back into the sleeve etc. Once we switched to CDs, I had stacks of them laying around, not knowing where the case is. But at least Cds also had a whole album on them. Streaming is the most convenient delivery medium and for that it wins, however when people only download the one song, they heard on the radio a lot of depth gets lost.
There were numerous times I bought an album, because of the song I just need to have. And I wore it out listening to it over and over, but then after a while I started to notice the other tracks on the album and some of them became my favorite pieces of music. I would have never been aware of them if I only downloaded the single. The art of sequencing an album is very important to me. I want to take the listener on a journey. It’s similar to putting a live set together. I start with something that grabs their attention and then lead them to other areas of my music and finally leave them with something that makes them want to hear more.
What does music mean to you?
Music is my life. It is such a powerful medium. When you get a whole room full of people up and dancing or get someone to cry when you play a ballad, you realize you touched them at their core.
Where is the best place to connect with you and follow your journey? (Include your links)
Join my fan club at nilsguitar.com
Follow me on facebook.com/nilsguitar ( like my artist page)
My Youtube channel is youTube.com/nilsguitar
And on lnstagram it’s instagram.com/nilsmusic
My Artist website is nilsmusic.com
Anything else you wish to include, add or say?
Just that I hope you enjoy the music and please follow me on some of the platforms mentioned above.
