Noblonski & Nolto Interview
Check out our exclusive interview with Noblonski & Nolto.
Tell me a little bit about how you got your start in music and who are some of your musical influences.
Noblonski: I was learning to play the piano when I was 10 for a couple of years. In 2005, a friend showed me how to use fruity loops (“FL”) and how to sample stuff digitally. Since then I’ve been playing around with a bunch of DAWs and hardware but my goto instrument is the mouse and a computer running FL.
Nolto: I’ve always loved music and I enjoy writing and other creative outlets. So, creating music was probably inevitable. The burgeoning rap scene (circa 1999-2003) in Saskatoon and Winnipeg made it possible for me to find an audience. I owe a lot to my friends, especially Dren and Chaps, for encouraging me to make music and release projects. I also owe a lot to my friends and mentors, Epic and soso, and the good folks at Peanuts & Corn Records, for creating the blueprint. My other influences are endless and diverse, ranging from ’50s sock-hop to folk rock and diy punk.
Noblonski: My influences are early Anticon and too much Canadian hip-hop to name here.
Tell me a little bit about your new album, Amazing Saturday, and how it came together for you.
Noblonski: Nolto and I met in Berlin a million years back. Both of us being happily married at that time. We worked on a song called “Mila Kunis” that appeared on my EP Don’t Forget the Chaos (there’s that Canadian influence again) about 12 years ago. During the pandemic, Nolto reached out, asking me to appear on an EP with him and Epic, and I came into closer contact with all the amazing artists over there and many things spawned from that, one of those is Amazing Saturday.
Nolto:We also learned that we both knew Marc Jensen aka Marjen after we had already become friends. The world is so small, especially in underground rap. I was glad to be making music with Noblonski again when I reached out during the pandemic because his beats are some of my absolute favourites to rap on. He seems to specifically tailor his beats to my tastes, so I never feel like I’m simply adding lyrics to a beat; I’m filling out the perfectly shaped spaces that he’s left for me. Amazing Saturday was a pleasure to create.
Do you have any more upcoming videos or singles?
Noblonski: Nah. Unless Nolto wants to shoot a video. As the producer, I’d usually just nod my head to the beat and do some hand signs which can be skipped, or green-screened in later if absolutely necessary.
Nolto: I have no desire to make videos. I have no difficulties giving public speeches or performing songs, but I apparently am incompetent at acting in front of a camera. I don’t think we will focus on any further singles either. As far as I am concerned, every song on the album could stand alone as a single. I’m pleased with the two that we highlighted leading up to the release, and I love the artwork that Dren created for them. But, now that the album is out, it’s a complete package. The one exception is that there will be a maxi-single release for the song “The Narrative” produced by Sign One of Jerk Circuit, and two additional remixes by Dren and The Gumshoe Strut. Noblonski’s remix, appearing on Amazing Saturday, got to get released prior to the original. It’s more like a pre-mix than a re-mix.
What are your current thoughts on the music industry?
Nolto:The music industry isn’t something that affects me. I don’t care much about it. The idea of zealously guarding art to make profits doesn’t appeal to me. I don’t think intellectual property law should exist, whether copyright or patent, which I get is a controversial take. I’ll never forgive the Turtles for suing De La Soul. I would have otherwise liked their music, but now “Happy Together” gets skipped.
Noblonski: Can I curse here? Fuck the industry. As soon as I discovered this underlying layer of even doper music than this crap that’s on MTVand the radio, I stepped away from the “industry” completely and spent so much more time listening to actual art. The industry is just formula chasing. Figuring out what to do, what to write, in order to make the most money. That’s not music; that’s bullshit. Real art doesn’t care if something “works” or not. It’s usually honest, raw and comes from the heart. Not a single musician in the industry delivers that. But yeah, apart from all of that, I think it’s kinda wack that billionaires found a way to capitalize on pirating music, which is basically the streaming services in a nutshell.
What is currently playing on your playlist musically?
Nolto: Right now, I can’t stop listening to Danny Lover and Trellion’s album Ok, the Fire. It’s too good to outstay its welcome. I’m pretty obsessed with the entire roster and catalog of Blah Records out of the UK, especially Jam Baxter, Lee Scott, and Black Josh (if they want free Nolto guest verses, I’ll give them hundreds). I’m also listening to, and loving, Chris Crack’s new album, Too Late to Start Following the Rules Now. There’s so many other great albums dropping everyday. I love finding a new favourite artist / album.
Noblonski: I don’t do playlists. I listen to albums, front to back. Last spins are the new Sole & Televangel album, the What a Mario Worldsoundtrack, oh and i’ve recently discovered this Italian dungeon synth label called Heimat der Katastrophe who drop awesome looking tapes like Hunt on the Nazi Necromancer and Goal! Mundial. That stuff is usually a great reset when I get bored with rap (and might or might not be a sample source).
Nolto: Jesus Christ. Are you sample snitching on yourself? Do you want to get De-La-Soul’d?
Do you have any shows or tour dates?
Noblonski: Nothing is planned right now. My job has been replaced with a computer machine, so the travel across the big lake is a little too pricey right now. But who knows.
Nolto:I have no desire to tour. I used to enjoy it more, but now it feels like a chore. If I’m visiting a city, I’ll reach out to rap heads and see if I can jump on a bill, opening for someone I’d want to see perform anyway. But, I won’t be looking to headline my own shows unless I get tricked into it.
What is your website information?
Noblonski: noblonski.bandcamp.com or @noblonski on Instagram.
Nolto:I’m “Nolto” on all of the social medias, including Bandcamp. Do websites even exist anymore? Should I have maintained my MySpace account?
Appreciate the interview, any last words or shout outs?
Noblonski: Yeah, thanks for having us and keep it up! Shout outs to all the homies who are in groups that have Saskatoon and Rap in it. Everyone who has an Alias album in their top 5, and Thomas Quinlan for making all of this happen.
Nolto: Agreed, thanks for having us. All the love to Hand’Solo Records and OTHAR for supporting the best music in the world. I’m super honoured to have their support. Noblonski and I will continue making music together, so you can expect an, at worst, Mediocre Sunday.
