Daimon Schwalger aka The Nomad is a DJ, producer, recording artist and recently converted beard enthusiast, currently based on the South Island’s West Coast.
“I guess I first got into music back in the mid 80s when the stuff that hit me hard was break-dance music.
“But even before that, my first ever vinyl LP was 1978s Don’t Walk, Boogie, a disco compilation which featured artists like A Taste of Honey, La Belle Epoque and many more.
“But when I was 12 and living in Hamilton, I really loved the break-dance scene. The music just blew me away as it was so fresh and unique, and after we moved to Dunedin, I started to piss off my Mum and Dad by trying to scratch, badly, on their nice new turntable.
“A few years later, I discovered an LP called The Hits of House. It had a track on it called Paid In Full by Eric B & Rakim, a killer hip-hop track that changed my life.
“It all really just escalated from there. The next track that really hit home when I stared DJing in the late 80s was New Order’s Blue Monday, which was so cutting edge for its time, and also sounded seriously phat on vinyl and in the club.
“Then came De La Soul’s Three Feet High and Rising, which was hip-hop at the next level, and also had a real positive message. The next album that really stood out for me was Goldie’s Timeless – it was around the time that Jungle was big, and this album took a lot from the rougher breakbeats of earlier jungle production but made it all smooth, sexy and well-produced with added live elements.
Lately, the albums that really stand out for me are by Bro Safari, Pink Oculus and Mungo’s Hi Fi. All these sounds are influences in my new album, but they’ve been absorbed, reconfigured and and mutated with my own distinctive Nomad feel.”
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– Sunday Star Times
