Tempo Talks: A Conversation with Nick Marks
THE RELEASE
New York-based composer and pianist Nick Marks—a Melbourne, Australia native—kicks off 2024 with the 1st single, “BACK TO LIFE,” from his upcoming release, Cinematic Chromatics Vol. II. Expanding on the world built by his 2023 release Cinematic Chromatics Vol. I, Marks fluidly merges the worlds of concert music and film scoring with the colorful subcultures of jazz, hip-hop, neo-soul, and electronica. Dive into the sounds of the cities that helped to forge Marks, from the trailblazing sounds of Melbourne to the kinetic artistic experimentation of New York. As he gears up for the release of Cinematic Chromatics Vol. II and Vol. III, he takes the listener on a spin through the melting pot of influences that have been woven into his DNA, continuing to break down barriers and craft a musical sheet all his own by seamlessly fusing one genre onto the next.
“BACK TO LIFE” unveils a radical departure from Marks’s previous cinematic jazztronica for a fusion that includes neo-soul, hip-hop/rap, trap, and lo-fi jazzy beats. The single not only draws on Marks’s composer roots but also reveals a spontaneous neo-soul twist. It turns out the track began as a rejected beat that Marks was producing for an NPR show. His collaboration with MC/Rapper and drummer Doron Lev adds a new dimension as Lev layers his instinctual lyrics and soulful drumming throughout. The track is a reminder that what might be rejected by one will be the resolve of another, breathing new life into a creation seemingly left for dead. “BACK TO LIFE” offers listeners a new sonic center within Marks’s palette, and according to the composer, he has the honor of being as much a genre-breaking artist as he is an artist that fluidly slides between musical terrain.
THE INTERVIEW
If you had to create a Mount Rushmore of inspiration, what four individuals molded the artist you are today?
That’s a great challenge to pin it down to four! I grew up listening to everything from symphonic orchestral music to jazz to hip-hop and heavy metal. A by-product of being part of a family of avid music listeners and musicians. I’ll start with Johann Sebastian Bach. A “jazz musician” of his time (namely an improviser) who’s immaculate voice leading, counterpoint and structures provide us with an entire musical universe of inspiration. Herbie Hancock's incredible output, vocabulary and contribution throughout different periods of the jazz lineage has deeply informed my own practice and studies (like for many). Given my intense passion for film scores, I’d have to mention one of my favourite composers here is Ennio Morricone. His writing his as prolific as it is diverse and is one of the pre-eminent examples of melding genres to create a sonic world that is so integral to story-telling. Finally, there are quite a few people I could name here, but I’m going to go with Jamiroquai (or if I have to choose one member, Jay Kay). As a kid growing up in Australia in the 90s, I’d never heard anything like their early stuff anywhere. An incredible mix of song-writing fused with jazz, funk, latin and groove all conquering dance floors whilst being an incredible jam band. Many elements have shaped who I am as an artist today. One thread between all of these artists above is that they unequivocally ignited a deep passion and determination to learn and play.
Were there any specific challenges or breakthrough moments during the production of your new single that had a significant impact on its final form?
One of my regular gigs is as composer for a podcast show that was on NPR. The score for the shows is best described as "neo-soul/horror". each episode starts with a swaggy lo-fi jazzy beat to intro the show. a few years back, on one of my early episodes, I came up with one of these, and had it morph into a second part as the narrator transitioned into the episode. Id come up with many lo-Fi beat before, but I never released any of them. In fact I’d never released anything under my own name before. I thought quietly that this one was pretty dope, I sent it to the producers for review, and they rejected it. This is common in any kind of scoring work, and I was used to it from doing a bunch of film and tv stuff. So I wrote something else, and it seemed at the time this was destined to be another best idea that would be consigned to the depths of an archive folder buried deep on a hard drive. A year or so later, I started recording a bunch of music and I kept thinking about this little beat. all the other tracks I was writing were large scale, through-composed epic cinematic jazz meets electronica with strings. This was completely different. But I thought it could make for a nice little interlude. So I started working on it again. My determination to strike out as an artist in my own right was a breakthrough. I have so much to say musically and I decided it was time to start releasing, so suddenly this track (among many others) was back on the table.
Can you share insights into the collaborative process behind the creation of your latest single, including any notable contributions from producers, co-writers, engineers or featured artists?
I only ever planned for this track to be an interlude/instrumental. I'd come up with 1000's of chord progressions like this in live jam sessions, or in projects in which I played. Some of those ideas turned into songs, but those songs ultimately became property of the collective band or project. I'd never fully realized one just on my own, and this was to be on of the first 'lo-fi beats' tracks I'd created in my catalogue. It wasn’t until my long time collaborator, master rapper and drummer Doron Lev heard it that the possibility of there being any lyrics came up. In fact, I sent Doron a little playlist of demos and asked which one he thought he could rap on, and this one proved to be his top choice. I'm glad it was. Doron wrote and threw down the rap in one early hours session at my studio in manhattan. and with that, this interlude came “back to life” not as an instrumental but transformed into a fully formed track.
Can you articulate the impact or impression you hope your new song leaves on listeners long after they've experienced it for the first time?
One of the overall messages from the hook is that rejection is just a micro bump on the macro path, so long as you keep going. While it's not spelled out exactly in this way throughout the lyrics of the song, I think it's important to recognize that rejection and failure is part of being a creative, and happens in one moment in time, and if you have the courage to learn from that moment and pursue your vision, then anything can be repurposed or find a new home. My hope is for "Back To Life" to provide listeners with a soundtrack that can get them feeling positive, confident, hyped, or to chill out to. That's the goal with all my tracks. I write them to give back something. Once they're released, the track belongs to the listeners, and I hope these help to accompany them in forming positive, lasting memories/experiences. The lyrics are masterfully crafted by Doron. I think a key message of the track is about having confidence in your own ability.
Looking ahead, how does the release of this single pave the way for future projects, and are there any hints or clues about the direction your music might take in the coming months?
This single kicks off 2024 from where we left off in 2023: being first single of the year, “BACK TO LIFE” will be part of a slate of new releases that will culminate in the launch of two EP’s, Cinematic Chromatics Vol. II and Vol. III. Throughout 2023, I released a steady stream of singles that culminated in my debut EP, Cinematic Chromatics Vol. I. This record was dubbed as being part of a cinematic jazztronica universe. With Back To Life, the aim is to take listeners into a different place within my cinematic jazztronica universe: traversing boundaries into the neo-soul/hip-hop worlds while fusing flavours of jazz, lo-fi beats and cinematic elements. My music sets out to be genre defying, joining the dots between different musical landscapes, and my output in composing/scoring for film, tv, instrumental projects and concert music. My goal with this series is to marry two disparate paradigms of my artistry: that of the concert music/film scoring world, and the underground scenes in which jazz, hip-hop, neo-soul and electronica cross-pollinate.
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