Nifra has in the past couple of years gone from being a local talent in central Europe to one of the most popular figures in the Markus Schulz “Coldharbour” entourage. With releases such as Dark Harbour, Ransvik and more, she has taken the throne as the "Queen of Coldharbour".
She kicked off her DJ career back in 2008 and learnt her trade playing alongside and supporting such acts as Armin van Buuren and Tiesto in her home country of Slovakia, which lead to her becoming quickly recognised as a massive potential future talent. We fast forward a few years to the present, and now an accomplished producer and world renowned DJ in her own right, Nifra has now played countless shows around the world, including Armin Van Buurens massive annual, “A State of Trance” party, as well as multiple appearances all over Europe and Asia.
Her music regularly finds itself in the DJ wallets of the top names of trance such as Armin van Buuren, Markus Schulz, Gareth Emery, Andy Moor and this global support has not only lead to remix and collaboration requests from many of her peers, but has also lent a lot of support and extra respect to her own solo productions. She has gradually built up a loyal, hardcore fan base whilst keeping the integrity within the “Coldharbour” sound that she has become know for. Progressive Trance with balls!! is how she likes to put it.
As well as writing and producing music and touring the world, Nifra also hosts a very successful monthly radio show. “Be Progressed” which airs on the 2nd Thursday of each month, and it’s fast approaching 80 episodes and has like the artist, amassed a very loyal following who tune in religiously every month.
Let’s meet one of the finest ladies in trance, Ladies and gentlemen, party people here is Nifra.
She kicked off her DJ career back in 2008 and learnt her trade playing alongside and supporting such acts as Armin van Buuren and Tiesto in her home country of Slovakia, which lead to her becoming quickly recognised as a massive potential future talent. We fast forward a few years to the present, and now an accomplished producer and world renowned DJ in her own right, Nifra has now played countless shows around the world, including Armin Van Buurens massive annual, “A State of Trance” party, as well as multiple appearances all over Europe and Asia.
Her music regularly finds itself in the DJ wallets of the top names of trance such as Armin van Buuren, Markus Schulz, Gareth Emery, Andy Moor and this global support has not only lead to remix and collaboration requests from many of her peers, but has also lent a lot of support and extra respect to her own solo productions. She has gradually built up a loyal, hardcore fan base whilst keeping the integrity within the “Coldharbour” sound that she has become know for. Progressive Trance with balls!! is how she likes to put it.
As well as writing and producing music and touring the world, Nifra also hosts a very successful monthly radio show. “Be Progressed” which airs on the 2nd Thursday of each month, and it’s fast approaching 80 episodes and has like the artist, amassed a very loyal following who tune in religiously every month.
Let’s meet one of the finest ladies in trance, Ladies and gentlemen, party people here is Nifra.
Interview is written and conducted by Dimitri Kechagias, Music Journalist / Radio / DJ
Dimitri: Firstly it would be great to go back in time and let us know if you are from a family that has any connection with arts and particularly music? Was your family supportive in your decision to get into the competitive and ruthless world of the EDM industry?
Nifra: Actually no one in my family has connection with music; I never played an instrument before I started to make music either. My mum supported me from the beginning; she actually bought me my first midi keyboard and always got excited when I was showing her what I was working on. My dad didn’t like the loud music coming out of my bedroom at first, but now he is super proud when he sees billboards with my name on - even in my hometown.
Dimitri: Is it possible to pick up the Top 5 artists/DJ’s that have inspired and influence your music productions and DJ’ing style?
Nifra: It all started with ATB, later I got Tiesto’s ‘In my memory’ album, which is one of my favourites. Then Armin van Buuren, Cosmic Gate and Markus Schulz, who influenced my sound as you can hear the most. My mixing style has been developing from beginning, but since I started as a techno DJ I always appreciated strong and effective transitions, so that has stayed with me until today.
Dimitri: Have you attended any music school or workshop to learn how to produce EDM, or you are 100% self-taught?
Nifra: No, I haven’t. I took a piano classes for one and a half years in Slovakia, but I always wanted to study music synthesis, but there is no possibility in Slovakia or Sweden where I live right now, because the course is in Swedish. I started to read a lot and really being a nerd - trying to get into the core of things. The music production is not hard in itself; everyone can make a melody/bassline in their DAW using a VST.
Dimitri: Do you currently have another daytime job, or are you 100% a music producer and DJ and make a living out of it?
Nifra: I have a part time job yes, which I’m doing from home. Combining with the gigs, it’s going ok. I’m happy that I can do what I love.
Dimitri: Is it possible to tell us which of your tracks was the one that attracted the attention of Armada Music, and how did you feel when they asked you to sign your first track on their labels?
Nifra: It was my track “Ready” - it felt surreal. I will never forget that, and will always appreciate that the label gave me the chance to support my dream.
Dimitri: From your back catalogue of great productions and remixes is it possible to pick your all time personal Top 3, and give a short comment about each of them?
Nifra: Every track is my little baby, I’m proud of them all. The most successful ones were for example ‘Different Ways’ collab with Progresia, it was #3 at Beatport trance charts, and I played it for quite some time. My remix for Leon Bolier was supported by almost every big name and the latest, ‘Dark Harbour’, will have a special place in my heart forever.
Dimitri: Is it possible to take us on a virtual tour in your studio and tell your favourite hardware and software that you use to produce your awesome sound?
Nifra: My studio is not big actually; I have an iMac, m-audio midi keyboard, pair of Genelecs 8030A and Roland FA-66 soundcard. As a DAW I'm using Ableton live, not sure what I would do without it. I use it not just for production but also for radio show & edits. Besides that, I of course use VST plugins.
Dimitri: Can you define what the “Nifra” sound includes, and what definitely is not included in your sound?
Nifra: Nifra sound is Bigroom, melodic with a lot of energy. In my DJ sets I like to play tracks with strong elements, its either bassline, main lead or the drop, but there has to be one thing that stands out.
Dimitri: Can you describe for us the process of producing a track? From which element do you start with first and how do you build the rest of the track?
Nifra: Most of the time I just start with the breakdown, cos it’s the melodies which come to my head first. From there I build it to the drop, and usually after that start with the intro. But it really depends.
Dimitri: Who are the artists producers and singers that you would like to collaborate with in the near future and why?
Nifra: I guess it would be people who are a producing similar style as myself and are open minded. I actually would like to do a vocal track in the near future. I really like Neev Kennedy, Ellie Lawson, Ben Hague, Matias Lehtola etc. A lot of trance singers have beautiful voices.
Dimitri: You are closely associated with Coldharbour recordings and you took part in their Coldharbour Day radio event. What is your opinion about the label and its boss Markus Schulz?
Nifra: I’m just so honoured to be part of the Coldharbour family. You probably won’t hear a set from me where there is not at least one Coldharbour track included. I consider Markus Schulz to be one of the hardest working artists in the EDM industry, and I don’t say that because I have released on his label. It’s just a fact.
Dimitri: Your latest release on Interstate is called ‘Waves’ and was promoted heavily by Marcus Schulz amongst others. Can you take us behind the scenes and tell us some details of how you produced ‘Waves’, and from where did you get the inspiration for the massive synthy lead?
Nifra: Waves is the follow up to ‘Dark Harbour’, which people can hear. I wanted to keep it in a similar sound. The inspiration for this track came while I was showering (not joking). I had this melody in my head, so I had to run to the studio right after that and write it. I knew I wanted between the intro and the breakdown to be kinda techy and up-beat. I just like simple main leads which have a lot of power, and people can sing the melody. When I dropped it last weekend in Slovakia, it really was a ‘hands up in the air’ moment, which made me very happy.
Dimitri: In your early days you played warm-up sets for many well known DJ’s. Who was the star DJ who had the best attitude towards the warm up DJ who really treat you really well?
Nifra: I have never really had bad experience with the well known DJ’s; they are always nice to me. This year I actually played after Above & Beyond in Slovakia, who plugged in my headphones & my usb stick – a small thing but very rare. When someone as big as them does that, you know they are great people.
Dimitri: Would you like to pick out your best DJ set for 2013 so far? In which club and country have you met the most expressive and up for it crowd?
Nifra: It would be my set from ‘Bee Free’ festival in Slovakia last weekend. Slovakia & Czech republic is always great, the people are just so up for the music. New York & Montreal were also awesome.
Dimitri: What is your opinion about the explosion of EDM music in USA, and have you noticed increase in your bookings there?
Nifra: I think it’s great; it opened a lot of doors for producers and DJ’s. In Europe or Asia there are not enough events as the same DJ’s are booked all the time.
I actually had my USA debut 2 months ago, and there are more requests, so I can definitely see a change. I would love to go to the states again.
Dimitri: One of my favourite questions to all the DJ’s is that one about self-reflection and self-criticism. Out of 10 with what score do you rate the various elements of your DJ performances and why?
Nifra:
a) Your mixing skills: As I previously mentioned I like strong energetic transitions - so timing is the most important thing here, together with harmony. You can quickly recognise a DJ who is not prepared. I will give myself 7 because I know I could do a little bit more with the effect section than what I’m doing now.
b) Your ability to choose the right track for the right occasion: I don’t like to throw tracks here and there, I kinda know what the reactions will be to a track, but if necessary I switch to something else. 7
c) Your friendly attitude towards the fans who come to shake your hand when you perform and after? 10, I would never say no to a fan.
Dimitri: You are a hardworking female DJ and I wonder if you have ever noticed any discrimination or bad feeling from your male counterparts. I wonder if you have experience sexual harassment in your DJ career so far, or if you know other female DJ’s who had any incidents in their career.
Nifra: Yeah of course multiple times, there is no woman in the industry who hasn’t experienced sexism in some kind or form, but there are also a lot of supportive male artists. I always try to do my best, but some people’s opinion won’t change as they have prejudices. There is always this one person who has to make a silly remark just because I’m a woman, and try to degrade what I’m doing because of my gender. Those people don’t deserve any attention though.
Dimitri: Are you an active and passionate user of Facebook/Twitter and other social networks? Do you spend a lot of time interacting with your fans and do you see this as vital or as a waste of time?
Nifra: Yeah I am, and I always interact with my fans. Whether messages or comments, sometimes its hard to keep up though! It’s incredible what Facebook & Twitter have become for the artists. It’s a great platform for promoting the music. Back in the day, the artists looked so unreachable, but now you can send a message to your favourite artist and get reply back, which is very cool. The only thing that I don’t like are fake likes/twitter followers + ads for likes which is what most of the people are doing lately.
Dimitri: Can you tell us how many years you have produced your radio show ‘Be Progressed’, and do you feel satisfied with its success and recognition? Would you advise upcoming DJ’s to start their own radio shows?
Nifra: Almost 6 years now, I’m happy for what it is, considering there are hundreds of radio shows. Just recently it was launched as a podcast on iTunes as well, and I have already had some messages from people who never knew about my show, so that’s awesome. Yeah I think it’s good to have a radio show, or just a regular podcast, and make sets of tracks which you like at the moment.
Dimitri: Last but not least, tell us your piece of advice to other girls who would love to become a DJ and they hesitate?
Nifra: Start with production, that’s where you will get the credit, DJ’ing will come eventually!
Dimitri: Many thanks for taking the time to reply to this interview
Many thanks to Chris Duncan, Artist Manager at Audio Religion, for his support in organising this interview
Many thanks to Paul at 1mix Radio for proofing and publishing the interview, you can check it on 1mix radio web site as well click here
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