Nickodemus

New York City-based DJ/producer Nickodemus made a name for himself as the resident DJ of the long-running Turntables on the Hudson club night, and he also released numerous productions over the years, most notably the full-length album Endangered Species (2006). His musical style is wide-ranging, incorporating all styles of funky music, from house and Latin to Afro-beat and reggae. He was turned on to music at a young age thanks to his family, which played lots of music in the house, namely Motown, disco, and Latin music. In the late ’80s he grew interested in hip-hop, regularly tuning in to the radio show of DJ Red Alert. In 1990 he began DJ’ing, inspired by the likes of Kid Capri and David Morales, and in 1998 he and his DJ’ing partner, Mariano, founded Turntables on the Hudson, a weekly club night at Chelsea Piers on the west side of Manhattan abutting the Hudson River. The club night proved popular, lasting for over a decade, and spawned a trio of mix albums on Rhythm Love Records (Nickodemus & Mariano Present Turntables on the Hudson, Vol. 1, 1999; Vol. 2, 2000; Vol. 3, 2002) — as well as a fourth volume in 2003 on Giant Step Records. Meanwhile, Nickodemus was establishing himself as a producer (sometimes in collaboration with either Osiris or Jay B), beginning with releases on Codek Records (Tribute to Baba, 1997; Listen to Your World, 1998; Universal Greetings, 1998; Dippin South, 1998) — and then followed by additional releases on Mush Records (A New Day, 1998; Earth, 1999) and Rhythm Love Records (The Rhythm Love EP, 1999; Desert Dancer, 2001). There also were subsequent releases on Giant Step Records (Free Souls, 2001; Mariposa, 2002) before Nickodemus found a more permanent home on Wonderwheel Records, releasing Cleopatra in New York Remix EP (2003), Funky in the Middle (2005), Give the Drummer Some (2005), and more. In 2006 Nickodemus released his full-length album debut, Endangered Species, on Thievery Corporation’s ESL Music; a remix collection, Endangered Species Remixed, followed in 2007. Arriving in 2009, Sun People featured two productions from Quantic and was quickly trailed by another remix set. Moon People, another eclectic set, was issued three years later with collaborators ranging from Afrika Bambaataa to Kissey Asplund. He continued to release DJ mix albums, including the second volume of Poets Club’s Poets Dub series (2013) and the Wonderwheel retrospective Wonderworld. Turntables on the Caribbean appeared in 2016, as did a collaborative EP with Alsarah titled The Crow. In 2017 Nickodemus released a cover of the Mary Jane Girls’ “In My House,” featuring singers Lisa Shaw and Carol C as well as a guest rap from Baby Bam of the Jungle Brothers. The single also included “Funk That,” a timely update of Sagat’s hip-house hit from the ’90s. ~ Jason Birchmeier