East London production duo II Dimensionz consist of Nathan and Jermaine. The pair have recently released their debut single ‘Closer’ which features vocals from Mark Asari and rapper Nick Brewer. The track is taken from their upcoming debut EP ‘Love From Above’.
Here we speak exclusively to II Dimensionz about their debut release, dream collaborations, future plans and much more:
Growing up who inspired you to get into music?
Nathan: Growing up, my dad inspired me to get into music as I was always around him
Jermaine: Yeah, so both of our fathers are musicians. My dad played guitar and Nathan’s dad played bass. My dad had a studio at home and was constantly rehearsing for shows so growing up around that inspired the both of us to find a deep interest and take a serious liking to music
When did you decide to pursue music as a career?
Jermaine: I decided to pursue a career in music at the age of 19
Nathan: For me, it was around the age of 15-16
Who are your musical icons?
Nathan: Personally, I’d have to say the greatest of all time being Michael Jackson. My dad took me to see him live in concert when I was 8-years-old at the Wembley Stadium and I was just mind blown! From when he came out in a rocket, from start to finish, it was just an incredible show. As a kid at 8-years-old heading down to Wembley Stadium, I don’t think you’re prepared from something so huge on that scale. People in the front row were fainting as soon as he came onto stage and being carried out on stretchers! So for one person to have that kind of impact on so many thousands of people is just iconic
Jermaine: Yeah, Michael Jackson. I think he was the musical icon of his era and still is. His music and legacy still lives on and inspires us daily when we create our music. And Whitney Houston as well. What she achieved and the platforms she was able to reach purely based on her musical talent was exceptional
If you could collaborate with any artist who would you choose?
Jermaine: For me, I’d have to say Pharrell Williams. He’s a very versatile singer/writer/producer. So he’d work well with the old school vibe that we’re drawn to whilst still bringing that RnB element to a record.
Nathan: I think I’d love to collaborate with either Stevie Wonder, Charlie Wilson or Justin Timberlake. It’s because they bring that Motown, funk, soul vibe that I love. That’s the era of inspiration we come from so it’s natural for us to gravitate towards that.
What made you decide to sample Rosie Gains’ ‘Closer Than Closer’ on your new track?
Nathan: Well, we didn’t really sample that part of the song we ‘reworked’ the melody to suit, used it a part of our arrangement. When creating music, it’s all about bridging the gap between old school and new school sounds. ‘Closer Than Close’ happened to be one of our favorite garage songs from the mid 90s, so we decided to revisit that song and rework the melody as part of our musical arrangement.
Jermaine: Yeah, we grew up listening to the song during our teenage years. And it just happened very organically
What is the main inspiration behind your new single ‘Closer’?
Nathan: Well lyrically, the song is based around a relationship I was previously in. We never actually fell in love but we had our fair share of fantasy moments and just enjoyed each other’s company.
Jermaine: And musically, it’s all about the melodies, 80s and phat drum beats whilst the funky guitar riff works its magic. The beat just fell together and worked well alongside the lyrics. It just had a really fun vibe to it and was perfectly suited to the style of music we intended to create.
Can fans expect an album from you soon?
Jermaine: Well, we’re firstly aiming to release our EP very soon. But we are writing and producing a lot of material for our first album.
Nathan: Yeah, our EP is set to be released first. But as Jay said, we are working on our album and hopefully will release that around the time of Easter 2018 – fingers crossed!
Will you be touring anytime soon?
Nathan: Yeah, that’s all going to happen in due time. For now, we’re just in rehearsals preparing for shows and perfecting our live performance.
Jermaine: You can keep an eye out on our social media pages to stay up to date with us. Mainly our Instagram page @2Dimensionz for our latest information.
What do you hope to achieve over the next ten years?
Nathan: Ten years… That’s a very long time away! *Laughs* Well we just hope to change people’s lives for the better and see people win just because they’ve heard our music, listened to our lyrics and felt the vibe whilst being able to relate to it. I hope our music can speak to people in ways that music has never done before.
Jermaine: Yeah, exactly what Nathan said. And obviously we have a long list of targets, goals and aims. Various objectives in regards to music.
Nathan: All that you will witness come to fruition as time moves forward.
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