In an exclusive chat with Billboard DJ Shadow and G Jones have revealed how their musical alias, Nite School Klik, came to fruition. This represents a new chapter for both Shadow and G Jones as they embark into songs and melodies that are like a darker more nightmarish version of the beats we have come to expect from G Jones.
How It All Began
The story begins with DJ Shadow on the road in 2012 along the All Basses Covered Tour, where he ventured away from his trademark sample-heavy sets to seek out new and current sounds. After rummaging through sites like SoundCloud and Bandcamp, Shadow stumbled across the Saturate! label which is home to music like Bleep Bloop and G Jones, and began playing their music in his sets. During a fateful set in California at bass rave Emissions in 2013, Shadow played out his new findings, dropping tracks by both Bleep Bloop and G Jones. After his set, a young man called to him saying “Hey man, you just played some of my music,” and he introduced himself as Aaron Triggs, aka Bleep Bloop. 
Bleep Bloop turned out to be a vital dot-connector who linked up his good friend G Jones and Shadow. Shadow then sought out Jones, who he asked to open for his 2013 Seattle gig. After witnessing Jones’ skills on Ableton first hand, skills that Shadow describes as “super efficient and quick,” Shadow decided to make their musical relationship more permanent with the formation of Nite School Klik. “Jones’ real strong suit, in addition to putting beats together, is as an engineer,” says Shadow. “It’s one thing to understand music engineering, but it’s another thing to execute it well.”
The mystery began swirling when the duo anonymously appeared via lead single “Posse” on a G Jones mixtape back in February 2015. “Posse” is the first taste of the NSK sound, a sound Shadow and Jones describe as “Heavy, abstract and headsy, no real name/genre – but with a kind of dreamy/sci-fi feel to it.” With this sound, Shadow and Jones are attempting to push the boundaries of the music they are drawn to, and tracks like the epic, cinematic second single “Nice Nightmares” showcase their desire to push both genre boundaries and perceptions with the duo.
“He has a whole different perspective on composition and making electronic music. Going into it, I didn’t really know what to expect because he’s a legendary artist I looked up to for a long time. We’re trying to make something that sounds like cool, contemporary and heavy hitting bass music that’s between genres. Something a bit more experimental — songs as opposed to DJ tracks.” – G Jones
Embarking on a new alias project is an unforeseen move for Shadow, as the last time he took on a secret project was as The Groove Robbers in the early 90s. The reason behind selecting a mysterious pseudonym for the project was both artists’ desire to experiment with new sonic elements and not feel the pressure of appealing to the connotations of their already established sound.
“I’m trying to conceptualize my music in new ways,” reveals Shadow, “not necessarily trying to push the Shadow brand, but have the music be heard first without anyone trying to claim it. That’s why I didn’t want to come out at first and say who NSK are. My alias had tactical reasons 20 years ago, and NSK has tactical reasons now.”
Liquid Amber
Liquid Amber is a digital music label curated by DJ Shadow. Launched in 2014, Liquid Amber is designed as a resource for emerging artists as well as a soundboard for anything and everything beats-oriented and dope. Not trying to take over the world, just trying to make it better through music.
Source: Magnum PR
