It all started one night in New York. Carl Cox was having dinner with his longtime friend and prodigy, Nicole Moudaber, before his show at Output."Right, I have an idea for us but so far it's only a bassline – a four second loop," he told her, "And by the way, we're putting it out on MOOD."
The rest, so they say, was history. That four second loop evolved into the acclaimed “See You Next Tuesday” EP, a split release from the legendary producer and the queen of techno, who got her start under the Drumcode label before launching her own imprint, MOOD Records, in 2012. The original mix is your classic rolling techno, infused with the driven bass and breaks that we’ve come to love from both Moudaber and Cox. The second version takes a deeper, groovier approach, layering in Moudaber’s favored percussive elements. "On both versions of the track, there are elements of each we provided together. There isn't a ‘his mix, my mix,’ it was a joint effort," Moudaber explains, "We both had the same input really. We speak the same language."
“See You Next Tuesday” isn’t the first time the pair have collaborated, having coproduced "Chemistry" in 2011, but it is proof of how well they work together. "He's the most knowledgeable person I know in the industry," Moudaber says, "His understanding of the music is just mind blowing and he follows his heart and ears." We caught up with Nicole Moudaber to find out more about the EP, her favourite mood to create in, and her pick for the most underrated DJ of 2014.
Being of Lebanese descent, born and raised in Nigeria, a Londoner, and part time Ibiza resident, how do all of these different cultures find their way into your music? It’s a plus for sure. Blending different cultures and taking in what I grew up with and the places I’ve lived can only enrich me musically.
I’ve read that you used to be a trance-head when during your club kid days. What was your favorite trance track from back in the day? I remember a track from Perfecto Records called "Bullet In The Gun," and I have a big grin on my face writing this because I used to love this track! Cheese can be very good when it's done so well - can’t argue with that.
Totally agree. Do you still listen to trance today? No, I don’t listen to it today! But good trance is so euphoric and emotional, you instantly have your hands in the air, waving them around.
You’ve said that your time spent as a promoter, throwing events and curating line-ups. Is something that has translated into your mixing? Can you elaborate on this? What is your golden rule when DJing? I tend to warm myself up when I play from start to finish. The hardest part is the warm-up set, it’s key to a great night, and I used to program my nights musically by selecting the right DJs according to what their sound is like and build from there. Like you said, this is reflected in my sets as well.
Back in 2009, Carl Cox famously named you as the most underrated DJ of the year. Who would you name as the most underrated DJ of 2014 so far? Nathan Barato. He’s excellent and will go very far. He’s talented and he’s got the drive and is very passionate about the music. I love everything about him and as a person he’s real, down-to-earth and funny.
I’m listening to your Essential Mix as I write out these questions. I always forget what a banger this set is. What are some tracks that are essential to your mixes? Anything from Carl Craig and Ben Klock!
Let's talk about the “See You Next Tuesday” EP with Carl Cox. I know it started with a four second loop, just a bass line. When you listened to that first soundbite, what was your initial reaction? Were you instantly inspired? Instantly. That bass-line doesn’t sound like anything else. Only Carl can come up with shit like that! My jaw dropped both from excitement and from the thought of being challenged. But we turned it into something great. It sounds so good when you play it out especially at In The MOOD Miami pool party. The launch was off the charts, we sold out in 5 days!
So, the EP was clearly a labour of love for the two of you. What was the biggest challenge in working on the EP? It was a very easy flow actually, we bounced over the files back and forth, tweaking it as we went along. It was a natural process. Traveling continuously was the only challenge on this project.
The two tracks on the EP are an original mix, and a deeper, groovier mix. Are they alter egos? Not exactly. They are simply difference facets different persona, born from the same language.
And what was it like putting out such an important release under your own label? MOOD is about the music initially, but having someone like Carl wanting to put out on the label is a cool stamp of approval. He is without a doubt one of the coolest cats in the business.
Are you so sick of people asking you whether it’s difficult being a female in male-dominated industry? To be honest, I think constantly making that distinction is sometimes part of the problem. Thoughts? Unfortunately, when journalists pick up on something the rest will follow. This is why we see a repeat in this subject and the only difference between men and women is that men can piss standing up. Well, that’s debatable also!
MOOD Miami photo courtesy of Danilo Lewis Fotography.