DJ Brodie Nero attributes a lot of his musical influence to his environments that allowed him to constantly be around music. Growing up, Nero’s mother was a piano teacher, so it was only a matter of time that he be put to work on the ivory keys at a young age. His dad was an avid music listener, also playing in a band in his younger days, so it was only logical that Nero be taught how to play the guitar, in addition to the piano.
Prior to becoming a House Music DJ & Producer, DJ Brodie Nero was introduced to hiphop at the age of 14. He fell in love with it right away and started recording songs in his parents basement by age of 16, well into his early 20s. It was by chance that Nero was introduced to the genres of House Music and Techno while traveling Europe as what he describes as being a “Digital Nomad.” Watching European DJ’s lead, yet also carry the crowd was of immediate interest. Again like clockwork, Nero instantly fell in love with the Electronic Music scene, before returning home to teach himself how to DJ and produce.
The music DJ Brodie Nero creates, as he describes it, “Is a fusion of Latin/Afro/Tribal House, with a splash of Tech-house.” “Groove is very important to me and typically how I start a project”, he says.
When asked to describe his creative process, Nero ha this to say: “Usually I’ll hear music in your typical places like car rides or when I’m out and about. I’ll hear something structural in a song that piques my interest. I’ll find myself rushing home, trying to emmulate that pattern I heard and before evolving it into a sound I can call mine. Typically, I like to start with drumlines. From there, I will usually move into a lower frequency chord progression. Then I start to add in melodies.”
One of DJ Brodie Nero’s favorite interview questions came up, on the subject of collaboration. When asked about dream collaborations, he said he would like to get in the studio with names such as the Martinez Brothers, Pablo Fierro, Pharell, and Kanye. When asked about dream opening acts for artists, his list was unchanged. Nero admires Kanye, Black Coffee, The Martinez Brothers, Drake, and Pablo Fierro.
DJ Brodie Nero attributes a fair amount of his success to important figures in his life. When asked about some of the best advice he’s been given, he said: “So, I’ve gotten a lot but recently my mentor and friend Ralf Madi said something that really stuck with me. I was just starting to pick up momentum in Toronto as a House Music DJ. I had just gotten my #1 record on Beatport.com. I went to him and told him all this exciting news, only for him to ask me “Yeah, great, and are you happy?” It was a. profound moment for me because I thought at first, “Why isn’t it obvious?” Then I digressed and rephrased that question to myself as “Isn’t that important?!” Then, he told me to “Just take my time.” For whatever reason, this interaction has stuck with me ever since. Long story short — make sure that whatever you are doing, makes you happy and be sure to take your time with the journey.”
When asked what he could change about the industry, Nero offered that it would make more sense to vet any given artist(s) for their talent before/instead of their marketability and ‘virality’. His current focus is to continue to improve his production, and build a solid team. He wishes to get on the road and start getting international experience. The best DJs, in his experience, are the ones who have done this for a while. With that said, DJ Brodie Nero remains eager to pursue his journey to “For a while”, he says, smiling.