Ilhan Ersahin, musician and club owner, started Manhattan’s mini-concert venue and club Nublu, 6 years ago. Not only has the space become a world music and jazz haven where musicians can simply jam together, but it has also spawned and nurtured groups such as Brazilian Girls, Wax Poetic, Kudu and Nublu Orchestra. The label gained a solid reputation gained a solid reputation from releasing original music from the bands that were formed at the club exploring the many facets of world music inspired jazz and electronic music. Read the interview.

Name: Ilhan Ersahin

What do you do?
I write and play music and live…

How did you become involved at Nublu?
Well.. I am the one who started it.. It was a decision..

Describe Nublu in in one sentence.
A real New York City place that’s alive and jumping.

What can we expect to hear there?
You will hear the nublu sound..its just easier to label our music like this ….of course we always invite new musicians, singers and bands to play here as well…but the idea is to have real and good music all the time. No fake stuff, no fashion stuff, no music that is based on in/out ideas…but music, and good music, strong music…

How would you describe Nublu regulars?
Ohh, I have to say being in Manhattan we get all kinds of people here. But since nublu is a destination place, eaning we don’t get any random people or passers by …we get people who come here to actually enjoy nublu and its music . so in the end it seems like a cosmic diversity of people from all over the world who is ready to embrace the new realness in this world. … Almost becomes political if we would talk more….

What’s the best thing about New York?
That it is the source….people around the world love to say New York is finished or Manhattan is this or that….but the culture of western civilization is right from this place ….Kerouac, Miles Davis, Led Zeppelin, Ramones, Talking Heads, Jackson Pollock, Ginsburg, Lou Reed, Thelonius Monk , Charlie Parker, Duke, Andy Warhol, Basquiat, Woody Allen, etc etc …you know what I mean… New York city.. it’s just one of those places , sometimes just seems evertyhing else comes and goes….I think its because it is Indian holy land.

And the worst?
That it is like a jungle…but not a green one…..

If you could invite anyone (dead or alive) to come and perform, who would it be and why?
Miles Davis…. it would really fit for him to play here….

Who’s set to be hot in New York in 2009?
I can’t really spend my time thinking about those things…one day its Parisian electro next day its Midwestern singer songwriters, then it’s Indie rockers from Brooklyn…all this is fine and a part of the culture we live in. All blogs and magazine and news in general always need new things to write about so all those things are naturally invented. I am personally interested in music that is here to stay …. I feel its a very creative time now for all here in NYC….

Some advice to anyone visiting the city for the first time?
Avoid midtown and everything that’s touristy … Try to live like a New Yorker… East Village, Lower East Side, Williamsburg, Park Slope, Tribeca, East Soho, Central Park.. those are the neighborhoods worth hanging out at.

What’s the secret behind the popularity of Nublu?
That the music is real , the people who hang out here are cool and the people working here are cool. And any given nite the music is good.

Most memorable experience at the club?
You know what, we really have so many crazy nites that makes everyone feel they went to another planet, so these are really the ones that are memorable…. Of course we had nites with stars here…Dennis Hopper. Jacqueline Bisset, Kevin Spacey , Matt Dillon etc etc… Not to mention lots of famous musicians. Lou Reed, Norah Jones, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Jorge Ben and many others has been here in the last few months….but still the best nites here is just when our music is cookin..

A moment you would rather forget?
Nublu is now 6 years (old) …the first years since we are very underground ..and no sign outside , and then no soundproofing …so we used to get lots of police here…but now that’s better.

What are you listening to on repeat at the moment?
I have to say that these days I am listening to my own music.. I am in the middle of doing my next Wax Poetic album… It’s just hard to listen to lots of other music when you’re in this process… but of course at Nublu I hear lots of other music everyday anyway…

Your hopes and fears for the music industry for 2009?
I have no idea really…the only thing I can do right now is to keep the club and label alive and happy and productive and try to make the best music we can.

What’s the most exciting thing in your life right now?
We as Nublu Records released a bunch of records that I think represented the first years at Nublu …now were getting ready for the 2nd phase, which will be very exciting. Lots of new songs, cd’s and 12″ . To me I think it’s about playing music and to compose.

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Tags: Club, ilhan Ersahin, New York, Nublu

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009 at 3:35 pm and is filed under Interviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.