Nuxe & Lucy Sugerman: The Art of Capturing the Moment

91Vocals: How do you both like to approach collaboration when creating samples and how do blend your individual styles into a cohesive sound?

Nuxe: A huge part of my approach to sample-making when working with artists is giving them the creative comfort and freedom to record in a way that allows them to shine and do what they do best. For some artists, this means sending ideas back and forth over a few months, and for others, it involves spending 12-hour days in the studio together, writing, recording, mixing, talking, and listening to music. There is certainly no ‘right’ way to make samples or music, but I have a deep belief in starting from a place (both physically and artistically) where the artist feels most comfortable and inspired. Capturing passion, and capturing the right recordings and source material at the inception of these samples, gives me infinitely more room to explore creatively and experiment with different ideas in the production phase.

Lucy: One of the best parts about this process with Nuxe is that he’s a really great facilitator. He takes the time to get to his collaborator’s process and is highly versatile and adaptable in his creative approach. He knows how to make an environment where we can write our best. When making these sounds and sample packs with Nuxe, it’s important to me that I meet that same energy and care. For this specific project, this meant writing and recording a lot (and I mean a lot) of vocals, hooks, and instrument lines and delivering a diverse range of stems and grouped ideas for Nuxe to work with. We did a lot of the work remotely so it was important to stay in touch on recording and writing days, and also just have fun with it.

91V: Lucy, your storytelling and melodies bring real emotion and feeling to the samples. When writing for samples do you approach songwriting and crafting melodies in any unique ways?

Lucy: Thank you for saying that! I would say when it comes to writing, particularly for sample packs when you’re after a high-volume amount of ideas, it’s just important to be in a room with no distractions (phone on airplane mode!), hit record and sit in the quiet to let your mind wander. Everything you hear in these packs is direct from deep in my subconscious (not to be totally dramatic, lol) - whether it be my own experiences or someone’s real story they’ve shared with me. I find writing for sample-packs such a satisfying creative process, because no idea goes unexplored or unused, and you get to lean into the human ability to create and reflect. When you’re writing full songs, you tend to maybe be a bit more methodical and refined, keeping things like commercial or demographical factors in mind. I find sample packs so much fun because it almost feels freeing. It’s fast-paced and embraces that childlike feeling of just letting those emotions, words, and melodies come out and play. When I’m approaching songwriting for samples I set myself little timer challenges to vary the instrumentation, chords, BPMs, and styles while still sticking to the emotional and lo-fi space.

91V: Lucy, what inspired you to start creating samples and explore this niche?

Lucy: Nuxe and I met through his manager, who said we should write together. I knew he made samples and did a lot of work in that space as a producer, and he just encouraged me to give it a go - and I found it so fun and rewarding. I think this sample-making space is really special in that you create the sample, and then it gets to go on and have its own life in other people’s music and creative process. I still enjoy the time and practice that goes into crafting a full classic song, but not having to fully commit to fleshing out an idea entirely and sometimes just getting to go full gung-ho and coming up with hundreds of ideas scratches my creative (and hyperactive) itch.

91V: Nuxe, your ‘sound’ is always recognizable. What favorite techniques, plugins, or hardware help shape your signature sound?

Nuxe: Thanks! It would be a long list if I were to go through every technique/plugin I love and use often, but a huge part of my sound comes from an analog-emulation oriented workflow. I do almost everything ‘in the box’, so I try to sound as ‘out of the box’ as possible. I always try to use high-quality plugins, mixed with some niche, lesser-known plugins, to get the sound I’m striving for. A huge point of inspiration when choosing my plugin chain is to delve into old videos and interviews with the original engineers of some of my sonically favorite albums from the 90’s and early 2000’s, see what hardware was used during recording and mixing, and find the equivalent emulation plugin. Radiohead’s ‘The Bends’ and ‘OK Computer’ are two huge sonic influences. I don’t think anything I’ve bounced out of Ableton in the last ~2 years hasn’t had a Neve console emulation and a myriad of tape emulations scattered around the sessions. Currently, some of my favorite plugins are UAD Manley VoxBox and Avalon Preamp, Soundtoys EchoBoy, Fabfilter Saturn, T-Racks Tascam Porta One. Two hidden gems I use all the time are Schulz Audio JP-ME-1 Reverb, and PotenzaDSP SimpleClip.

91V: After the success of your first pack ‘Nuxe - Lofi Tapes & Vocals’ with 91Vocals, we’re sure producers will love these new sounds! How do you hope they’ll use your samples, and what types of uses excite you the most?

Nuxe: Honestly, it’s all great, every genre. I did find a particular excitement in hearing the samples pop up in non-English songs, particularly Milo J’s ‘Buen Día Portación De Rostro’. It was surreal hearing our sample play in stadiums in South America, the crowd screaming when that sample opened the song, and Milo singing the rest of it in Spanish. I’d also really love to hear some of these new samples used in more melodic UK rap.

Lucy: Honestly, I’m just stoked that the melodies, instrument lines, and lyrics I’ve written for this get to take on multiple lives in other people’s work. It’s really special and rewarding knowing that other creators can interpret and develop these samples in whatever way connects with them. Even just hearing what Nuxe does once I send him all the stems is surreal. To me, songwriting and making music is deeply personal, and to be able to share that with other people who have that same connection and love for it all over the world is insane to me. And also, getting to hear my voice and work in genres that I’ve never imagined will be sick.

Click the link below to check out the Nuxe - Lofi Indie & Bedroom Vocals pack today and be sure to follow Nuxe on Instagram and follow Lucy Sugerman on Instagram.