Nicolay

Nicolay is a significant player in the development of 21st century hip-hop, R&B, and electronic music. An accomplished beatmaker before he started to fully flex his skills as a subtly eclectic producer and classically trained multi-instrumentalist, the Netherlands-raised, North Carolina-based artist is known most for his Grammy-nominated partnership with Phonte under the name the Foreign Exchange. He has an extensive discography of additional collaborative and solo recordings. Among his notable earlier releases are his City Lights trilogy (including 2015's City Lights, Vol. 3: Soweto), Glaciers (a 2018 meeting with jazz trio the Hot at Nights), and Analog Dreams (a 2021 set combining three EPs). He followed soundtrack work for ESPN with Terra Firma (2024), a highly refined double album despite a stylstic scope and guest list befitting a mixtape.