After Foreign Exchange, Nicolay’s career took off at a rapid pace. He started making more and more beats that were placed. His reputable craftsmanship became highly acknowledged and he began working with different artists. Still, Foreign Exchange is coming back, Lay’s solo album is on the way and we even found out more about falling off and the different Hip Hop cultures that are seen here, in the states, and in other countries around the world.

HipHopDX: I know you're heading out on tour. What do you get from the live aspect of music that makes it different (better or worse) than the studio aspect of music making?
Nicolay: What I like about doing shows is the contact with the people. Its a much more direct way of sharing the music, its all about the moment whereas in the studio you can keep going back to it until it is exactly how you want it.

DX: What makes the new Foreign Exchange album different from the last?
N: A lot! But that's something I don't want to get that much further into right now. People will definitely be surprised, but at the same time the album still has a lot of the elements that made people become fans of the first record.

DX: If you could have one emcee (Other than Phonte) rap over your beats, who would that one emcee be?
N: It would most likely be Kay of The Foundation.

DX: What'd you think of the Little Brother album, overall?
N: I was very impressed when 'Tay played it for me a while back. I like it a lot, I think the record shows a lot of growth.

DX: As a child, what were you hoping to become? Did those plans pan out or were you planning on stuff outside of music?
N: I pretty much had dreams of doing something in music, I just didn't know exactly what yet... but yeah a lot of those dreams came true...releasing records, doing shows and getting to travel all over the world, meeting some of my heroes....

DX: Since you are from outside of the US, can you now compare the cultural differences within the Hip Hop communities from in and out of the States? Which do you feel is better? Worse? Why?
N: I get this question all the time but its comparing apples and oranges. People's mindsets in Europe are very different from People in the states. In Europe, people are used to being very aware of the outside world and cultures and so their tastes are more eclectic, and that goes for Hip Hop too. The genre boundaries are a little less defined. I have learned that a lot of people in the States just don't have that window to the world, they are very much focused on within. I feel that's because of the government not setting the right example.

DX: As a producer, what are some items (equipment) you cannot live without?
N: Man... My computer, ‘nuf said. My Motif keyboard would be a tough loss, too. Everything would be.

DX: What got you into producing at first? What made that initial attraction to beats explode into the full time occupation it is now? What let you know that you could actually rock next to the best?
N: Wow. I guess I got attracted to producing for the simple fact that I was tired of playing in bands where you gotta always take four or five other people into consideration and then everything can become a compromise. I wanted to express myself solo for a change. It took me a while to realize that I could hold my own next to pretty much everybody, people around me had to sort of make me aware of that. Nowadays, I'm super confident.

DX: Your success is a testament to success on the internet. But, do you have anything against the internet's use of music and how it has affected the consumer-artist relationship? If not, what would you say to those who are opposed to the internet file sharing and so on?
N: To me, there's no the internet. The net is such a vast place with so many different levels, and yet there's still a lot of people out there that are not computer-savvy. It’s important for artists to realize that while the internet can be an essential tool for promotion, there's a world beyond it that you shouldn't ignore. When it comes to filesharing, it’s clear that we can't turn that back around anymore. The major label world screwed up on that big time. Had they responded properly to the first successes of Audiogalaxy and Napster, it could have been a much different situation. I personally do not have a problem with people downloading my work to try it out, sort of. Hopefully they will pick up an officially copy if they like it enough.

DX: What advice would you give other up and coming producers?
N: Take your craft seriously and learn all there is to know. The day that you think you are done paying dues is the day you fall off.