5 mins with Ernest Nyma aka Ernesto Blaque

5 mins with...... Ernest Nyma aka Ernesto Black

What's your sound?

Predominantly my music is more relaxed, tropical sound, feel Deep and airy sound. You don’t have to be an amazing dancer to be moved by the rhythm. It’s more of an emotional journey experience. I use percussions a lot. Personally I think percussions are what sets producers apart from the rest. I am from a dance and clubbing generation, so even if it’s a fast paced song, it’s still an emotional journey.
Who are your influences?

DJ who is inspires me are Black Coffee, Dennis Ferrer, Ralph Gum and Jero Nougues. They have shaped how I approach production and DJ sets. But I listen to a lot of music apart from EDM, I enjoy Hip Hop, Kwaito, Classical RNB. Now and then I pick up a record an artist I never heard before or know the genre just to broaden my view of things

What inspired the your singles?

Ernestoblaque Music Ft Patricia Edwards - Its Ok

Patricia wrote the lyrics and came with the melody way before the songs was made of Its Ok. I liked it and I decided to write music to it. My idea was since I am South African and Patricia is American, I want to make a song that compliments the two countries. I wanted it to have an America feel and South African feel to it. I wanted it to have a club feel and you can play it in American club, South African club, Ibiza or Tokyo it should be relevant. That was the thinking process behind production of it.

Ernestoblaque Music Ft Zethu - Let Me Go

Let Me Go was recorded in Durban. How it came up, I was at a friend’s studio , some girls asked Leon if they could visit and maybe record a song. He agreed. I happened to visit him on the same day. He played his beat to Zethu and she wrote down the song and I recorded the session and I used laptop to record because Leon is a Hip Hop producer and he wasn’t really keen, he was just being polite. When I got home I started to do my own version of the song.
Between Oct 2015 and Jan 2017 I came up with a lot of versions of the song and concepts. The final concept that I came with and eventually used was a Soulful song about a mature woman who got enough of two timing boyfriend and she wants out. The concept worked beautifully.

What’s your writing Process?

It differs with every Song. But most importantly I spend a significant time on the Kick drum, the bass and the percussion. If I can make those 3 elements work, then the rest falls in place quite easy. If you know your chords, that super because you can build your bassline from the chord, your melody and harmony from the chord. When I have an idea, maybe the melody or the bassline, then I start with that melody. If I don’t have an idea at all. I start will the chord. The other method I use is to make a remix of one of my favorite songs. My final product is not the remix of that song but my original song.

Why Music?

Music for me is a vehicle and means to tell your story, it defines our history, who we are and what we believe in. It controls moods, feeling, so it a power entity, just like poets uses words, an artist uses paint. I tell my story using sound, creating a certain feel or mood. You can make people feel angry, sad, joyful, in love by the power of music.

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