"RE: Construction" is Texas' first hiphop/turntablist compilation. It features a FULL 74 mins of production and scratches by NickNack along with a stellar cast of guest emcees.

26 MP3 Songs
HIP HOP/RAP: Hip Hop, HIP HOP/RAP: Southern Style



Details:
In the late 1980's, hip-hop music found Nick Malkiewicz in Northeast Dallas. Hip-hop was like a gateway drug that allowed him to embrace every other type of music he now enjoys. Shortly after becoming a fan, he made the natural transition to actually creating music as DJ NickNack, turntablist and producer.

These days, the Crowd Control Records founder can be seen spinning in the jazz band BLAZE at Elephant Room in downtown Austin, TX, or heard mixing with fellow deejays such as Mel and Baby G at various downtown clubs. His 2000 release, the Soundscape (NickNack & Bavu) "Listeners" 12-inch, sold more than 1,000 copies and had more than 10 million copies distributed in mp3 format. It marked the beginning of work on his highly anticipated "RE: Construction" compilation, which features many of Texas' top talent.

NickNack started dj'ing in 1990 after listening to Low Profile's "Aladdin's on a Rampage" and some early Gang Starr recordings featuring native Texan DJ Premier. "I started with one old Technics 1800 turntable and a 19-inch Gemini mixer, the PDM 3004," he said. "I started off scratching, because it seemed so intriguing to me."

Nick took second place in his first dj battle, Dallas' Sound Wars 2 in 1995. That same year he moved to Austin to attend the University of Texas, founded Crowd Control Records with his first mix tape, "Audio Laxative", and started the "B Side" mix show at student radio station KVRX 91.7 FM. The "B Side" show ran successfully through 2000 (5 years total), when Nick graduated from UT's College of Communication and started broadcasting on KAZI 88.7FM's Weekend Warmup Show. However, the legacy lives on through Nick's new mixtape series entitled "B Side Blends" (learn more at www.bsideblends.com).

Nick found his niche within the music industry via radio promoters and major labels by 1997. This was also the year he started producing music independently and co-founded Hip-Hop Mecca, an extremely successful Texas promotions company.

Reaching the peak of his career as a battle dj, Nick placed fourth at the DMC Southwest Regionals in 1998. In the summer of 1998 Nick talked with Prince Poetry of Organized Konfusion about doing a collaboration project with a Texas artist. This was the beginning of Five Finger Records, which he co-founded with two business partners. "We put out Prince Po/QB 'Long Distance', which sold more than 3,000 copies worldwide." This 1998 release garnered international attention for NickNack, who was also sharpening his live performance skills sharing the
stage with dozens of well-known artists on their Austin stops. "Some of the more memorable shows I performed at were The Roots and OutKast, both of which were at the UT Ballroom, and Organized Konfusion at Electric Lounge a month before the group split up," he said.

In the summer of 1998, he released his first production material, combining unique beats with scratching, phrasedropping and old soul records to create "In the Nick of Time". This project exemplifies Nick's unique style of music production and the diverse sounds that are a result.

As a matter of fact, diverse is an understatement. Nick is not only a producer and a deejay, but also a graphic designer, webmaster, studio engineer and businessman.