Nhii’s upcoming release, titled ‘Awake” arrives at a time when conversations about attention, technology, and club culture feel sharper than ever. His new collaboration with Shyam P lands soon, and we were lucky enough to get the premiere ahead of the full drop next week. He took time to speak candidly about the shifts he has witnessed on dance floors, the decisions that guide his sets, and the habits that keep him grounded in a crowded environment.
This interview moves through his process with clear language and specific examples, outlining how he reads a room, how he responds to changes in energy, and how he keeps a committed focus on long-form storytelling in a period defined by rapid consumption.
Interview With Nhii
Have you noticed a change in the way crowds listen or engage with music in the last decade?
For sure.
Before the pandemic break, it felt like crowds were more tuned in over a longer time and were less distracted. I can especially see this phenomenon in the US now, but you can’t blame the crowds, because at the same time, the overall quality of DJ sets, techniques, and even the music quality went down, and now with AI, music is degrading more and more.
According to a Deezer study, only 3 percent of consumers can differentiate full AI music from human made music. But the rate within audio engineers is like 100%. They can hear it. I’m a bit afraid of a future where this music degradation is becoming part of a culture and will stay with us. And who wants to tune in with AI music?
That’s the funny part: AI musicians love to create music with it, but they don’t even listen to AI music. Either you’re being gaslighted by the streaming platform as they don’t label AI music and as a consequence you listen to AI music unintentionally, or you choose to listen to human made music.
I see similarities at festivals and clubs. By booking DJs that look good at first view but lack proper understanding of culture and music, crowds are being gaslighted as well. I always have to laugh when I see someone with 1 million Instagram followers and 1,500 followers on SoundCloud, 30 followers on Resident Advisor and 5000 monthly listeners as a headliner.
Do we really think this is what crowds want? I honestly find it quite sad that we treat listeners like that. And in this environment, I don’t expect anything else than crowds paying less attention.
Do you approach your sets differently now because attention spans have shifted?
I’m a DJ since I’m 15 years old, so I have seen many shifts.
It’s certainly the most extreme one I’ve witnessed.
The Nhii project started in 2018, and it was the start for me personally to dedicate my music and creation process towards storytelling and meaningful moments. I’m trying to keep it that way.
You can still tell long stories in a DJ set and keep the vibe interesting and engaging without catering to short attention spans, but besides DJ skill there are other factors like sound system and room acoustics which need to be on point to make it work. And so far, as long as the venue checks all the boxes, it’s always possible to create a meaningful night with a good DJ.
What do you do when you feel like the room is watching, but not really tuned in?
As mentioned, if the venue doesn’t provide the basics for a solid party, there’s only so little you can do.
But if we talk about a good setup and the crowd is still not tuned in, I like to throw in a few curveballs to see if they wake up or send me a sign of life. It can be a break beat, or a track with only kick and bassline or an acapella.
Personally, I really like to play long sets and even open. It just gives you full control over the night and you can translate your vision onto the dance floor.
I just uploaded a 5-hour mix recorded at Lisbon’s Rūmu — it’s probably a good example of what I’m talking about here.
Do you think phones have affected the feedback loop between DJ and crowd?
I do think some of the DJs educated their crowds to record videos and film the events, with all kinds of privacy problems when asking for uploads so they can use it as a IG post etc… I never understood why you would want to upload a video of a crowd where you can clearly see their faces. To me it’s not very thoughtful and a privacy issue. Nobody wants their party face on the net — it’s going to be there for a long time after all.
My music demands more attention than your standard tech house 90 min sets, so I luckily don’t get the worst of this development.
I’m honestly really happy with the feedback I get over the last years. My set appears to be unique to most people, soundwise. The simple explanation is that I mostly play my own (unreleased) music.
Have you ever had to change your direction mid-set because you felt people weren’t connecting the way they used to?
A DJ has to be flexible of course — it’s different for a live set. A lot of times I would call it micro adjustments. Like, if you feel like one groove is working really well, you can extend it or pick something similar right after to keep it going, although you already cued up and matched another song. That’s where 3 or 4 CDJ setups come in handy. Never be afraid to make spontaneous adjustments when you feel the need for it. It’s the ‘flow’.
What’s something that still gets people locked in, no matter how the culture around them has changed?
A good sound system and a well-treated room. It’s just the fundamental for a good party. A crowd will always appreciate technically good sound, now more than ever… because it is getting rare with rising costs and cutting corners.
How do you stay present when the energy of the room feels fragmented or distracted?
I live for music. I don’t need much to tune into it. It’s something you can practice like everything else. Make a coffee in the morning and listen intentionally and do nothing else — full attention to the music.
It’s my morning routine and it gives me so much joy.
I’m also a social person, so I do understand when people talk and exchange. After all, this is also part of being in a community.
Recently I saw a handout in a club that asked for people to have conversations not on the dance floor but on the side of the room. This already created a better setting and ergo a better vibe.
Will Vance is a professional music producer who has been involved in the industry for the better part of a decade and has been the managing editor at Magnetic Magazine since mid-2022. In that time period, he has published thousands of articles on music production, industry think pieces and educational articles about the music industry. Over the last decade as a professional music producer, Will Vance has also ran multiple successful and highly respected record labels in the industry, including Where The Heart Is Records as well as having launched a new label with a focus on community through Magnetic Magazine. When not running these labels or producing his own music, Vance is likely writing for other top industry sites like Waves or the Hyperbits Masterclass or working on his upcoming book on mindfulness in music production. On the rare chance he's not thinking about music production, he's probably running a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends which he has been the dungeon master for for many years.
