Ida Nielsen: "A Year With Prince": (a google translation will follow).

source:
http://gaffa.dk/artikel/51442

Ida Nielsen: Et år med Prince

Den danske bassist Ida Nielsen har det seneste år været på turné med Danmarksaktuelle Prince. Fra sit hotelværelse i Norge ringede hun op til GAFFA.

Hun ringer præcis på det aftalte klokkeslæt. Ligesom når hun spiller bas for Prince er hendes timing upåklagelig. Hun præsenterer sig som "Ida fra Princes band". I knapt et år har danske Ida Nielsen, der oprindeligt er fra Aarhus, været en del af The NPG - The New Power Generation. Prince har turneret stort set uafbrudt, siden hun kom med i bandet, og hun lægger grinende ud med at fortælle, at hun er "riiiimelig glad for at være med, for nu at sige det på jysk".

– Bandet har taget rigtig godt imod mig. De andre har været top-søde til at hjælpe, og det er nærmest, som om vi er blevet en lille familie. Der er rigtig god stemning i bandet, stille og roligt, så selvom vi har rigtig travlt og har spillet rigtig mange og rigtig lange koncerter, så er det en god træthed, man har om aftenen.

Inden du blev kontaktet af Prince, hvilken rolle havde han da spillet for dig?

– En stor rolle! Jeg elsker funkmusik, og for mig er han kongen af funk. Han har jo sin helt egen stil, men man kan også høre andre folks indflydelse på ham – musik, som også har betydet meget for mig. Jeg har lyttet rigtig meget til ham. Jeg kan for eksempel huske, første gang jeg hørte "Alphabet Street" (fra albummet "Lovesexy", der udkom i 1988, red.), hvordan det slog benene væk under mig. Alt går op i den sang, og der er ikke én finger at sætte på noget. Den fik mig til at høre musik på en helt ny måde.

Er der nogle numre, som du er særligt glad for at spille live?

– Jeg spiller en del numre nu, som jeg ikke kendte, før jeg spillede med ham, så der er flere og flere, jeg kommer til at kunne lide. Men jeg vil gerne fremhæve "Alphabet Street", igen, som er på top fem over mine yndlingssange i hele verden. Men selv de numre, som jeg har et mere neutralt forhold til, er stadig fantastiske, fordi hans sangskrivning er på et utroligt højt niveau.

Han kan jo selv

Prince er kendt for konstant at skrive ny musik. Han har tidligere fortalt, at han skriver et nyt nummer om dagen. Hans samling af uudgivet materiale kaldes af fans og ham selv for "The Vault" - Bankboksen. Men hvordan foregår det, når han har et nyt nummer med til bandet, som de skal spille? Har han indspillet noget på forhånd, eller spiller han det bare for dem?

– Jeg har prøvet begge dele. Både at han har indspillet noget, der er fuldstændig færdigt og klar til cd, men også at han spiller noget, som vi jammer til. Han kan jo spille alle instrumenterne i bandet selv, så han kan jo vise os helt konkret, hvad vi skal spille.

NPG Festival

Det nyeste tiltag Prince er The NPG Music and Arts Festival, som udspiller sig på Amager i weekenden, 6. og 7. august. Prince er selv hovednavn lørdag og søndag, og derudover byder dagene også på koncerter med Nikka Costa, Janelle Monáe, Maceo Parker, Larry Graham, Chaka Khan, Raphael Saadiq og Paloma Faith. Nogle af de optrædende er gamle kendinge i Prince-regi, mens andre er nye tilkommere.

Kan du fortælle lidt mere om, hvad vi kan forvente os af NPG-festivalen?

– I løbet af vores tour har jeg haft lejlighed til at høre de fleste af artisterne, fordi de har spillet i forbindelse med nogle af vores shows, og de er rigtig gode alle sammen. Så jeg er meget glad for, at de her kunstnere kommer til Danmark og får et større publikum. Det fortjener de virkelig.

Hvad kan vi så forvente af Prince-koncerterne?

Ida griner: – Hvis jeg bare kunne sige det, men der er jo det, at der aldrig er to af hans koncerter, der er ens. Vi får først sætlisten til lydprøverne – hvis vi er heldige – så jeg ved ikke, hvad vi skal spille, men som altid, så bliver det en overraskelse med høj energi med masser af funk og spilleglæde.

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Ida-album på vej

Ida Nielsen bruger meget ordene "top-fedt", og det er tydeligt, at hun er glad og taknemmelig for sit job. Hun er energisk, og igennem telefonen kan man høre, at hun smiler. Før hun kom med i NPG, var hun en del af flere andre orkestre, blandt andre belgiske Zap Mama, og havde også set eget projekt Ida Funkhauser. Men er der overhovedet tid til det projekt nu?

– Jeg har ikke haft tid i meget lang tid. Når man skal lære 300 nye sange, så er det jo naturligt, at alt andet ryger på hylden. Men da Prince kontaktede mig sidste år, var jeg næsten færdig med et album, og det udkommer snart. Det udkommer i navnet "Ida Nielsen" og kommer til at hedde "Sometimes A Girl Needs Some Sugar Too".

Får vi dig at høre på den næste Prince-cd?

– Det aner jeg ikke. Jeg ved slet ikke, om han har planer om at gå i studiet igen. Det må tiden vise. Men det ville da være dejligt!

I filmen "Purple Rain" er det et tilbagevendende tema, at Wendy og Lisa kommer med musikalske idéer til The Kid, der spilles af Prince, som han indtil filmens slutning hånligt afviser. Hvad sker der, hvis du kommer med idéer til Prince?

– Det har jeg ikke rigtig gjort endnu.

Ida Nielsen sænker stemmen: – Jeg føler mig stadig lidt ny, så ... men han er da åben over for, hvis der er nogle der har forslag til for eksempel arrangement. Han er lydhør, hvis det er en god idé.

Det må være svært at toppe at have spillet med Prince. Ved du, hvad du skal bagefter?

– Jeg håber jo, at det ikke stopper, men at der kun bliver tale om en pause, siger hun med et grin.

Til sidst beder jeg hende komme med en anekdote, som står særligt tydeligt.

– Normalt får vi udleveret aftenens sætliste meget sent, og det vildeste i den forbindelse, det var, da vi fløj direkte fra Montreal til Paris, hvor vi skulle spille på direkte tv. Da vi gik på, havde vi stadig ikke fået noget at vide – vi vidste, hvad skulle starte med, men der var ingen sætliste, og vi anede ikke, hvad der skulle komme efter. Vi stod bare og kiggede og holdt øje med, hvilken sang han gik i gang med. At han tør gøre det på live tv. Det gik skide godt, men han må have is i maven for at gøre sådan noget. Men det er jo også en tillidserklæring til hans band!

Køb billetter til NPG Festival via GAFFA Live.

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from Google translation:


Ida Nielsen: One year with Prince

The Danish bassist Ida Nielsen has spent the last year been on tour with Denmark Current Prince. From her hotel room in Norway called her up to GAFFA.

By Per Bloch Andersen



She calls promptly at the agreed time. Just like when she plays bass for Prince, her timing impeccable. She presents as "Ida from Princes Band". In barely a year, Danish Ida Nielsen, who originally is from Aarhus, has been a part of The NPG - The New Power Generation. Prince has toured almost continuously since she joined the band, and she lays out laughing to tell that she is "reeeeaally happy to be with this, just the way to say it in Jutland."



- The band has been really good to me. The others have been top-sweet to help, and it's almost as if we were a little family. There are really good atmosphere in the band, quietly, so even though we have been really busy and has played many concerts and really long, so you are tired in a good way, in the evening.



Before you were contacted by Prince, what role did he play for you?



- A great role! I love funk music, and for me he is the king of funk. He has his own style, but you can also hear other people's influence on him - music that also has meant a lot to me. I've listened a lot to him. I can for example remember the first time I heard "Alphabet Street" (from the album "Love Sexy", which appeared in 1988, ed.), How it blew me away. Everything goes up in the song, and there is not one finger to put on anything. It got me to hear music in a whole new way.



Are there any numbers that you are particularly fond of playing with live?



- I play some songs now, which I knew before I played with him, so there are more and more I come to like. But I would like to highlight the "Alphabet Street" again, which is among the top five of my favorite songs in the world. But even the numbers that I have a more neutral conditions, is still amazing because his songwriting is at an incredibly high level.



He can even play everything himself

Prince is known for constantly writing new music. He has previously said that he is writing a new song a day. His collection of unreleased material called by fans and himself for "The Vault" - the bank box. But how does it work when he has a new number with the band as they play? Has he recorded anything in advance, or he plays it just for them?

- I've tried both. Both he recorded something that is completely finished and ready for CD, but also that he plays something we wail for. He can play all the instruments in the band himself, so he can show us exactly what we should play.



NPG Festival

The latest initiative is The Prince NPG Music and Arts Festival, which takes place on Amager this weekend, 6 and 7 August. Prince himself is headlining Saturday and Sunday, and also offers day also at concerts with Nikka Costa, Janelle Monae, Maceo Parker, Larry Graham, Chaka Khan, Raphael Saadiq and Paloma Faith. Some of the performers are old acquaintances in Prince auspices, while others are newcomers.



Can you talk a little more about what we can expect from NPG festival?



- During our tour, I had the opportunity to hear most of the artists, because they have played in some of our shows and they are really good all together. So I am very happy that these artists come to Denmark and get a larger audience. It deserves the real.



What can we expect from the Prince concert?



Ida laughs: - If I could just say it, but there is that there are never two of his concerts are alike. We will first get the setlists at soundcheck - if we're lucky - so I do not know what to play, but as always, it gets a surprise with high energy with lots of funk and joy of playing.

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IDA album on the way

Ida Nielsen uses a lot of the words "top-fat" and it is obvious that she is happy and grateful for her job. She is energetic, and over the phone, you can hear that she is smiling. Before she joined the NPG, she was part of several other orchestras, among other Belgian Zap Mama, and had also seen its own project IDA Funk Hauser. But is there any time to the project now?



- I have not had time for a very long time. When you learn 300 new songs, so it is natural that all other goes on the shelf. But when the Prince approached me last year, I had almost finished an album and it will be published soon. It is published in the name of "Ida Nielsen" and will be called "Sometimes A Girl Needs Some Sugar Too".



Do we get to hear the next Prince CD?



- That I have no idea. I do not know whether he plans to go into the studio again. It remains to be seen. But it would be nice!



In the movie "Purple Rain" is a recurring theme that Wendy and Lisa comes with musical ideas for The Kid, played by Prince, as he is until the film end scornfully rejects. What happens if you come up with ideas for Prince?



- I have not really done yet.

Ida Nielsen lowers her voice: - I am still somewhat new, so ... but he is as open to, if there are some who have suggestions for such arrangement. He is responsive if it is a good idea.



It must be hard to peaks that have played with Prince. Do you know what to do next?



- I hope in fact that it does not stop, but that there will be a pause, she says with a laugh.

Finally, I ask her to come with an anecdote, which is particularly evident.



- Normally we receive tonight's set list very late, and the wildest in this regard, it was when we flew direct from Montreal to Paris, where we had to play on live TV. As we walked in, we had still not been told - we knew what had to start with, but there was no set list, and we had no idea what was to come after. We just stood and watched and kept track of what song he started with. That he dares do it on live television. It was damn good, but you must have ice in your stomach to do something. But it is also an expression of confidence in his band!



Tickets to NPG Festival via GAFFA Live.

I hope it's readable....

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Thanks!