Niels Nielsen

Hello!

The Cortina Collective (originally Cortina Records) was founded by me together with my father back in 2005 when I released my first album. Since then the name changed and people came and went. We tried to be a label but we didn’t know how. We sold some records and people seemed to like us but we finally just became a name that didn’t really do anything anymore and for a while The Cortina Collective slept and thought about future plans.

Now we’re re-opened and things are very simple. We have a bunch of artists. That write great music.

You can find us, hear us, follow us and like us here:

http://thecortinacollective.net/

http://thecortinacollective.bandcamp.com

http://www.facebook.com/thecortinacollective

If you’d like to help us to spread the word, link to our site, like us on Facebook, write posts about it all or someone in particular, feel free to do.

Very simple. If you like it, you like it. If not, you don’t.

Have a great night and I’ll see you soon.

- Niels & The Cortina Collective

Hello.

In about 100 years we can all listen to this song: Rush – A Passage To Bangkok – from the best rock album of all time “2112″ by Rush and smile back at all the stupidity of 2012. Looking forward to it. The stupidity.

Tonight me and my homies finished the last song from a new album that will be presented during 2012.

I think I promised a gift for christmas. I meant to give you something but I got lazy and tired from all the food so you’ll have to wait another few days.

So 2011.

I thought I would release “Cmon Vultures Part: 2″ but it never happened. I was about to release a 7″ (my colleague Kaj over at the label GAPHALS is very upset since I never managed to finish this off). I was about to play in Belgium and do a short european tour but it never happened. I was about to become wealthy (I thought so) but it never happened.

But this year turned out pretty awesome after all.

- MTV used some of my songs in some teenage feel good show. (Now you switch over to this song: Daniel Johnston – Held The Hand and fast forward to the second verse.)

- I did play in New York over at Park Slope at Union Hall and even though I was jet lagged as hell and a bit hungover I managed to do a pretty damn solid show.

- I recorded 16 tracks (old and new) for an upcoming album.

- I toured all over Europe as a tour manager for the pretty damn good band GHOST. Who could have believed I would tell people what to do.

- I met some of my youth heroes – Bruce Dickinson and Alice Cooper to mention a few.

- I did see some awesome shows. Iron Maiden, Ozzy, Portishead and whatnot. I’ visited pretty much 50% of all the major festivals in Europe and saw a lot of good shows. And a lot of bad ones.

- I got a song featured in a major hollywood picture movie (to be released next year).

- I recorded and produced a great metal album (MAIM) which got great response in the outskirts of metal music (the cool hoods).

- I co-produced and recorded the new (and I guess pretty anticipated) album from a very secret Swedish band.

- I visited the Polar Studio (Stockholm) and the great Hansa Studio (Berlin).

- I managed to get aired on 25 radio stations in the US.

- I released an album with an US label (Saint Marie Records).

- I bought my first Moog.

- I did my first phoner with an american magazine.

- I was picked for a commercial including cool pictures of New York and pretty ladies in fancy dresses. (Look here.)

- I made money out of writing music. That’s something new. I mean, I’ve been writing and recording for about ten years. For fun. I never guessed I could make a dollar out of it. Lo-fi pop from Sweden.

- I had banana chocolate crepes in Paris. With my best friends. And I got paid doing it.

- I started to record a new album with Slidin’ Slim (one of the best human beings on this earth).

- I realized this world is full of great people you can work with. You know who you are.

- I realized this world is full of shit people and that you don’t really have to care about them.

- I grew a mustache and looked good.

- I turned 28 and didn’t panic.

- I quit my job.

- I became a full time musician/producer.

So I guess it’s ok that I didn’t really finish an album.

Sayonara.

- Niels

As usual around christmas I let people download whatever they want. So if you want something old you can find it here.

My discography is pretty scattered. It’s demos. It’s re-runs. I don’t really know anymore in which order I released the albums. And who fucking cares? This is my history of music. Sometimes good, sometimes not so good. I admit that the quality on many of the recordings could have been better. The lyrics could have been smarter and I certainly could have mixed many songs so much better.

But isn’t this great? It’s like a miniature time travel in my bedrooms. I haven’t had a proper studio to record in (except for The Reminder EP). And I haven’t got any money to go pro mixing the stuff. I seriously why should I? I mean so far it’s just me trying out stuff. I didn’t have a plan when I started. “I’m gonna be this and that”. I searched for many years before I released anything and my search just made me more confused.

But one day I opened my mouth and started to sing. Someone thought it sounded great. And some people thought I had a very bad accent. One time a guy from London asked me if I had english parents ‘cos “my accent was so good” (and he wasn’t joking) and over the years I’ve just realized that some people dig your shit and some people don’t.

I’ve tried so many times to write songs in a different category. But I mostly ends up with a noisy 3-4 min song with a kinda depressed pop melody onto a noisy beat with some bad tuned guitars. I guess I’m not better than that. Well I wasn’t anyhow. I haven’t released that much lately.

And I’m proud. Yes I am. I’ve tried to move forward and try new stuff. Even if the result wasn’t always the best. I admire bands that back in the days could spend months on recording something that turned out real bad. Cos it almost always is a stepping stone forward towards something better. And you can always fast forward and skip ahead if you think that a song from a couple of years ago sucks.

Back when I started I always wrote lyrics on the run. Picked up a line, wrote it down on whatever piece of paper I could find and just sang it. Many times without even correcting what I just wrote. It was more of a feeling. Then of course someone told me you couldn’t do it that way. Well I just did I thought but I tried to improve.

I’m not a great writer. I have a brain, I can think. But I’m no Roger Waters or no Thom Yorke. And to be honest, I never set out to be.

I just wanna record songs that I like to listen to.

And over time you change taste.

I can go back and listen to my first songs and laugh. But I can also find my true naive intention somewhere down there. Buried in my attempts of improving my songwriting.

I also used to take a lot of photos and upload them with my songs.

Almost like a diary.

So in times when you have to label yourself, market you as a product, tell everyone everywhere that you are the next best thing I utterly and truly say:

Fuck you. I just wanna play some rocknroll.

- Niels

And we all do the same. I read somewhere that we nowadays all try so hard to be unique that we all end up living pretty much the same boring life.

Well that’s pretty pessimistic isn’t it.

But the hunt. For what. Wealth? Family? Career? Someone?

All the effort to prove something.

Odd is good.

- Niels

I haven’t given you any lists of my fav records this year, my fav singles, my fav blogs, my fav whatevers this year. well i told you yesterday i love portugal the man. but no lists so far in december. i haven’t treated you with any treats everyday in december as a countdown to x-mas. i haven’t produced an album and i haven’t released any cool singles or pics for a long time. i ve been out of time and out of energy to write posts here and haven’t really put a very big effort to entertain you. and still you read this. i hope we’re still friends.

when i started out in 2003-2004 i just made singles and put them online and it was happy times. now you need to calculate everything to fit in the system of releases, make your way through the buzz. everybody’s blogging and everybody’s so goddamn good at marketing themselves. im not. i admit. but still i get emails from people who likes my music and people in mexico, colombia, vietnam, japan, us, uk find my music and download songs and albums they like. i got actually got picked as “top 12 of the month” in brazil www.londonburning.net .. that’s pretty awesome in my world.

i so appreciate all you friendly people visiting this page. listening to tracks. coming to shows.

i do have a little christmas gift for you. i will let you know.

but for now. season finale true blood season 3. i know, it’s pretty corny. but the cliffhangers ahh.

- Niels

So I spent one month in a bus. I’m back home. Cleaning up the studio. Recording.

Listening to the tracks I’ve worked with the last two years. I know, that’s too much. But I haven’t had the time or focus to do it earlier.

When I’m not recording I’m listening to this cos this is the best shit I’ve heard in a long time…

Portugal. The Man – In The Mountain In The Cloud

- Niels

Scary place. Glasgow.

- Niels

Ludwigsburg. Check.

Offenbach. Check.

Münich. Check.

- Niels

Hovet – Stockholm. Check.

Scandinavium – Gothenburg. Check.

Now in Germany.

- Niels

I love youtube. You can find real enthusiasts.

This guy reviewed (I think?) my album.

Sorry to say, I really don’t get a word from which language he is speaking. Shoegaze. And probably something about me being Swedish.

Anyway, even though I’m not sure if he liked the record or not, thanks for reviewing it.

Visit saintmarierecords.com to listen/buy.

- Niels