NINA and RADIO WOLF have teamed up to create two fiery back-to-back singles ‘My Dark’ and ’Bluesbreaker’.

The two first met while touring together on the US West Coast. Known as “The Queen Of Synthwave”, NINA was promoting her first solo album ‘Sleepwalking’ while RADIO WOLF, better known to his parents as Oliver Blair was performing as a member of Canadian synthpop band PARALLELS with whom he would later release a soundtrack of songs for the film ‘Proximity’ on Lakeshore Records.

Collaboration is at the heart of both NINA and RADIO WOLF; the former’s most recent releases were with Ricky Wilde and Kid Moxie while the latter’s portfolio includes work with Sarah Blackwood, Kelli Ali and a then-unknown Jorja Chalmers when they were members of the new wave trio HOTEL MOTEL.

Created, recorded, produced and mixed in a custom-built home studio in Berlin, ‘My Dark’ and ’Bluesbreaker’ both encapsulate a dark romantic spirit to make a fine follow-up to NINA’s previous two RADIO WOLF productions ‘Carnival Night’ and second version of ‘I’ll Wait’.

As well as the release of two new songs, NINA and RADIO WOLF will be busy in March as they open for CANNONS when the American indiewave band venture over to Europe for selected dates in Berlin, Cologne, Paris, Amsterdam and London. The Berlin-resident couple spoke to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK about their recent comings and goings…

Both of you have been making music individually and in collaboration with others over the years, but was coming together to make music with each other just a natural process?

RADIO WOLF: We connected on tour. NINA and PARALLELS were performing in the US together (me as a de facto member of PARALLELS). I could tell right away that NINA had so much more to her than what she was already known for and I wanted to help her bring that forward. She has an incredible voice and beautiful way of writing dark yet romantic lyrics. She shared my desire to make music that is more conceptual and genre-fusing and we bonded very quickly. When we first started recording demos, things got exciting very fast and we pretty much wrote an album’s worth of songs in one month. We just fit.

NINA: When I heard RADIO WOLF’s ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Forever’, I knew there was something special about him. Nobody had impressed me with the fusion of Electronica and Rock guitar quite like that before. On tour, he actually remixed one of my songs: ‘Automatic Call’, which was never released by the label. Still, I was blown away when I first heard it and how he reinvented the song, especially with his treatment of my voice. It may become some kind of “bootleg” one day. I love how we sound together and the world we’ve created.

How does your creative dynamic operate and how might it differ from others you have worked with?

RADIO WOLF: Not all artists who collaborate, even those with huge mutual respect, want to step very far from their oeuvre. And that’s all right. It’s our mutual desire to experiment and break free from rigid musical genres that is the key to our harmony. Also we read one another in an intuitive way – there’s a natural rhythm in our creative movements. If I start the process with a song or instrumental, NINA runs with it and adds to it in ways I often wouldn’t imagine, which turns into a back-and-forth flow of creativity.

NINA: We’re both very instinctive and rarely over-think our process, often giving our best ideas right upfront. RADIO WOLF tends to leave my very first moment with the music uninterrupted—He doesn’t interfere at all. Unless he writes the song from the beginning, he’ll only inspire an idea or put a concept on the table for me to play with. Other times, I’ll come to him with an idea or song and he’ll work on developing it. We have a great understanding of one another. It’s almost psychic.

What influences do you have in common for this collaboration but also, what things did one like but perhaps the other really wasn’t so keen on? 😉

RADIO WOLF: The influences we share are quite diverse and not what some would expect, which is the most fun aspect of us coming together. It’s how we mix it up and make it all our own. Our influences range from David Lynch, Roy Orbison, and Jimi Hendrix to TANGERINE DREAM, DEPECHE MODE and GOLDFRAPP… to name only a few! There’s also the influence and ethos of the jukebox single – that ‘jukebox spirit dimension’ as I call it. Because the consensual rocketing off from our usual orbit into more adventurous territory was a fiery entry point for NINA and me, we worked hard to create the harmony needed to make the music—we just kept fine tuning to create the perfect hybrid sound of our imaginings. There was little we disagreed on once we got into this zone.

NINA: We have the same taste, especially in our mutual love for electronic music and rock ‘n’ roll. I was so excited when Oliver started referencing his favourite artists because they were all so different. I hadn’t met anyone who was influenced by such a wide range of music before. He’s just like me! We really enjoy experimenting with electronic technology and strange modular sounds as it gives us a lot of freedom; evoking our “cinematic minds”. However, it’s our love for the raw feeling that rock ‘n’ roll inspires that really motivates the heart and soul of our music. I always feel like my true self when listening to Rock ‘n’ Roll and the Blues. That wild at heart feeling you get when the old records come on… Wow! I believe we’re channelling this feeling in the sonic world we’ve created. In terms of one of us not liking the other’s influences, well, when I feel the need for a blast of ABBA, Oliver cranks up THE PRODIGY as loud as he can. Cheeky!

Could ‘My Dark’ and ‘Bluesbreaker’ be seen as an old fashioned single with an A-side and B-side or is this more a double A-sided release?

RADIO WOLF: Double A-Side… That’s the idea!

NINA: Damn right! I think we should do this more often…

How did ‘My Dark’ develop?

RADIO WOLF: NINA’s vocals can be very sensual so with that in mind I created an instrumental that felt sexy and dark. It had a badass vibe right from the start. On hearing it, NINA said “let’s call this song ‘My Dark’” and I knew we’d be creating a kind of revelatory anti-love song about the dark side of relationships. Adding spacey guitars give it an even more uncanny feel.

NINA: Yes, we both felt like creating something quite heavy and I wanted to let out my inner femme-fatale. I was so inspired when I first heard RADIO WOLF’s instrumental, so I started singing along and writing lyrics to it very quickly. We completed the track together – RADIO WOLF’s really good at placing words and melodies where they shine the most. We both wanted to capture my intimate side as well by using spoken-word that builds to a passionate vocal climax. I think the song is special because it’s very moving as a dance track yet provocative like a sex scene in a movie.

‘Bluesbreaker’ has a rugged sound that might surprise some… and what? Harmonica? Is that virtual or real? 😉

RADIO WOLF: We love our rugged tones! It all started with the main guitar riff; I recorded it on New Year’s Eve after finishing my production of NINA’s ‘I’ll Wait’. It was a way for me to unwind after working so intensely and I was playing around with my crunchy overdriven Fender tones. NINA joined in with her raunchy vocals and we wrote the lyrics on the spot. We both love Bo Diddley, so we incorporated a variation of his classic beat near the end and then thought… “Hmmm… Harmonica?”. Admittedly I’m not the best harmonica player but I ‘bluesed it up’ in my own way with a real harmonica knowing I would customise it with SFX to give it that spacey, otherworldly twist.

NINA: RADIO WOLF originally wanted me to play the harmonica but I could tell that he was so passionate about it, I convinced him to record it. I wanted to focus on my vocal style and create a dreamy rock blend. I always wanted to make a Blues-inspired track. This one’s more of a hybrid and I like that! We’re mixing genres and trying things that are unexpected. This is what our team-up is all about. It’s conceptual Pop, Art Rock, Heavy beats, and Dreamscapes all rolled into one… Plus a hell of a lot more!

How was playing on stage for the first time together on the dates opening for DE/VISION last Autumn?

RADIO WOLF: It felt amazing! DE/VISION are such a cool band and the fans are the best! I’m so happy that they all loved the new songs and embraced NINA’s reimagined versions of beloved classics. It gives us motivation to update a few more…

NINA: I loved seeing the boys again. They are such veterans and inspire me every time. I’m not gonna lie, it was a really big jump into cold water for us, as everything was new and we hadn’t been on stage for 4 years. My nerves went up the roof on the first show, but by the third one, I felt very at home.

And then there was the Johnny Jewel gig…

RADIO WOLF: That one was special. It was very intimate; just NINA and I. We played only new and unreleased songs, which was pretty risky but it worked like a charm! Everyone had a great time and Johnny even jumped into the crowd and filmed us. Our performance resonated with a very dark yet romantic mood, which I think he liked. He’s a super sweet guy, incredibly talented and very supportive. Johnny’s performance was particularly inspiring as we share many of the same influences. We bonded later over Mario Bava films and Guy Bourdin photography.

NINA: We adore Johnny! What a talent. His performance was exciting and we’d love to play more shows with him and Megan à la DESIRE. Megan is a great artist as well and a really cool person.

What’s next for you together, is there an album on the way and more gigs?

RADIO WOLF: We’ve already booked a lot of shows and there’s more to come, so we’re really busy. The album is in the works and we keep adding songs. It’s very difficult to scale it all down—maybe there’ll be more than one so stay tuned!

NINA: We’re going to release more singles before we drop the album. We have so many songs! We really want to explore more with our sound. The album will certainly open things up and shed new light on both of us. We’re putting a lot of love and care into it and I can’t wait to share what we’ve created together with the world.

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its warmest thanks to NINA & RADIO WOLF

‘My Dark’ is released on 8 March 2024 via the usual online platforms, pre-save at https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/ninaandradiowolf/my-dark

‘Bluesbreaker’ follows on 15 March 2024, pre-save at https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/ninaandradiowolf/bluesbreaker

NINA & RADIO WOLF open for CANNONS on the following 2024 dates:

Berlin Franz Club (13 March), Cologne Club Volta (15 March), Paris Le Maroquinerie (16 March), Amsterdam Tolhuistuin (17 March), London Heaven (19 March)

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Text and Interview by Chi Ming Lai
7 March 2024