Without borders: emerging electric beat in Centretown
Local artist NDMA infusing airwaves with international flavours
By Meagan Sylvester, Centretown Buzz
Nilton De Menezes, above, is a Centretown artist who goes by the stage name NDMA. De Menezes is originally from Angola but now resides in Ottawa. NDMA performed at Bluesfest in 2013 and NXNE in Toronto.
Photo by Funky Llama Designs
Photo by Funky Llama Designs
Electric pow wow, dubstep and disco are all defining sounds in Ottawa’s city centre, with local artists taking centre stage. With an ever-growing electronic music scene, it’s nearly impossible to categorize all genres heard in the capital. But one Centretown artist is stepping outside city limits in search of musical inspiration.
Nilton De Menezes, who goes by the stage name NDMA, infuses musical elements from his native Angola with urban electronic hip hop, creating an exclusive sound that stretches far beyond national borders.
De Menezes was born in Angola, a country on the southwest cost of Africa, but moved to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with his parents when he was 10 years old. After four years in Brazil, De Menezes and his family finally planted their soiled boots in Ottawa.
The young teen enrolled at Notre Dame Catholic High School but transferred to Canterbury to take advantage of its dynamic arts program. After a few years at Carleton, De Menezes decided to focus 100 percent of his energy on producing, writing and becoming even more established in the world of electronic hip hop.
“I think when you find what you want to do in life, you just have to go for it,” said De Menezes. “I always knew what I wanted to do and I just want to focus all of my energy on that.” As a youngster growing up with various cultural influences, De Menezes cannot be limited to one genre of music but instead several—all simultaneously.
“Music has always been part of my culture,” said De Menezes. “I lived in a culture where music is a big thing—just the whole Portuguese culture—and especially with my mom who was, or still is, a choir director.”
Although forced to sing and participate in the church choir at a young age, De Menezes admits that, in the end, it was an experience that he would never take back. With influences from all over the map, it’s no wonder the local Ottawa artist explores diverse flavours of rhythm and beat.
“I’m really starting to combine the sounds more,” said De Menezes. “At first, I think it was unconscious but now I’m purposely sampling some of the stuff from Brazil and Angola.”
De Menezes has a long list of accomplishments, including a music video on VEVO and a number of sets at Capital City Bluesfest and North by North East (NXNE) in Toronto. But it hasn’t always been an easy feat. “The first year I started making music, I was basically lost,” said De Menezes. “There’s that stereotype that being a black guy, when I say I’m a musician, people think I am a rapper automatically.”
“I felt ashamed of calling myself a musician because I didn’t know how to do anything, so technically, it was true. I was just a rapper.”
For De Menezes, being held down by narrow and dismissive stereotypes was not an option. It was then he decided to take matters into his own hands by learning audio production from scratch.
“For me, I felt like someone who was rapping but didn’t write their own lyrics, so I basically taught myself how to make and produce music,” said De Menezes.
But it’s not all about the limelight, fame and glittering success. “I come from a civil war country where we were at war for 52 years. The war stopped in 2002, so it’s a pretty recent country when it comes to sovereignty,” said De Menezes. “That’s always in the back of my mind when I’m thinking of the lights; when I’m thinking about success. I want to have the means to be able to help and do whatever I want to do.”
Despite some of the social and political issues faced by people in Angola, De Menezes maintains that his native country is one of the most beautiful in the world. “We have Ilha, which is the most famous beach in Luanda (the capital), and probably in Africa,” said De Menezes. “It’s just beautiful; it’s almost like a half moon of a whole city full of palm trees. If you’re standing on one side you can see the other side of the city.”
But despite his love and sense of cultural pride, De Menezes will continue to reach for his goals every year. His biggest dream is to one day sell out Madison Square Garden. In a world where musical competence is sometimes in question, whether we’re watching performers lip sync or animated music videos, it’s refreshing to see new talent own their brand in every sense.
“I want to be travelling the world and performing,” said De Menezes. “It would be amazing to go back to Angola and represent on a huge stage.”
If you would like to learn more about NDMA and his music, please visit ndmamusic.com.
Nilton De Menezes, who goes by the stage name NDMA, infuses musical elements from his native Angola with urban electronic hip hop, creating an exclusive sound that stretches far beyond national borders.
De Menezes was born in Angola, a country on the southwest cost of Africa, but moved to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with his parents when he was 10 years old. After four years in Brazil, De Menezes and his family finally planted their soiled boots in Ottawa.
The young teen enrolled at Notre Dame Catholic High School but transferred to Canterbury to take advantage of its dynamic arts program. After a few years at Carleton, De Menezes decided to focus 100 percent of his energy on producing, writing and becoming even more established in the world of electronic hip hop.
“I think when you find what you want to do in life, you just have to go for it,” said De Menezes. “I always knew what I wanted to do and I just want to focus all of my energy on that.” As a youngster growing up with various cultural influences, De Menezes cannot be limited to one genre of music but instead several—all simultaneously.
“Music has always been part of my culture,” said De Menezes. “I lived in a culture where music is a big thing—just the whole Portuguese culture—and especially with my mom who was, or still is, a choir director.”
Although forced to sing and participate in the church choir at a young age, De Menezes admits that, in the end, it was an experience that he would never take back. With influences from all over the map, it’s no wonder the local Ottawa artist explores diverse flavours of rhythm and beat.
“I’m really starting to combine the sounds more,” said De Menezes. “At first, I think it was unconscious but now I’m purposely sampling some of the stuff from Brazil and Angola.”
De Menezes has a long list of accomplishments, including a music video on VEVO and a number of sets at Capital City Bluesfest and North by North East (NXNE) in Toronto. But it hasn’t always been an easy feat. “The first year I started making music, I was basically lost,” said De Menezes. “There’s that stereotype that being a black guy, when I say I’m a musician, people think I am a rapper automatically.”
“I felt ashamed of calling myself a musician because I didn’t know how to do anything, so technically, it was true. I was just a rapper.”
For De Menezes, being held down by narrow and dismissive stereotypes was not an option. It was then he decided to take matters into his own hands by learning audio production from scratch.
“For me, I felt like someone who was rapping but didn’t write their own lyrics, so I basically taught myself how to make and produce music,” said De Menezes.
But it’s not all about the limelight, fame and glittering success. “I come from a civil war country where we were at war for 52 years. The war stopped in 2002, so it’s a pretty recent country when it comes to sovereignty,” said De Menezes. “That’s always in the back of my mind when I’m thinking of the lights; when I’m thinking about success. I want to have the means to be able to help and do whatever I want to do.”
Despite some of the social and political issues faced by people in Angola, De Menezes maintains that his native country is one of the most beautiful in the world. “We have Ilha, which is the most famous beach in Luanda (the capital), and probably in Africa,” said De Menezes. “It’s just beautiful; it’s almost like a half moon of a whole city full of palm trees. If you’re standing on one side you can see the other side of the city.”
But despite his love and sense of cultural pride, De Menezes will continue to reach for his goals every year. His biggest dream is to one day sell out Madison Square Garden. In a world where musical competence is sometimes in question, whether we’re watching performers lip sync or animated music videos, it’s refreshing to see new talent own their brand in every sense.
“I want to be travelling the world and performing,” said De Menezes. “It would be amazing to go back to Angola and represent on a huge stage.”
If you would like to learn more about NDMA and his music, please visit ndmamusic.com.