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Interview with NATO FEELZ


There are artists who have more than one string to their bow, and it is the case of the remarkable producer Nato Feelz. His  impressive maturity, his talent, his creativity make him a great and versatile artist. A real music lover and 100% workaholic . Always pushing the boundaries in music! Releasing Huge tracks on Big labels and playing alongside big names.I wanted to know more about him and his music . 


1. Hello Nathan, thank you for taking some time to answer my questions for Dubstrapn'bass . You played alongside big names like Protohype, Midnight Tyrannosoraus, Riot Ten, Reid Speed and more, got a huge support from many of them, signed under huge labels as on Rottun, Play Me Records, Multikill Recordings, UltraGore, Firepower Records; Can you introduce yourself for those who don't know you yet 

Hi, I'm Nathan Fields (Nato Feelz). I'm a producer/DJ/Sound designer and composer from Portland Oregon, now based in LA. You can find me and my music on the internet under 'Nato Feelz' on Spotify, Soundcloud, iTunes, Beatport, etc. and on social media via @natofeelz 

2. When and how did you get into Music?

I started playing guitar when I was about 13-14 and evolved from rock and punk music on to metal and then eventually got into electronic music after being introduced to dubstep for the first time in 2009.

3. What were you playing before producing?

Guitar and some drums.

4. Can you tell us about your music influences?

 My influences come from across the board. I was introduced to hip hop and rap at an early age from my brother. MTV was big when I was young so anything on there and the radio I was hearing.  I was also exposed to a lot of music from the 60-70's like the Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, and that whole area from my dad. Through skateboarding, I became really into punk rock and once I started playing guitar, my interests just got heavier on to bands like Metallica and then even heavier on to more modern era metal bands like The Black Dahlia Murder and Born Of Osiris. Then, once I got into dubstep, all my previous interests sort of mixed into this melting pot of vibes to pull from while continuously being inspired by other producers both new and old. I also get a lot of inspiration currently from classical music and film scores, now that I'm composing Sound FX and music for film trailers.

5. Who is your biggest inspiration?

I think it's not 'who' exactly but 'what'; and that 'what' would have to be life. I get inspired by everything. 

6. How did you get involved to producing?

I heard dubstep at a festival in 2009, then quickly evolved from my previous goals of learning how to record myself and get a new band together, into dj'ing and production.

7. How would you define your sound?

Honestly, I have no idea. I guess right now I'm making a lot of dubstep/trap/hybrid stuff, so that's how I'd describe it, but I also love making hip hop and rap beats and I'd love to collab with more talented rappers, then there's the film trailer side of things, although that's not exactly affiliated with the public 'Nato Feelz' moniker, but I do plan on scoring films one day when the opportunity comes.



 8. Are there any specific conditions for you when producing?

Not really to be honest; I 've made beats in random places before just off of my laptop and headphones. I prefer making music in my home studio setup though.

9. What would be a typical day of production with Nato Feelz?

 Well, lately It's been kind of all over the place when it comes to working on music because I currently don't have an agent or manager, so I'm handling all of my own bookings/flights, release plans, I have my own distribution setup so that all my free releases can be on all distribution platforms (Spotify, iTunes, Beatport, etc.), plus I make most of my own artwork and promo videos, then keeping up with social media, promoting releases, trying to get collabs lined up, and then you have your normal day to day adult stuff to take care of, then finally, once that's all out of the way for the day, it's time to work on music.

10. Any particular creative process while producing? What is your favorite program?

 Honestly, it just depends on what I'm working on and wherever the ideas form. I use Logic X, and I'd have to say for electronic music Serum by Xfer Records is one of the coolest VST's ever.

11. Are there any gigs planned so far? Any tour?

I'm headlining at Union Nightclub in LA with my friend/roomate Eliminate on Feb 19th, then heading to Austin for SXSW this year! Then I have a couple gigs planned for after but I can't announce them yet. No official tours planned yet but it's all in a matter of time.

12. What are the projects you are working on? What can we expect for 2017?

 I just finished up a big sound design library with the company I'm composing for, so I'm back and solely focused on beats once again. I have a single 'Bad Bitch' dropping on Firepower Records Feb 17th, then a bunch more releases planned to follow, so expect lots of music.



 13. There is a forthcoming compilation on Firepower Records dropping soon including a track of yours. How have you been approached for the project?

 Yes, I've been sending them music for a long time and eventually they signed off on one. Let this be a reminder to anyone reading this; you can 'fail' or get denied over and over again, but if you just keep at it and don't quit, anything is possible. Also, you realize that you wouldn't be who you are in the present or future without those previous 'fails', so have faith in the process and just keep doing what you love.

14. Any chance to release an EP?

I'd love to release an EP with them as well; who knows about the future!

15. You have also created a preset library 'Power Toolz' for Serum. Can you tell us more about it?

Power Toolz is a preset library created by myself that was released via pluginguru.com with a ton of awesome sounds for Serum. Also, I originally created my tune 'Snob' as a demo track for the library and ended up adjusting it a little and re-releasing later as a full length version for free. Check it out!

16. Any dream collaborations? 

 Man, I want to collab with any artist that I'm a fan of which is a ton. The dream for me is to eventually get the opportunity to collaborate with the greatest producers, artists, composers, even videographers and/or painters, the goals/ideas are endless. If I had to pick 5 names though, it would probably be Dr Dre, Rick Ruben, Skrillex, Hans Zimmer, and Paul McCartney (because how crazy would that be to collab with a Beatle?), but the list could go on and on.

17. What is your favorite venue or festival to perform at?

My favorite place I've had the opportunity to perform at was the Gorge Amphitheater in Washington. I hope to (or should I say 'will') play the main stage there one day!

18. What are your new challenges?

New challenges for me would just be to keep evolving and keep learning and growing as an artist and human. The awesome part about making music and art in general is that you're always learning.

19. If you have to choose 5 Top tracks, what would they be?

Ahh man, these questions are always the hardest for me. If I had to pick 5 songs to listen to the rest of my life, it would have to be:
Led Zeppelin- No Quarter
Snoop Dogg- G'z And Hustlas
Jimi hendrix- All Along The watchtower (Cover)
Aesop Rock- No Regrets
and probably Dr Dre - Next Episode , just because it's obviously one of the greatest rap anthems of all time.

20. What is the project you are the most proud of?

I don't know, really. I try to make sure I'm proud of each track or project that I'm working on and make sure that my heart's into it. I must say I'm pretty proud of 'Bad Bitch'  though and locking in a release in Firepower Records!

21. Besides producing, you are also doing sound design and musical compositions for motion pictures trailers. Among them, Assassins Creed, Alien, The Mummy and more. First, how have you been approached for these projects and can you tell us more about your sound design.

 Well, it's a crazy story. My dad met a woman in the Peruvian Amazon 10 years ago and they just stayed in touch and her husband owns the company. A little over two years back, they reached out to me to see if I had the capabilities to create the content they needed, sure enough we became a great team and I've been cranking out a new library for them each year. the universe works in mysterious ways.

22. How is sound design different to sound engineering or producing?

The Sound Design (Sound FX) aspect is more focused on cinematic sounds rather than music, although since working with them, I have built up quite the catalog of film trailer music as well.

23. With production, sound design, the Nato Feelz Merch, you are a very busy man; do you still have some time for you? and if so, how do you spend your time for relaxing?

 Yes, I'm quite busy these days. I think it's really just about prioritizing what's really important and making time to get things done, yet I still feel like I sometimes procrastinate a little too much. It's also important to take care of your body and make sure you're in a routine that 's sustainable so you can stay healthy and not get burnt out. I'm trying to spend a little more time focusing on eating well and getting in some regular exercice to balance out all the studio work.



 24. What do you think of the Music scene nowadays and how do you see its future?

The music scene is always evolving, always changing, always reflecting. It's crazy, awesome, and I honestly have no idea where it's all going. It's just one giant wave and as long as I'm alive, I'm going to keep riding it!

25. Define Music.

Music is the soundtrack of life.


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