Friday Mixtape: the songs stuck in Jordy van den Nieuwendijk's head

Date
22 June 2018

Jordy van den Nieuwendijk is a name so often mentioned here at It’s Nice That that most people probably think he works here, but we just love him! And his work too, of course. Always full of life, colour and personality, we wanted to know the tracks that he’s bobbing along to while his painting and drawings are being made.

Below, Jordy tell us the honest full story of his music taste…

Above

Jordy van den Nieuwendijk: Time Out Knock Out exhibition

It’s Nice That: Why have you picked these songs, what do they remind you of or make you feel?

Jordy van den Nieuwendijk: The easy part was creating a list of songs I listen to often or return to every now and then for a variety of reasons. Songs that are stuck in my head like the Top Gun soundtrack. Songs that I have glued to memories of family and friends or various significant moments in my life. Some are songs I enjoy listening to while drawing or painting. The hard part was reducing this list to ten songs. I’ve had to leave out quite an amount of songs that mean a lot to me, yet work well on their own and less well when listened to in the combined sum. It’s like bringing five pounds to a supermarket while being hungry for snacks. Impossible decision-making time.

INT: When or where should this mixtape be listened to?

JVDN: It’s tricky to put my finger on when or where these songs go well, I did however put morning songs at the start, and evening songs at the end.

INT: Are there certain albums you listen to during the different parts of your creative process?

JVDN: Oh yes certainly there are. When I am in a car I like listening to _Currents_by Tame Impala mostly because this CD is stuck in one of my best friends car, forcing us to listen to that album everywhere we go. Then there is Disintegration by The Cure that I enjoy when doing night shifts. If I manage to get my hands on the audio system when I am at house parties of friends there is a big change 80’s songs take over. I’ve been boo’ed out of my house, it’s a serious problem.

INT: What records did you listen to when you were a teenager?

JVDN: Oh no can we skip this question? Let’s say I was a big fan of Lionel Richie (I still search eBay every now and then to look for that clay head from the Hello music video) , the magical voices of Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel (what were they eating and drinking to get a voice like that) and the plugged out version of Eric Clapton. These were simply CD’s my parents had. My first two albums were (are you sitting down?) We’re Going To Ibiza by The Vengaboys’ and Wu-Tang Killa Bees. There was a month where those were my only two albums. Great mix.

INT: If a feature film about your life was to be made, what song would be on the trailer and why?

JVDN: Ooo that’s a hard one to answer. However: I’m afraid my girlfriend and friends will just play Take My Breath Away by Berlin on my funeral one day. I just can’t get that out of my head. My doctor told me to stop contacting him and only call for ‘real’ things. I mean he was sick himself the other day so I don’t really trust that guy anyway.

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About the Author

Lucy Bourton

Lucy (she/her) is the senior editor at Insights, a research-driven department with It's Nice That. Get in contact with her for potential Insights collaborations or to discuss Insights' fortnightly column, POV. Lucy has been a part of the team at It's Nice That since 2016, first joining as a staff writer after graduating from Chelsea College of Art with a degree in Graphic Design Communication.

lb@itsnicethat.com

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