MMIM had the pleasure of talking to The Foreign Exchange. Their story is quite unique as the group was formed through them meeting over the Internet. Talk about digital revolution…. Their music is refreshing, as well as unique and they recently released their sophomore album entitled Leave It All Behind. Be sure to check out the Daykeeper video after reading the interview just to see a sample of how talented this group is.

MMIM: So you guys met via OkayPlayer.com, how did the musical relationship begin? Did you guys just start exchanging songs back and forth? Can you explain?
Nicolay:It began from me and Phonte basically being in the same discussions on the Okay Player message boards when it came to musical topics. I eventually got enough courage to put some stuff online to see what people were thinking. He was one of the people that really liked what he heard. From that point on we would send stuff back and forth. I would send him a beat and he would take over from there with the production and the vocals.

MMIM: How long after you guys started making music did you meet in person?
Phonte: We probably did not meet face to face until two years after we started working together. I had a tour date overseas with Little Brother and that was the first time we actually met.

MMIM: What about each others music made you want to make music together?
Phonte:Nicolay was doing stuff that I was not really hearing. Most of the producers that I was working with were primarily sampling music. He was one of the first producers that was able to mix live instruments and sampling. His beats are intricate, and that’s what attracted me to his music.
Nicolay: Up to that point I had been making hip hop by myself and for myself. With Phonte reaching out to me and then being able to hear vocals laid over my tracks was a good experience. It’s also good to work with someone that has an incredible work ethic because you can learn from them.

MMIM:Loving the song and video for “Daykeeper.” Can you tell us what was the inspiration behind this track?
Phonte: We don’t really have a quote on quote meaning for the song. We don’t want to ruin the song and want people to grasp their own meaning for the song. There is a lot of symbolism in the video. Basically though you are looking at two people deal with issues within their relationship.

MMIM: By the way the album is simply beautiful. Can you tell our readers what it was like releasing the album in the US and overseas?
Nicolay: It was a big deal for us. For one reason, it has been four years since the first album came out, so it was something that had been a while in the making. I am proud of this project and to see people responding to it.

MMIM: You all seem to have a hold on the digital revolution. How important do you think it has been in your careers?
Phonte:I think the Internet has had an incredible role in our careers from both the creation of our music, marketing and keeping in contact with our fans. Really it’s a new day for independent artists. This is a time that we have all have prayed to have, but now that it’s here a lot of artist do not know how to navigate it. It’s like when slaves were free, it’s like okay we have our freedom, but now we don’t know what to do with ourselves. Now you don’t have to worry about the hassle with a label, but some people aren’t used to that because they are used to the old model working directly under a record company. I feel proud because we are at the forefront because we built this from the ground up. We pretty much did everything ourselves and have just been hustling. I feel like artists now should really embrace the internet.

MMIM: So what’s next for the Foreign Exchange and how can our readers reach out to you?
Nicolay: They can hit up the website The Foreign Exchange Music. They can also hit up MySpace. Right now we are looking at touring more cities and doing more shows. We want to thank everyone for the support and for purchasing the album.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCXNaV7CKig]