5 Questions with Nick Halkes
Photo credit: Tim Schnetgoeke
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Nick Halkes is a UK-based music industry executive best known for signing electronic/dance act The Prodigy and being one of the founders of the XL Recordings label. He is now an artist manager, managing Liam Howlett (The Prodigy), Radio 1 DJ and producer/artist Rene La Vice and hitmakers One Bit alongside providing one-to-one consultancy for up-and-coming artists. Nick is also a presenter of the Trailblazers podcast series with Eddy Temple Morris which returns soon for another series and he also runs the Reach Up Disco Wonderland brand with his schoolmate Andy Smith. Reach Up bookings have seen Nick DJ at a host of UK festivals plus international dates in Lisbon, Berlin and Ibiza.
Over the stay at home period, what ideas or reflection have emerged that have surprised you?
Pre-lockdown it was easy to think ‘if only I had more time available I'd be able to do this, that and the other...’. Whilst the stay at home period has created some unexpected ‘available’ time, I've kept working via phone, Zoom and email so not as much free time has emerged for me as it has for some others. What I’ve discovered is that however much time is made available it never all gets done. The to-do list remains pretty long in my case and I have a feeling that this will be the case until I permanently depart. It's a process and as soon as we tick one thing off the list, more stuff gets added and I think I’m coming to terms with that.
What is the most powerful effect you can have on another person?
One guest on a forthcoming podcast series that I’m working on talked about how certain conversations with someone based thousands of miles away stopped him from taking his own life. That type of effect is pretty profound.
Photo credit: Tim Schnetgoeke
Do you have a mantra, ritual or daily practice?
Absolutely. As soon as I wake up each day and just before I go to sleep I mentally list ten random things that I’m thankful for. I just do this lying in bed with my eyes closed. It could be anything, things that could be viewed as mundane like that nice sandwich earlier in the day, to the big stuff such as thanks that close family members are alive. I started this practice decades ago as I could see the advantages of prayer but didn’t believe in God so this was a way to say a prayer without the need for any traditional religious element. Actually to be specific, I used to do this just at the end of the day and only added the morning aspect maybe a decade ago. It helps me start the day on the right foot and reset before sleep. It's not always easy as worries can often bubble up at similar times. In general I think the practice has helped me a lot.
How do you keep your mental health in check?
I try and communicate regularly with people I love. I try and learn new stuff and have some laughter every day. I attempt to appreciate the small stuff. I try and get a bit of exercise and try to avoid eating too much crap. Drink some water when I can. That all helps, I think.
What are you grateful for in light of the global crisis?
All sorts of stuff but health and life itself for starters. I’m extremely grateful that I’ve been able to travel and spend lots of time in clubs and at festivals over the years. The travel and the nightlife economy won't recover swiftly so I’m thankful that I have some good memories. Whatever the future holds, I'll keep attempting to build more good memories. I’ve had two Zoom conversations over recent weeks that I’ll remember for years to come. My Mum turned 91 and we managed to get our extended family on a surprise Zoom call and show them to her over FaceTime on her iPad. She was very touched by that and it was beautiful. I also ended up in a fairly impromptu online school reunion and caught up with some old school mates that I hadn't talked to for over 30 years which wouldn’t have happened outside of lockdown. There can be unexpected good moments in all this and when they pop up I try to reflect on my gratitude for them.
Nick posts regularly on social media and can be found at @nickhalkes on Instagram and Twitter and is also on Facebook and LinkedIn.
https://909originals.com/2020/07/02/check-out-the-latest-episode-of-trailblazers/
