Meet Nick Brooks | Nick Brooks | haven woods. | Music Producer, DJ, Digital Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nick Brooks and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nick, let’s start by talking about what inspires you?
Ever since I was young, creating things has been a part of my everyday routine. I started music lessons at nine years old and began exploring digital art in my later teens. My music project naturally became an intersection of these broad interests. Organizing my audiovisual skills into the “haven woods.” experience has given me the opportunity to showcase my art through a productive medium.

I enjoy traveling and exploring new places, which has greatly influenced the creative direction of my project. The “haven woods”. moniker represents a middle ground between the natural and digital worlds we live in.

What inspires my music most, though, is my everyday life. Each song is inspired by how I’m feeling in that exact moment, planning just enough to keep ideas flowing, but not so much that things become predictable. The cool thing about electronic music is that you can express so many ideas so fast and efficiently, it’s really easy to capture the moment.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I love to dive deep into building worlds around my projects. In the studio, I try to make whatever I’m feeling at the time, which leads me to explore and blend a wide range of styles. It’s resulted in an overwhelming amount of unreleased music. To manage it, I’ve been organizing tracks by feeling and genre, and coordinating the release of certain “sounds” in distinct eras.

A few months back, I put out my creature of the night. EP. The tracks all felt mysterious but full of energy to me, so I came up with a character and story to represent the sound. “hacker” is a fictional figure who took over my SoundCloud and got fed up with “haven woods.” not dropping any music so he released it himself. I collaborated with 3D graphic artist “entiteta” to create a series of visuals that tells the story, which you can experience at my live shows.

Right now, I’ve been releasing singles that still feel connected to the COTN era but bridge the sound toward my next project. I’ve been working alongside my girlfriend Shyla on some really exciting mixed media animation. This next body of work won’t be as concept-heavy in terms of storyline, but more of a visual representation of the music itself. The sound is warm and psychadelic, with sprinkles of flare. I feel like it would be really good to listen to while painting or making something.

As for whether getting to this point has been easy… like any artist, entrepreneur, or innovator, it’s been a long road filled with challenges. But I never really minded them. This is my passion, and it’s what I signed up for. The music industry has taught me a lot about rolling with the punches, both professionally and personally. I’m grateful for the caffeine-fueled all-nighters, the constant juggling act of building a sustainable life while chasing a music career, and all the lessons along the road. If you’re passionate about something, working hard on it becomes fun. You just have to follow your vision, otherwise you’ll burn out.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
When my friends come to town and there’s nothing already planned, my favorite spot to grab a drink is a basement jazz bar in downtown Orlando called Tanqueray’s. It’s like a full reset for my soul. There’s nothing like chatting with friends while a local jam group is shredding and you’ve got a nice gin and tonic in hand.

I’m also a huge Asian food guy when I eat out. I love driving down to Little Saigon and picking a random restaurant that calls to me. Almost every time, it’s amazing… you really can’t go wrong.

If we’re staying in, though, you’ll probably get a nice Italian meal. Chicken Francese is one of my go-to dishes for the special guests.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My friends and family inspire me the most, they are the best. Also shoutout anyone who appreciates art, you rock! My girlfriend Shyla is super cool too. Thankful for all the people that keep me going!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haven.woods/

Twitter: https://x.com/HavenWoods333

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/havenwoods

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Haven-Woods-Music-100089048280397/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@havenwoodsmusic/

Image Credits
1st pic: Haven Woods – Credit @jadelynnphoto-6.jpg
Crowd Pic: @cobycorra