In this episode of Conversations with Kate, I sit down with Nikolai Bordokoff—producer, DJ, and record label owner—to explore the rhythm of a life shaped by creativity.

Having traveled the world through music and rooted in Southern California, Nikolai shares how creativity has guided his path, both in his career and in his role as a father. We talk about what it means to stay inspired, the discipline behind creative work, and how passion can evolve alongside life’s responsibilities.

This conversation is a reflection on living creatively, staying true to your passions, and finding balance between ambition and presence.

(Intro and outro music provided courtesy of Nikolai Bordokoff & Shoot Recordings.)

Mentioned This Episode:

Facebook: Shoot Recordings

Website: Discography - Nikolai Bordokoff AKA Calculon

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Conversations with Kate is like a conversation with your friend, hairstylist or therapist, where we will talk about music, life stories and everything in between with interviews and guests sprinkled in. I am your host, Kate. Let's get into this episode.

Welcome into this episode of Conversations with Kate. This episode is called the Creative Mind.

And I have on the phone with me Nick AKA Hey, Calculon. How you doing today?

Nick, good morning. How are you?

Lovely, lovely. So let's get into your origin story or where your creativity began. When did music first become a part of your life?

Oh, wow. I kind of feel like it's always been, you know, I kind of remember growing up with records playing in the house.

My dad was a musician when I was a baby, and I kind of grew up playing guitar as a teenager.

Okay.

And the guitar was a big start into music.

What drew you into DJing? Was it DJing first and or producing specifically?

First it was DJing for sure.

I was really, really, really into hip hop and the in turntableism, guys like Qbert and Mixmaster Mike and, yeah, DJ Shadow, DJ Crust, DJ Vadim, DJ Cam. I. Around 16, I was delivering pizzas. I saved up money to get turntables. First pair, they were like belt drive.

They weren't even techniques, but, oh, wow. I had some belt drive. I had some belt driven turntables. Ever since 16, I was just, you know, buying records and DJing. And for a few years there, the.

The guitarring and the djing overlapped, but eventually the djing took over.

Okay, okay. When did you start producing music?

Okay. I think I have some of your earlier releases.

Yeah.

Was there a moment that you realized that, like, this could be something more than just like a passion or a side project?

Well, I mean, like, kind of funny question. So music has kind of been like, you know, like my life or my therapy or my escape or my nirvana for a long time.

That's awesome. I mean, it is for everybody. Music is like the one language that everybody can speak, no matter what genre it is. So I completely understand that.

I want to talk to you about life on the road because I live vicariously through all of your life on the road stuff that you post, which.

Is great because you don't get to jet lag.

I know, I know. What has traveling the world as a DJ taught you about people and culture?

Oh, my God, humility and respect and an appreciation for diversity of thought, diversity of background, diversity of methodology. You know, I've played in a few dozen countries now and it changed your perception of the world. Absolutely.

I agree, I agree. Is there a specific place or experience that deeply impacted you or that stands out?

Well, I mean, as you're asking me, playing in Japan has been a dream. I mean, I've been fortunate. I've gone, I've played in Japan on four different occasions now. But just being there feels like a dream.

I mean, you know, we, a lot of people in America fetishize fan.

What did you find different about it from the American view?

So even, even just playing in Japan is different. They give you gifts.

Do they really?

Yeah. I'm like, wait, why are people bringing these gifts? And they're like, because this is our culture and because you're a dj. And I said, well, I accept.

Thank you very much. That's so, so cool. I love that, that makes me view that, that aspect of traveling to DJ and perform so much cooler.

Is there a, what's the contrast between life on the road and life at being at home for you?

Oh, it's night and day. So let's just start with home life.

I'm pretty settled into my, my 40 year old man routine, so I spent a lot of time in the neighborhood and you know, on my own. But when I'm on the road, you know, there's not, not a day when I'm alone.

Okay, okay. What people don't see about that lifestyle,.

There's, there's so much sacrifice that goes into it.

Okay, tell me about that.

Well, so, you know, a lot of people want to tour and have, have road life, but they don't want to give up sleep or money or opportunities or maybe they, maybe they want to spend time with their family.

Yeah.

You know.

Yep.

There's a lot of other things you could do besides, besides being on the road.

Absolutely. I mean, I wasn't too, too much on the road, but when I was earlier in my DJ career, there was a lot of time away from the family. So I can.

Well, yeah, just so. Exactly. You understand. And, and that's a wonderful point. So my son's now, now 20, so you know, like the last tour I did was right.

What? Oh, I remember when he was a little one.

So. But now, now that he's older, you know, the, the guilt in, the guilt that comes from separation has, has gotten smaller over the years.

That's good, that's good. What is. And talk to me about the discipline behind being a producer. And you also run a record label, shoot recordings, right?

Yeah.

So what's the discipline behind being a music producer and running that label look like for you?

Oh, my God. Especially with. With so many distractions and how easy it is to not do anything and be entertained.

It takes a lot of discipline to have your own voice and your own mission and your own thing going on. I kind of feel like a lot of people are susceptible to influence from culture and the Internet.

And having, like, a project like a record label requires a ton of dedication and vision and sacrifice.

Yes. And kind of like, narrow that. That vision in and keep focused.

So just as one example of discipline, you're like, well, what does it actually mean?

Yeah.

So let's say it's Saturday, it's sunny, it's perfect weather. That's the perfect day to stay inside and close the windows and make electronic music.

Really?

You know, I'm just saying, I live in Southern California.

You know, you would think that, like, you want to go out and enjoy your life every day, but it's like, to put the time into something, you have to, you know, it comes from somewhere.

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Talk to me about navigating the highs and lows of the music industry that you've experienced.

You want to start with the highs or the lows?

Let's start with the lows. Let's just go for the thing that's not fun to talk about first.

Okay. So the lows, I kind of think of the loneliness. The exposure to alcohol and drugs and stuff can be problematic for people who don't have discipline.

Okay.

And then you. And then getting into sleep deprivation is a big one. Getting into diet is a huge one. I've had to improve my diet over the years, and I've.

I've noticed. So it's like, when I'm home, I can control my diet, you know, and I can cook whatever I want to. I can eat a mostly vegan diet.

Yes.

But let's say I'm. I'm an Istanbul and I'm outside.

Yeah.

I might have to end up eating chicken or something. So, like, literally even my diet will change depending on what mode I'm in.

Okay.

Yeah.

So tell me about the highs.

Oh, my God.

What are some of the best experiences, some of the highs that you've experienced over your tenure in the music career?

Oh, my God.

I mean, how do you fathom going from being a teenager, you know, playing records at high school parties and in your bedroom and, you know, just trying to scratch along with VHS tapes in. In San Diego to, you know, I played in Dubai.

That is so cool.

And, you know, Jakarta and Bali and Australia. I never in my life thought I'd go to Australia. That is so like this, because I don't know.

I don't know what people's perception is, but I don't have money and I'm not rich.

Right.

So the fact that the DJing has unlocked global travel for me is almost unfathomable.

That's awesome, though. That just goes to show you the connection that people have, like, globally with what you do.

And that's the thing, is that, you know, this music is not just music in a vacuum. This music is part of a living, vibrant culture.

Yes.

And, you know, I had this conversation with Mixmaster Doc the other day. You know, when we're selling a tune or, you know, a record or a T shirt or whatever, what we're doing is we're selling our culture.

Yes. Yes. That's so, so cool. How do you say, go ahead. No, go ahead.

I just want to double down on that point that for me, this isn't just entertainment. This is culture. Like, this is life. This is what brings us together. You know, like, art brings people together.

Oh, absolutely.

And allows us to experiment with ideas in a safe space. Faith, as Brianina says.

Yes, I absolutely agree with you. 10 Out of 10, 100%. Thank you for saying that, because that is absolutely concurrent.

Well, I mean, you as a student and soon not a student, soon as a graduate. I would assume now that you understand much better than I do.

Yeah. Oh, absolutely. 10 Out of 10. I have experienced connection through doing what I do scholastically.

But then also still to this day, like, I haven't personally DJed out in the better part of two years, with the exception of a benefit that I did.

And I still to this day have people contacting me and like, messaging me about old mixes that they still listen to that I put out 15 years ago on SoundCloud, which is wild to me. And they're from all areas.

Like, there's, like, whenever I get to feeling kind of about music things, I just go to my SoundCloud and I click open the map and look at, like, where everybody has listened to the music, because I've had people reach out to me from every. In Australia, in New Zealand, Poland, Germany, like every country in Europe. So, yes, I agree with you on that, that the connection through music is.

And art is lovely, and it's a wonderful thing to experience, even from the different aspect that I have currently.

I mean, like, we would not be having this conversation were it not for music.

I agree. I agree. So that brings me to how do you stay consistent when inspiration isn't there for you?

So I've had to wrestle with this one for a long time because in order to be productive, you need to, you know, be disciplined over everything. And it really comes down to, like I said, like, you know, if it's a gorgeous sunny day and you feel great, you want to go to the beach.

We probably should be working on music.

Right? Right. How do you balance your creativity with the business side of the music industry?

Well, I mean, the business side is kind of like I was alluding to before. It's just kind of a way of monetizing the life that we live.

Right.

And so I don't see myself as a businessman.

Okay.

But kind of like a necessary. We're in the music business. We're in the music business.

Right, right. Do you feel like creativity is something that you do or it's who you are?

I mean, because creativity as contracts could apply to anything. So, I mean, I can. I can imagine being a kindergartner and painting, and that's creative.

You know, I feel like, yeah, people have the ability to be creative all the time in every way.

Okay. How has your relationship with your creative process evolved from the beginning to currently?

I would say it's pretty similar, you know, so let's go back to the guitar thing. You know, I learned what it was like to kind of lead the music, so to speak, because I would play the guitar. My brother was the drummer.

Okay.

You know, and I would write the songs on the guitar and stuff, but we play together, and so it taught me so much. It's like, it's. There's this idea in Doha Bay somehow that, like, there's a solitary person and they do everything.

But there's this other idea in conventional music that there's a band and it takes a lot of people. And I've kind of had that band mentality. So it's like some of the. Some of the best times of my life were playing in the guitar with my brother.

But when I make music now, I like this kind of idea of like, well, hey, maybe here I'm writing the guitar riff, and here you do some of the drums. You know what I mean?

Yeah, I like that. I like the cooperative effort thing. We're going to kind of, like, take a right turn. I want to talk to you about your fatherhood and balance.

We're going to kind of circle back to that part. How did becoming a father shift your perspective on your life and your work with music?

Well, I mean, as far as that life shift, parenting, I used to say all the time. Because I've been a parent for a little while now. Right. I used to say that being a parent is like having a perspective shift from.

Here's one way to put it. Your whole life up until you have kids, you're the most important person. Right.

You need to feed yourself, look out for yourself, make sure you survive, make sure you're good. As soon as you have that child, you're not the most important person in the universe anymore.

That's absolutely correct.

Your child is the most important person in the universe. And your whole perspective shifts. It's no longer about making sure you're okay, making sure that your baby's okay.

And that kind of translates to this shift where you're making sure that everybody around you is okay all the time.

Yes.

And you kind of shift into this, like, parent consciousness where you realize that you're responsible for your immediate area.

Yes, I agree. I agree. What would you hope that your son learns from watching your journey as a creative through production DJ work?

Well, he's a bit of an author. He doesn't share his work with me, but. But he is a creative writer.

Oh, cool.

And so I would just hope that he would have, like, a sense of belief that he can do whatever he'd like to and that. And that barriers are. Well, there are a lot of real barriers. A lot of barriers are imagined.

That's awesome. I love that, actually. Where do you find inspiration today, like, currently?

Is there a specific place or does it kind of just come to you through wherever?

Well, so, I mean, it would be easy to say it comes from wherever, but.

But more specifically, I was kind of thinking that the shift is, as that's happened for me, is that I used to be really, really, really involved in the local scene. And it used to be driving here. We would have several weeklies, and we had a lot of stuff going in Orange county.

And it was very much a local thing for a long time.

Yes.

But especially since the pandemic, for me, the scene has shifted from local to international. So I almost don't even go out locally. The local scene doesn't have much, for me, is that much inspiration.

I'm not going out and hearing my favorite tunes.

Right.

But, you know, I just did an extended tour this year. Yeah. I can't tell you what. What? Being at a show in England, like In Leeds, it's 25 years of dispatch will do for your soul and your inspiration.

I bet it did quite a lot.

Oh, that. That trip did a lot. Just being in Germany and being well received. And yes, you know, anytime I play in Turkey, it goes really well.

And I've been reminded this year that I'm part of a global movement.

I love that. That's. That's very inspiring. For me, specifically. That is one of my goals. As you know, we've talked about that before.

What would you say to somebody who feels disconnected from their creativity, whether it's music or otherwise?

I would say that happens. And, you know, unless. Unless circumstances are preventing you. A lot of things are a choice. Okay. And we choose what to do with our time.

So, you know, are you gonna watch the TV show that everybody else watching this, or are you gonna work on your own individual creative project? You know, and I would encourage people to lean into their own ideas and their own thoughts and their own creativity as much as they can.

That's awesome. I really love that sentiment. What has this lifestyle taught you about success?

That it's a. That it's a moving target that's intangible. That it could almost be whatever you want it to be. That people have different ideas of success.

And one thing, you know, there's a huge shift that I made a few years ago, you know, because people are always chasing success, right?

Yes.

I want to be successful.

Right.

And, you know, maybe you do a tour across the state, and you're like, well, that's not successful. I want to play across the world. Then you play across the world. You're like, well, that's not successful.

I want to get paid to go around whatever your next level of success is, right?

Yes.

And so the transition for me was as I got this idea one day, I said, instead of chasing success, what if I'm already successful? What if I am a successful person? What does my life look like if I've already been successful? That now what?

Exactly. It's kind of like a mindset change in that regard.

Right, right, right, right.

Yes. What experience changed the way that you see the world?

I mean, I had a lot of. I'll just go with the first one that comes to mind.

Okay.

I studied in Germany as part of my college experience. Ooh.

Okay. I didn't know that.

And, yeah, I have a degree in German.

That's awesome. Congratulations. That's really cool.

Donkeyschen. It helps with the. With the bookings to know different languages.

Yes.

I had this experience. It was like my first Day in Germany. I flew in, and for some reason, I didn't have jet lag. They're like, you want to go to the Schwimbad?

Which is like the water park. And I was expecting a big water park, but it was a German water park.

Okay.

Anyways, I drank a beer, and it had this, like, system where you brought back the bottle and got a deposit or whatever. But I went to bring the bottle back, and they started talking to me in German, and I started, like, freaking out. Didn't understand what they said.

And I responded to English. I'm like, hey, I don't know what you're saying. But they, like, kept talking in German.

Oh, no.

And that's what. That's when I realized that I wasn't in America anymore.

Yes, you're not in America anymore, Nick.

Yeah.

But I truly was immersed in another culture and another language, and then I had to shift out of the mode I've always been and adapted to the local culture. And that's something that I try to do now no matter where I am.

You know, I don't know if I'm more of a chameleon or being accused of the culture vulture, but I like to adapt to wherever I am. Start speaking the local language, local words, local customs, local foods.

Kind of respectful, though, really.

It depends how it's done. So, yeah, there's a lot of. There's a lot of controversy about, like, let's say, for example, Jack Harlow's position about black music.

And I think it's important to remember I had this conversation with Spiky Q last night, that I view myself as a. As a white person and black music as a guest. And, you know, like, this isn't. This isn't my house. And I'll tell you how to be right.

You know, like, I'm. I'm a guest and a student, and being respectful. Right. Which is paramount.

Yes. Yes. Okay, so we're gonna end the interview. Again, thank you so much for coming on and chatting with me about this. I really, really do appreciate it.

So we're gonna have.

Thank you. You're welcome. I'm just glad that we talked. It's been a few years.

Yeah. Yeah, it has been a few years. So we're going to do the three questions with Kate. These are questions that I ask every guest.

I already asked you the first one, which is what experience changed the way that you see the world. The second one is what brings you the most joy in ordinary life.

My first thought was just my son.

That's awesome.

Being with him, around him in any capacity could be sharing a meal or cooking for him or whatever. It's just he's one of the lights of my life, if not the light of my life.

Oh, I love that. And then the third question is, what do you hope people remember about you?

I think music's the most important thing.

Yeah.

So if people remembered some of the music, that would be nice. But, yeah, I don't know. I kind of try not to live up to other people's perceptions or standards.

I like that. I like that. What is your best piece of advice you were ever given?

This might sound trite, but I was early in my touring days. I was kind of freaking out. I was kind of getting overwhelmed.

And I messaged Mutt that, you know, I knew he had more touring experience than me, and I was messing. I'm like, hey, what do you do about this and that and this and that? And I'm freaking out. And he said, just breathe. Hey.

And that sounds so simple, but sometimes you really just need to, like, stop thinking and just breathe and be at peace. And then. And then the answers will come to you slowly.

Oh, I absolutely agree. And conversely, what is the worst advice you are ever given?

You, Kemy,.

That is pretty bad advice.

Oh, gosh.

Well, thank you so much again, Nick, for coming on. I appreciate you tons.

Thank you so much for inviting me and taking the time and congratulations and success on your continued journey.

Thank you so much, Nick.

Thanks for listening to this episode of Conversations with Kate. You can find more information on LCC Connect's site as well as all social platforms, Facebook, Instagram, yes, TikTok as well. Big love.