Digging is a new feature where we talk to some of Nina’s most distinguished collectors of digital music. Today, we spoke with aircanada, who is not just a massive Nina supporter, but also a major contributor to the platform through his Pilled series of hubs and articles. We asked him some questions about his time on Nina, his history collecting digital music, and just exactly where his username comes from. Read the piece below and be sure to check out the Pilled hub.

How long have you been collecting digital music or any sort of digital files, really?

aircanada: For most of my life I guess. I had Napster on my family’s computer when I was maybe seven years old. And from the start, I’ve been diligent about backing everything up, so I’m still holding onto classic 128kbps versions of “Better Off Alone” and “Hemorrhage (In My Hands).” No other types of digital files though. 100% Music.

How did you first find out about Nina?

I can remember where (alone on my laptop in the childhood bedroom of a cousin-in-law), and I can remember when (the days just before American Thanksgiving in 2021), but I have no recollection as to how. It was a good day though.

Could you describe your taste? It seems fairly eclectic, but there does seem to be certain things you gravitate towards within the Nina universe.

I’m flexible, but no drum solos. And if it lands somewhere between Mille Plateaux and Kompakt, I’m probably gonna like it.

What is your preferred way to surf around Nina and look for new music?

I gotta shout out Tags. I want to think of myself as one of those “I like all types of music” people, but I’ve been leaning on the tags in my “following” feed way more than I expected. Comfort zones, I guess. If you’re reading this, please tag everything: your genre, your style, your scene, your city, your instrument, whatever. Shout out #voicemail! 

Could you talk about your Pilled series of hubs and articles?

I always want to contribute more to the ecosystem that’s formed around Nina, and while collecting is the easiest way, these little forays via Hubs have been the most fun. When the Hubs feature was first released, I was using the Pilled hub to just share songs I liked. As the Nina catalog grew, I finally had enough for a CD-length mix, Pilled 01. The sequencing’s a bit hard to follow now since the UI change, but it’s supposed to start with “Grace” from Marcel Sletten, which is still one of my favorite things to be published on Nina. Then, there was a brief period of time between the editorial tools coming out and the quality editorial content coming in—during that time I tried to write some waist-deep dives into artists publishing here who probably weren’t getting a lot of press elsewhere. I really enjoyed that and put out one piece, with a few more sitting in draft.

Is there a release you discovered on Nina that is particularly close to your heart?

The best I can do is narrow it down to three: 

"Tonhof" by The Sovereign Individuals. Before this release, my reading habits were limited to university press political history books. Tonhof introduced me to literature, which has made life a lot better.

“I Cant Relax…” by Joanna7459. Maybe my favorite artist that I’ve discovered on Nina. And the only Nina song that I’ve belted out at the top of my lungs in the solitude of my car.

“Sad Salad” by Jump Source (from JS05). So far, this is my second-most listened to song this year on any platform. I put this on again last weekend while I watched a seagull glide between yachts in a Mediterranean bay. One of those moments…

Where does your Nina username come from? Why did you choose it?

I had to ditch a previous username after someone pronounced the vowels in a very unexpected way during a URL-to-IRL encounter. I left that encounter on an Air Canada flight, and because some of my happiest musical memories were soundtracked by Air France, I was already primed to accept an airline as a name.