Born in 1974 in Zwijndrecht, Netherlands, Matthijs Rook aka Nicolay is a Dutch record producer and multi-instrumentalist based in the United States. He is best known as one-half of the Grammy-nominated duo The Foreign Exchange, alongside American rapper and singer Phonte. Nicolay and Phonte began collaborating in 2002 after connecting on the Okayplayer.com message boards. They produced their debut album, Connected (2004), entirely through online communication before meeting in person. The album received critical acclaim, and their second release, Leave It All Behind (2008), featured the Grammy-nominated track Daykeeper. As a solo artist, Nicolay has released several projects, including the City Lights series and Here (2006). He is also a co-founder of the The Foreign Exchange Music label, which supports various artists in the soul, R&B, and hip-hop genres.