If you’ve been following the electronic music scene in Europe over the past decade, Nicola Kazimir is likely a familiar name. He is best known as a cofounder of Les Points, a Swiss collective and label that has been further solidifying Zurich’s standing as a key electronic music hub since the early 2010s. Their first releases pushed the boundaries of minimal house by infusing it with a playful quirkiness, contributing to the rise of the emerging “digger” scene represented by figures like Nicolas Lutz and Binh. But rather than stopping there, Nicola and his accomplices Audino, Louh, and Barbir chose to reinvent themselves with each new record, incorporating elements from their wide range of influences—from black metal to video game music—even at the risk of unsettling some of their early fans.

“Music is the bouncer.” This quote, borrowed from Underground Resistance, is one of Kazimir’s favorites, which he embraces as a true ethos for his entire career. Beyond its artistic dimension, music and everything surrounding it (album covers, track titles, distribution mechanics) also serve as a true political medium for Nicola. This approach led him to open Mikro in 2015, a hybrid space between art gallery and club located in the former premises of the Zurich University of the Arts. This off-space, open 24/7, is a response to the sectarian and elitist nature of clubs and art galleries that claim to be “open to all” while enforcing strict exclusionary policies, either directly or indirectly. Over the years, Mikro has become an essential part of Zurich’s cultural scene, combining exhibitions of emerging contemporary artists, rave parties with icons such as Mad Mike, and exclusive showcases devoted to electronic music acts like Drexciya and SP23.

Nicola Kazimir is mainly driven by an enduring love for electronic music, both for its sound and its cultural significance. Always searching for new ways to express this passion, his latest project is a manga titled Freq, created in collaboration with Italian illustrator Good News For Bad Guys and legendary Japanese scriptwriter Dai Sato. The first volume, which directly references the history of electronic music in different ways, is finally available after two years of intensive work.

In the following interview, we dive deep into Nicola’s mind and life, from his childhood memories playing on his brother’s Super Nintendo to his teenage excursions in Zurich’s after-parties and his career as an international DJ. We explore a variety of themes along the way, including the parallels between DJing and art curation, the dynamics of music production, and the creative potential of artificial intelligence.

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Record that best represents the evolution of your sound as Les Points

Record that best represents the signature sound of Les Points

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Favorite track from Goblin Synth EP

Favorite track from the early days of Les Points

Tracks that illustrate the Drexciya and SP23 exhibitions at Mikro

Best soundtrack for Freq

Track that best represents what Mikro is about

Early Reflections is an electronic music platform launched in 2023 and based in Paris, France.

Through a collection of mixes, interviews and reviews, our goal is to bridge the gap between the past and the present across the entire spectrum of electronic music.

For any enquiries: filip.earlyreflections@gmail.com

https://early-reflections.com

New tracks tagged #Mikro