SPOTLIGHT: NICOLAS PETERSEN
Published February 7, 2023
Nicolas Petersen from Argentina, residing in Denmark, has impressed us here at Culture Box by his great music selection, his brilliant way of composing the journey through DJ sets, and by his fantastic spirit that transmits to his surroundings in general and the dance floor in particular. Get more insights in this feature.
How are you at the moment? Are you enjoying January in Denmark?
I’m doing fantastic, so far, I had the best winter in 5 years here at Copenhagen!
So Nicolas, How did you get into electronic music and DJing in the first place?
I remember as a child in 2003, watching MTV, I saw Kraftwerk’s “Aéro Dynamik”. Their neon outfit, simulating coming from another galaxy, with that particular and unique techno music, for a kid like I was at that age and from my environment, it blew my senses and showed me a different path.
But it wasn’t until years later when I moved to Europe, when I went to my first Garbicz Festival (in 2019), where I had the privilege to listen to the maestro Patrice Bäumel, one of my biggest references in electronic music nowadays. He plays one of the closing sets at Wiese Floor. Thaaat set! It gets me into a trance with nature, music, people, and my inner spirit.
All those external factors plus a special person (Ilinca) have motivated my dreams to become a professional DJ, and now I have the pleasure of offering people a musical journey where they can find deep connections, explore emotions and find unity on the dance floor and in life in general.
At Culture Box we are really impressed of you because of your ability to create an organic dramaturgy in your DJ sets. Is that something you have given special thought and attention?
Definitely! When I approach my sets I try to create a ritual that travels through nature emerging into different climates, images, and sounds. To get into that journey I trust my musical resources to generate that organic style, using the influences of raw instruments, vocals, and percussions, which are sounds that make the audience connect with their primitive instinct and welcome them into my little jungle.
What are in your opinion the essential qualities that make a good musician?
I believe that dedication and hard work are key ingredients, but I don’t consider them enough. I think it is very important to empathise and learn how the environment works, where you as a musician are to develop your art. That’s why I love to go, before my gigs (especially if it is my first time at a new venue), to see how the dance floor works (people, venue vibes, sound acoustic, light system, and so on).
Behind a good musician there is a human being, and we shouldn’t forget to simply go and enjoy the environment, where we work, to dance, hang out with people, and support other artists as well.
Do you dream of sharing the lineup with certain artists or playing at a certain stage?
Dreams don’t cost anything, right? I’d love to share a lineup with my heroes, Patrice Bäumel, Guy J, Guy Mantzur, Armen Miran, and the list keeps going. Being realistic and thinking about my life here in Denmark, I’d love to keep on enjoying my residency at Culture Box along with the very talented Tim Andresen and his crew. Also, take my music to new scenes given that Copenhagen holds many cool festivals during summertime.
Have you found that playing music has helped you develop any other skills in life?
It can be expressed in two words, ‘observation’ and ’empathy’, and these two things have given me great life experiences.
Do you think you could get better as a musician? And if so, how would you achieve that?
Well, I love being a DJ, but lately, it hasn’t been enough for me. I always had a passion for live music that’s why I’d love to put both things together and become a live performer. To do so I’m in the process of upskilling in playing different instruments and upgrading my music production knowledge.
We are curious to hear how you experience the electronic music scene in Denmark at the moment?
Still a small country and kind of new to electronic music, but that’s positive because you can see nowadays how many crews and upcoming talented artists start to put the effort into bringing more nightlife options. I trust we are going to have an incredible summer!
We love the Argentinian community here in Denmark, what do you think Danes can learn from that music culture?
We are so passionate about everything we do, and that also transcends to the music environment. It will sometimes blow your mind, seeing a bunch of people dancing like maniacs, creating a powerful feeling of support on the floor. Experiences like that, as a DJ, make you want to get better and better when you perform. So I invite more local people to support their artists, because it’s one of the main things that influences the process of us becoming perfectionists, and wanting to deliver the best of the best for all of you.
You are Co-Founder of the Audiophiles Kollektiv. Tell us a little about that project.
Audiophiles Kollektiv (AK) was established in April 2022 and consists of a group of friends with very different backgrounds, but with a common passion for music, dance and the wish of creating a safe space where a community can grow around this passion.
AK produces electronic music events, currently in Copenhagen, but the ambitions extend beyond DK’s borders. The aim is to send the audience on a journey where the senses are stimulated by many essential factors, like visuals, music, stages and any art expression that allow us to welcome the audience into our land of dreams.
When you’re not working with music, what do you do to relax?
Focus on exploring and developing other passions, like reading, training, painting, handicraft, and very importantly hanging out with friends and cooking for them.
Any secrets us here at Culture Box don’t know about you yet?
Well, I have been thinking about doing this project for a while.
It’s about alternative therapy through music and mind-body language that allows you to relax and find knowledge, to help you in tough life periods, like depression, and with its symptoms: autistic syndrome, attention disorder, among other difficulties.
The key here is to guide people into a feeling of release, through communication, self-movements (like learning how to play again), positive talk, move coordination, accompanying it with music, and the manipulation of certain frequencies that helps the brain to oscillate into an exploring stage of mind.
It is still a complicated thing to explain, because I couldn’t find the time to develop it, but the idea started when I fell into depression a few years ago, and trying desperately to get out of that stage. I tried different therapies, some of which could help me to get out of those dark times in my life, and now I have the wish to help others to give them a break into their hard times. I hope one day I can get enough time and knowledge to take this up again, and hopefully help others.
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