Back in 1989, on the scorching French Riviera, Nicolas Masseyeff's long affection for
electronic music first began. After that first kiss, then the man spent 15 years in his
hometown as a record dealer, before buying his own outlet, Limelight, and turning it into
the most respected record store in the whole of Southern France.
Drawing inspiration from a wide sonic plane that includes minimalism, jazz, new wave,
Detroit techno and Chicago house, it's producers like Steve Reich, John Cage, Carl Craig,
UR, Basic Channel and Larry Heard that Masseyeff looks up to. It's no surprise, then, that
in 1998 Nico began experimenting on his own. Only in 2006 was he happy with the
musical identity he had forged for himself, though, so only then did he release his first
productions…
As such, French label Zebra 3 served up his Hostages EP before the Frenchman then
released on John Henry Records (run by esteemed producer John ?Zoo Brazil' Andersson)
for the first time. Since then he has returned to the label to release several tracks under
the alias Vedrenn and has become a core part of the Plantage 13 crew that also includes
the likes of Stephan Bodzin, Oliver Huntemann, Super Flu, Herzblut, Rekorder and Ideal.
Once producing full time and having sadly left the record store, the releases came thick
and fast. ?Deva''s melody seduced Stephan Bodzin enough for him to put it in the spotlight
courtesy of a release on his Herzblut Recordings (2008), then went on to release another
trio of Masseyeff EPs, namely Asymetrik (2009), Modul8 (2009) and No More Time (2010).
2010 also saw Nico pair with long-time friend and much-hyped producer Oxia. Together
they crafted ?Trying Out' for the 5 year anniversary compilation of Marc Romboy's
Systematic in July 2009, then ?Keep the Drums' for London label Tsuba in April 2010. So
too have there been remixes for Stephan Bodzin and Marc Romboy's astronomic Luna
project alongside plenty of other names from across the electronic world.
Most recently, though, is Masseyeff's full length project, The Motherland: it's an odyssey
into the man's mind, featuring twists and turns, blissful sections and joie de vivre, but also
melancholia and sorrow, just like in his life; just like in your life… Coming on Herzblut in
November 2011, it will no doubt win the man who already plays at clubs and festivals
around the world (and has done for two decades); the man who already designs sounds
for some world renowned brands and the man who already composes for fashion shows
across the globe, even more discerning fans.