NIKEL
A DECADE
4CD + DVD + BOOK
10 years of events, performances, creativity, friendships, and most of all, passion for the music we love. Nothing new there – it has always been a labor of love for Nikel. Despite the ups and downs, and lefts and rights of any career, one thing has remained the same from the beginning: unrelenting dedication and above all honesty towards ourselves, the composers we have worked with, and our audience.
On July 11th 2017, we will throw a party and concert in Tel Aviv, Israel – the place where the ensemble began and will always return to – to celebrate that honesty and hard work with this music.
A literal box, designed by the multi-talented Yoav Perry, the set contains 4 CD’s recorded with the magician Benoit Piccand, and mixed by the new President of the United States, Stefano Bechini. There is also a DVD masterfully crafted by Adrian Schmidt. The book features photos by the omniscient Markus Sepperer, essays from some of our long-time-followers and friends Michelle Ziegler, Ute Pinter, and Thomas Schaefer. As well, Barbara Eckle was patient enough to interview the group despite our humoristic tendencies. Each composer has also offered insights to his and her compositions presented here.
The story of this box tells the musical path Nikel has taken, and it is really one of close friends. Not only have we worked intensively with these composers on the stage and in the studio, we know each one now for years (and there are some great stories). It has become, in a sense, a family. We feel we do the best work under these conditions.
To add a final statement, because I think this is important, this box is being self released. The production, organization and distribution is 100% a Nikel operation. The fact that we have only scattered “official” recordings despite a significant depth of repertoire made us simply want to document not only what we have been doing for all these years (for those unable to attend our concerts) but also what is possible with this group. From recording sessions in Bern running until 2am with Benoit, to the entire-day WhatsApp discussions with Stefano, every member of this cast not only played a vital role in the production and creation of this, but also put their entire being into it. And for that, I (we, Nikel) are eternally grateful.
-Brian Archinal
