Radio Works by Ensemble Nikel

Our third album - Radio Works - is a homage to the medium of Radio and its role in the 21st century. Recorded in France, Germany & Switzerland during the years of covid pandemic the album features four works commissioned by various European radio stations only to remind us of the power public broadcast has in producing cutting edge content. As a result listeners are in for the rare chance to hear Nikel playing works that were brand new or only performed once or twice prior to their recording date. As such the album has a raw energy nourished also by the strategy of not recording more than 2-3 takes per piece. Repertoire wise Radio Works also offers a great introduction to up and coming composers Nikel has not yet worked with. Among them Didem Coşkunseven, Huihui Cheng & Sylvain Marty. Closing the album is a piece by Matthew Shlomowitz & Jennifer Walshe (also featured on vocals) which grew from a 10 minute work as documented here into a one hour extravaganza that we recently premiered at the notorious Darmstadt International Summer Courses festival.
So sit back, put your headphones on and turn on the radio.

Nikel is a quartet consisting of saxophone, electric guitar, percussion and piano.

A mix of traditional and contemporary, these instruments combine to form an alternative chamber music output where electric and acoustic sounds are fused into a unified sonic organism built on a wide, yet discerning musical vocabulary.

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