You are a fairly new band, forming together in August 2013, what are your musical backgrounds and how did you meet and form NISHE?
Giovanni: - I have started taking music seriously since I was about 10, listening to classic-rock bands like Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd; in my teenage years I delved a little deeper into psychedelic and progressive music, but also started to listen to different genres like reggae (Bob Marley, Peter Tosh etc..) and Britpop (The Verve, Oasis, etc..). I moved to London after turning 19 and spent months trying to find the right musicians for this project, which I eventually did.
Harold: I discovered musicianship as a saxophonist, at the age of around 10. At that time I was playing and listening to jazz and blues.
Nicolas: I remember that I started listening to Deep Purple when I was three or four. Machine Head was always playing in the house and later on, when I was a bit older, we would jam the songs of the album with my dad on guitar. I grew up listening to loads of stuff with him. My cousin turned me to AC/DC when I was 10 or 11. For my thirteenth birthday my dad bought me a DVD of Dream Theater, and then I started to practice all their songs on drums. I was obsessed with it! Later I became more versatile when I started to hang out with guys from different backgrounds. Dudes from the Jazz Conservatory, Metal heads, Funk guys, Reggae ... I was doing as many different things as I could!
I know everyone asks this question and I’m going to be no exception, who came up with the name, and does it have a specific meaning to the band? (btw When searching Nishe on iTunes there is female RnB artist of the same name, have you registered your name?)
G: I came up with the name by going through my iTunes library (“Nishe" is a Muse b-side), I really liked the sound of it, both sharp and sophisticated at the same time, just like our music.
We are aware of that, but we liked the name so we hope it won’t be a problem.
Tell me about what role music played in your life while growing up and how has it influenced you in the choices that you make today?
G: Obviously music played a huge role in my life, since I was little, throughout my teenage years... I would rather play guitar and listen to music than doing what most kids do at that age like playing football or going clubbing.
H: As I grew up I found the bass guitar came more naturally to me than saxophone. At the same time I began to diversify the music I listened to. All this led me towards taking music more seriously; playing more gigs, more practicing, and more listening. By the time I had reached my mid teens I knew I wanted be a musician.
N: Well, I wouldn't be in London today if there hadn’t been music to take me there. Most of my choices are guided by music. I also met most of my friends through music.
To be honest I have no idea what my life would have been like without music? I think I would have been a different guy, in a different place, with different people around me.
How is your music different to other bands of the same genre?
G: I think the fact that we don’t compromise with ourselves and always try to push our limits guarantees a certain level of innovation or at least “interest” around our music.
How long did it take to find “the sound” of Nishe, when you first started out?
G: Actually I would say that the sound of Nishe only started to emerge about a year ago, after we started adding electronics to our arrangements and live shows, and I wrote “Lose Control” which I believe really represents a defined part of our sound.
We have new songs that follow in Lose Control’s footsteps, that along with it or, for example, a cover of the song “Clint Eastwood” by Gorillaz that we usually play at our shows, really create a cohesive sound that you could define as the “Nishe” sound.
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