Artist Biography
Anton Nikkilä started in the rock underground in the early '80s, switched to the experimental electronica scene in the late '90s, but remained tucked away in a dark corner of Finland all that time. In 2000, he and Alexei Borisov founded the label N&B Research Digest in an effort to push their work under the eyes of music critics and record buyers. It actually worked (at least in part). He is best known for his use of Muzak samples in quirky pieces influenced by the Austrian scene revolving around the label Mego.
Nikkilä made his debuts in a number of Helsinki (Finland) rock bands like Mietoherne and Swissair; the latter was the longest-running, lasting a decade. Some of these groups have left self-released cassettes (a few tracks can be heard on the compilation CD-R Pilottilasit: Samples From Helsinki Underground 1981-1987). One of his main collaborators at the time was Mika Taanila, also in Swissair, with whom he recorded the 7" EP Kytkentätaulun Valot in 1992.
In the 1980s, Nikkilä's groups played post-punk-influenced minimal rock with a touch of electronics and lo-fi esthetics that foretold the post-rock movement of the late '90s. But when the style caught on, the artist had already turned to electronics, following the developments of the European techno scene. Teaming up with friend Alexei Borisov, he experimented with techno, glitch, the naïve electro-pop of Felix Kubin (a.o.), and finally released his first solo album, Formalist, in 1998 on the Russian label Exotica. The pair started N&B Research Digest in 2000 mainly to release their own projects. Since then Nikkilä has appeared on the compilation Geologists and Professional Tourists (a number of duets with Borisov), the aforementioned Pilottilasit, and has released his second solo CD, White Nights. He is involved in the Helsinki-based electronic music festival Avanto. ~ François Couture
Hometown
Finland
Genre
Electronic