Nick Dow

Nick Dow

Nick Dow is a New Zealand electronic musician associated with techno, experimental music and IDM. The name also refers to an English folk musician, but the electronic producer is described as a Scottish minimal techno artist who develops music through live performance, recording and production.

Background

He begins as a musician, learning several instruments before moving into recording and production at about the age of 15. He spends much of his teenage years working in a home studio in a small town in the Scottish Borders, where he develops an early interest in musical experimentation. He later moves to the city to study sound engineering and becomes involved in the local club scene.

Style and approach

Dow’s work is shaped by minimal techno and by the electronic sounds around him in club culture. He develops his own versions of techno after becoming interested in minimal music, and he aims to make music with narrative and emotional depth. He records his own samples and treats techno as a flexible form that can incorporate other genres. His productions are described as textured, melodic and emotionally driven.

Live work and releases

After beginning to make his own techno, he starts performing live within a few months and receives positive reactions. He also gains a residency at a club night in Edinburgh, where he continues to develop new material for each performance. His debut release appears on Pulsewith Records in October 2011 in collaboration with Swat Squad. That release is a four-track record titled Ride The Snake, and it includes the tracks “Ride The Snake” and “Coffee Binge”. He also has another track on Pulsewith and a remix release on Mistakes Music.

Later development

He is said to be moving to Berlin, a city strongly associated with electronic music, while continuing to build his catalogue and live presence.