Biography
Nick Nicely first entered public consciousness through the 1982 underground favorite "Hilly Fields (1892)," whose singular fusion of psychedelic rock and electronic pop left a mark on figures such as Robyn Hitchcock and XTC's Andy Partridge while later shaping artists including Bevis Frond, John Maus, Ariel Pink, and Temples. Although early promise suggested wider recognition, Nicely vanished from view through the mid-'80s and much of the '90s before reemerging toward the decade's close; renewed interest in the 2000s and 2010s followed from fresh editions of prior recordings alongside fresh output.
Nikolas Laurien entered the world in Greenland during a brief parental layover on a transatlantic journey. His upbringing unfolded across Hitchin and Deptford, England, where exposure to British radio—sparked by his brother's listening habits—ignited an enduring musical curiosity. From childhood onward he gravitated toward atmospheric, layered, and mind-altering sounds spanning Joe Meek, the Beatles, Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, and King Crimson. At seventeen he performed at a neighborhood folk venue; throughout the '70s he absorbed Euro-disco alongside Kraftwerk, Can, and Neu!, and credited LSD with fundamentally altering his creative wiring.
Relocating to London, he joined various groups and pursued solo experiments before linking with music publisher Heath Levy. Although the arrangement positioned him as an in-house composer, his demos earned funding to cut "DCT Dreams" and "Treeline" professionally. The resulting 1980 debut single on his Voxette label—pressed in an edition of 900 despite overtures from 4AD and Charisma—split angular synth-pop reminiscent of Tubeway Army with hallucinatory textures unseen since the prior decade. European and South American distribution followed, yielding a number-32 placement on Holland's charts, yet domestic impact remained negligible even after an early-1981 Ariola-Hansa reissue.
Nicely invested his remaining resources in "Hilly Fields (1892)," liquidating his home studio and belongings to underwrite a half-year session at Alvic Studio. The track's "Strawberry Fields"-evoking title, wistful tune, and enigmatic sonic layers—incorporating tape techniques akin to turntable scratching—revitalized British psychedelia so effectively that NME hailed it as "the best psychedelic record made since the '60s." Issued by EMI, the single likewise struggled commercially, yet it prompted Andy Partridge to launch the Dukes of Stratosphear and foreshadowed the psychedelic resurgence later advanced by the Three O'Clock, Robyn Hitchcock, and others.
Though additional singles were prepared and Trevor Horn extended a collaboration offer, mounting perfectionism, creative impasse, and the financial drain of financing "Hilly Fields (1892)" without royalties from "DCT Dreams" prompted Nicely's withdrawal. His sole documented contribution during this interval was backing vocals on Paul Roland's 1987 album A Cabinet of Curiosities; otherwise he remained largely inactive through the mid-'80s. A subsequent immersion in the rave and acid-house milieu brought mainstream traction via partnerships with Gavin Mills under the guises Psychotropic, Freefall, and Airtight.
Resuming activity under the Nick Nicely name in 1997, he issued pieces such as "On the Beach" that merged his dance-production experience with his established aesthetic. The 2004 anthology Psychotropia assembled these newer tracks with late-'70s demos, revealing a strikingly coherent catalog. Endorsements from Ariel Pink and John Maus led to joint performances in 2008. Concurrently Nicely commenced work on fresh material and teamed with UNKLE in 2010, while reissue activity persisted through Grapefruit's expanded Psychotropia and Captured Tracks' Elegant Daze: Songs from 1979-1986. Lysergia, a limited cassette of original songs, surfaced on Burger Records in 2011. The following year Fruits de Mer paired a freshly recorded "Hilly Fields (1892)" with its original version, and Emotional Response delivered the Wrottersley Road EP—reworking one of Lysergia's most hallucinatory cuts—in 2013. October 2014 brought Space of a Second on Lo Records, revisiting numerous Lysergia compositions. Sleep Safari, released in 2017, offered a dreamlike probe into subconscious processes through densely interwoven electronics and samples.
Nikolas Laurien entered the world in Greenland during a brief parental layover on a transatlantic journey. His upbringing unfolded across Hitchin and Deptford, England, where exposure to British radio—sparked by his brother's listening habits—ignited an enduring musical curiosity. From childhood onward he gravitated toward atmospheric, layered, and mind-altering sounds spanning Joe Meek, the Beatles, Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, and King Crimson. At seventeen he performed at a neighborhood folk venue; throughout the '70s he absorbed Euro-disco alongside Kraftwerk, Can, and Neu!, and credited LSD with fundamentally altering his creative wiring.
Relocating to London, he joined various groups and pursued solo experiments before linking with music publisher Heath Levy. Although the arrangement positioned him as an in-house composer, his demos earned funding to cut "DCT Dreams" and "Treeline" professionally. The resulting 1980 debut single on his Voxette label—pressed in an edition of 900 despite overtures from 4AD and Charisma—split angular synth-pop reminiscent of Tubeway Army with hallucinatory textures unseen since the prior decade. European and South American distribution followed, yielding a number-32 placement on Holland's charts, yet domestic impact remained negligible even after an early-1981 Ariola-Hansa reissue.
Nicely invested his remaining resources in "Hilly Fields (1892)," liquidating his home studio and belongings to underwrite a half-year session at Alvic Studio. The track's "Strawberry Fields"-evoking title, wistful tune, and enigmatic sonic layers—incorporating tape techniques akin to turntable scratching—revitalized British psychedelia so effectively that NME hailed it as "the best psychedelic record made since the '60s." Issued by EMI, the single likewise struggled commercially, yet it prompted Andy Partridge to launch the Dukes of Stratosphear and foreshadowed the psychedelic resurgence later advanced by the Three O'Clock, Robyn Hitchcock, and others.
Though additional singles were prepared and Trevor Horn extended a collaboration offer, mounting perfectionism, creative impasse, and the financial drain of financing "Hilly Fields (1892)" without royalties from "DCT Dreams" prompted Nicely's withdrawal. His sole documented contribution during this interval was backing vocals on Paul Roland's 1987 album A Cabinet of Curiosities; otherwise he remained largely inactive through the mid-'80s. A subsequent immersion in the rave and acid-house milieu brought mainstream traction via partnerships with Gavin Mills under the guises Psychotropic, Freefall, and Airtight.
Resuming activity under the Nick Nicely name in 1997, he issued pieces such as "On the Beach" that merged his dance-production experience with his established aesthetic. The 2004 anthology Psychotropia assembled these newer tracks with late-'70s demos, revealing a strikingly coherent catalog. Endorsements from Ariel Pink and John Maus led to joint performances in 2008. Concurrently Nicely commenced work on fresh material and teamed with UNKLE in 2010, while reissue activity persisted through Grapefruit's expanded Psychotropia and Captured Tracks' Elegant Daze: Songs from 1979-1986. Lysergia, a limited cassette of original songs, surfaced on Burger Records in 2011. The following year Fruits de Mer paired a freshly recorded "Hilly Fields (1892)" with its original version, and Emotional Response delivered the Wrottersley Road EP—reworking one of Lysergia's most hallucinatory cuts—in 2013. October 2014 brought Space of a Second on Lo Records, revisiting numerous Lysergia compositions. Sleep Safari, released in 2017, offered a dreamlike probe into subconscious processes through densely interwoven electronics and samples.
Albums
Secret Life Of Chance
2022
Sleep Safari
2017
Ghostdream
2017
Space of a Second
2014
Wrottersley Road
2013
Singles
