[Interview] Nikademis Talks Musical Journey, New Music, Minecraft, and More

Originally from New York, Nick Liuzzi, also going by Nikademis has been building a loyal fanbase with his mid tempo and melodic soundscapes, contrasted by empowering melodies and captivating vocals. The 24-year-old electronic music producer from Denver has been making a name for himself in the bass music scene, marked by his unique solo releases on labels such as Ophelia, Dim Mak, and Lost In Dreams. Additionally, he has collaborated with prominent artists like Far Out and We Are Fury. In addition to his original works, Nikademis has crafted official remixes for industry heavyweights, including ILLENIUM, where he reimagined ‘U & Me‘ from ILLENIUM’s Grammy-nominated album Fallen Ember, as well as tracks from Big Gigantic and Haliene. His technical prowess on the decks has landed him as tour support on Blanke’s tour, and as opening act for both SLANDER and Kill the Noise. He recently played at Elements Music Festival this summer and was slated to play at New York’s Electric Zoo but could not perform due to a delay of the festival opening on day 2.

We had the time to speak with Nick at Ezoo to chat about his musical journey, signature sound, and more.

Can you share a little about your musical journey about how you first got into DJing?

Nick: At the end of middle school, a couple friends and I saw a DJ play at a school dance and thought it was cool. So we got equipment and started DJing for backyard parties for family, friends, and school parties. Then a friend introduced me to dance music with guys like Wolfgang Gartner and Calvin Harris and started to dive deeper into the genre. I split the music production software costs with my dad and wanted to take a crack into it, fell in love with it, and became my hobby everyday after school. At first I was working on big room and progressive house, then when the time of COVID came around, I got more into bass music and mid tempo bass from listening to artists like Rezz, Blanke, ILLENIUM, and 1788-L. And that’s how I shifted more into bass music from being inspired by these artists at the time.

You music falls more into the realms of mid tempo bass. How do you stay true to your style and are you finding ways to continually innovate your sound?

It’s definitely tough because I enjoy so many genres. I’ve been gaining more traction through mid tempo bass. Lately, dubstep is really resonating with a lot of crowds so I try to tiptoe across those realms but still incorporate a lot of my sounds in whatever direction.

You mentioned earlier that your dad helped split your musical production software costs, was he involved in any other way of shaping your musical career? And what other musical inspirations do you draw upon?

I owe a lot of my music production skills and my technological basis to my father because he also does video production and he instilled from a very young age a lot of his technological background to me even though he didn’t do audio music necessarily. He taught me a lot of those skills which I could take and shift into music. I’d say one my first musical inspirations was Zedd who got me into electro house. Then I’d say ILLENIUM and Blanke have really inspired not only my music production but in my life.

How do you stay motivated and inspired during times when you get a creative block?

I try not to stress out over it too much. Sometimes I do have serious deadlines and that can get a little tough and I have to push myself a little more than I normally would. But otherwise, I just try to focus on doing other things I enjoy in life and hopefully that will inspire me.

What do you enjoy doing outside of the studio?

I love playing video games and I’m big into Formula One. I also love watching and following hockey, I’m a big Islander’s fan.

Do you have a favorite video game?

My all time favorite has to be Minecraft, I’m a big Minecraft guy. I also love Rocket League and enjoy Formula one racing sims.

You’ve had some big releases over the past two years with ‘I Don’t Wanna Know’, a huge remix for ILLENIUM’S ‘U & ME’, and ‘Follow You Home’ out on Ophelia. You also recently released ‘Perfect For A Moment’ last month, can you tell us more about how the track came to be?

That track has been been done for quite a while. It was actually something that started out as a remix of an ILLENIUM track. And then I stripped away the original elements of that, did a lot of tweaking and then turned it into an original track. And I think it was a nice combination of melodic mid tempo and kind of like a harder mid tempo bass drop. I had been wanting to do something with De King for quite a while, so I sent it over to her. I actually had a couple of different versions of the track originally and I made some changes and then gave her some parameters about what I think it would be cool to write about. The track ended up being super meaningful and speaks about some experiences that I’ve had in my life with the relationships that she sings about. We’re very happy it found a home on Future Generation and we’ve gotten a lot of really good reactions to it.

What’s next on the release radar for you in terms of singles or remixes?

I can’t say too much but it’s looking pretty good for a new remix for ILLENIUM. He’s been a huge support of mine with the ‘U & ME’ remix from his album and I’m super stoked to be able to do another for him. It’s no secret, he’s been playing it on his tour, the ‘Worst Day’ remix. It’s just a matter of time in terms of packaging the track and hoping to get it released later this year.

Are there any other artists that you want to collaborate with next?

Just going to put it out there that my dream collaboration would be with Jon Bellion. He’s my favorite artist and songwriter of all time. I’ve been following his music for many years and his music speaks to me on another level.

What do you want to be remembered for as an artist?

I’d love to make some type of mark on electronic music and be remembered for pushing it forward even just a little bit in some way. But what’s even more important to me is if my music can speak to people and resonate with them emotionally. Life is difficult and I’ve been there at the lowest of low and it feels like there’s no way out. The thing that was always there for me was music and it helped me get out of there. And if I could be a part in helping other people who are in those situations with my music, that would be it.