Mixing, Production, Songwriting, Mastering Nic Nell Mixing, Production, Songwriting, Mastering Nic Nell

Casually Here - Possible Worlds

writing, production, mixing

‘The perfect soundtrack to the optimism and freshness of spring’ Electronic Sound

‘Sweeping, transcendent electronica’ Future Music

‘Delightful, deeply immersive and irresistibly groovy... rich in imagination and skilled in execution’ Metro

‘Casually Here sets sails for folktronica’s undiscovered kingdoms’ Uncut Magazine

‘A uniquely picturesque experience’ Clash Magazine

‘Drenched in beauty’ The Everyday Magazine

Written, performed, produced & mixed by Nic Nell

Mastered by Guy Davie

Cover art ‘La Ville Creuse’ by Luc Schuitten

Design by Alexander Brown

Algebra Records | 2022

Viny & digital available here

London based Casually Here's (AKA Nic Nell) expansive and ambitious second album 'Possible Worlds' is out now via Algebra Records. The record's seven sprawling tracks explore bifurcating possible futures at this precarious point in history, all whilst maintaining an innate sense of optimism. The record explores these themes with acoustic and electronic instruments, analogue hardware, field recordings and sound design, using modern studio tools to push the sonic boundaries of both the dancefloor and home-listening. Written, performed, produced and mixed by Nell himself, 'Possible Worlds' was mastered and cut by Guy Davie (Jon Hopkins, Bibio, Nathan Fake etc). The artwork is provided by Belgian artist/architect Luc Schuiten, whose late 70s painting 'La Ville Creuse' depicts a vision of a future organic city.

Nic Nell is a London-based artist, composer, sound designer and producer/engineer, with a background in art and mathematics. He recently produced Orlando Weeks' (The Maccabees) acclaimed album 'A Quickening', and collaborated on an electronic art/dance project with Lawrence Hart via Hotflush. Also one half of Young Colossus and art-pop duo Rainer, it is safe to say the Algebra Records keeps a lot of plates spinning. He runs the label with a focus on supporting emerging artists, helping foster artistic community and context. Releasing music as Casually Here, 'Possible Worlds' follows 2015 debut 'Kept,' an immersive sound sculpture exploring liminal conscious states, and accompanied by several films. In comparison, 'Possible Worlds' is a more organic affair, both woody and earthy, it nestles between digitally imagined textures and pushes the perception of sound beyond the stereo field."I approach sound production as the making of forms & worlds, hearing sound as colour, texture & shape,"explains Nell, who is passionate about the long-term future of life and concerned about the existential risks to it: "For me, living in closer harmony with nature is key to our long term survival".

Centred around piano and an Oberheim OB-Xa synth, album opener 'Pale Blue Dot' references Voyager 2's famous photo of the Earth as a distant pinprick of light, taken through the rings of Saturn as it swept out of the solar system as a poignant reminder of the beauty and precariousness of life in our universe. 'Apex' is the spiritual and emotional centrepiece of the album, inspired by a transcendent dancefloor experience, evoking feelings of optimism and joy of not only belonging to greater humanity, but of being a part of all life on Earth. 'Crickets' was born from a field recording made in Liwonde, Malawi, its off-kilter rhythms juxtaposed by ambient calm. 'A 2067' is a dystopian journey into surveillance AI, and 'The Great Filter' – in reference to the Fermi Paradox - is a galactic cheer to the future. Conjuring images of iridescent pinks, meditative penultimate track 'Rhubarb Skies' ends in banks of trilling clarinets, evoking flocks of flamingos nesting in the ice lakes of the Bolivian Altiplano, and final track 'Fête' has humanity at its close, looking back at life on earth, the zipping electronic sounds representing our digital ancestors in drone form.

"Feelings of wonder, beauty and awe are so hard to hold on to. Making this album has been like an ember of hope that I've kept stoked. In turn, I hope 'Possible Worlds' helps listeners to look upwards and outwards, and to feel closer to those invaluable feelings of optimism for the future."

Casually Here Possible Worlds Artwork Luc Schuiten La Ville Creuse
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Lawrence Hart & Casually Here - Many Worlds

writing, production, mixing

Album written, performed, produced & mixed by Nic Nell & Duncan Tootill

Mastered by Beau Thomas except ‘Ochre’ mastered by Christian Wright

Artwork by Alexander Brown

‘Wanderlust’ appears on the Hotflush 20 triple vinyl compilation marking the 20th anniversary of Hotflush Recordings availble here

Hotlfush Recordings | 2019

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Casually Here - The Well Of Deep Time

writing, production, mixing, mastering

Written, performed, produced, mixed & mastered by Nic Nell

Algebra Records | 2023

Originally composed to accompany a deep time meditation taking the listener back through the 4.8 billion year history of Earth, accompanying an episode of the ARIA award winning podcast 'The Long Time Academy', produced by Scenery Studios, featuring Brian Eno discussing the origins of ambient music.

It was subsequently part of 'PAN + TILT', a VR collaboration with virtual realist artists duo Gibson / Martelli, premiered at the 2022 BFI London Film Festival Expanded Exhibition.

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Rainer - Water

writing, production, mixing

Album written, performed & produced by Nic Nell & Rebekah Raa

Mixed by Nic Nell

Mastered by John Davis

Transparent vinyl & digital on Kissability / Algebra Records | 2015

Vinyl & digital available on Bandcamp

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Liam Hutton - Trials

mixing, production, writing

EP | Mixed by Nic Nell

‘Walker’, ‘Trials’ and ‘Shade’ written & produced by Liam Hutton

‘Dumb’ written & produced by Liam Hutton & Nic Nell

Additional production on ‘Walker’ & ‘Trials’ by Nic Nell

Mastered by Kristofer Harris

Algebra Records | 2021

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Emma-Kate Matthews - Flung Further

mastering, remix

Album | Mastered by Nic Nell

All About The Light (Casually Here Remix) by Nic Nell

Algebra Records | 2021

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Sunplus - UR (Casually Here Remix)

production, mixing, mastering

Sunplus - UR (Casually Here Remix) produced, mixed & mastered by Nic Nell

Album mastered by Nic Nell

Algebra Records | 2020

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azul-revolto & Casually Here - Substance

writing, production, mixing

Collaboration with azul-revolto as part of his LIVID EP.

Digital and limited handstamped, smoked vinyl available on Bandcamp.

Algebra Records | 2017

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Holographic Field - Afterglow (Casually Here Remix)

remix

Remix of Holographic Field’s ‘Afterglow’ taken from the album Window Gazer.

Window Gazer released on limited edition transparent silver glitter cassette with artwork printed on metallic card stock on Algebra Records available to buy on Bandcamp.

Algebra Records | 2016

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Mixing, Performing, Songwriting, Production, Engineering Nic Nell Mixing, Performing, Songwriting, Production, Engineering Nic Nell

Young Colossus

production, mixing, writing

Collaborative project with Orlando Weeks & illustrator Robert Hunter

Songs and story by Orlando Weeks

Instrumentation by Orlando Weeks & Nic Nell

Produced, mixed & engineered by Nic Nell

Illustrated by Robert Hunter

Mastered by John Davis

Released as a sold out limited edition of 1500 graphic novels with CD on Black Records / Algebra Records | 2012

Posters & digital available on Bandcamp

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