Nicola Mišić studied composition and audiodesign at „Elektronisches Studio Basel“, where he graduated in 2018. Before that he studied Law and finished with a Master degree in 2012. He has composed numerous works for classical and electronic instruments as well as multi media works and sound installations. His works focus lies on spatial perception and exploration of spatial narratives within music. Of particular note are the installations “Tunnel Spiral” and “The Sound of Architecture” as part of the Festival ZeitRaume Basel (2015). As well as the acousmatic compositions “Cleopatra’s Needle” and “Insection”. “Insection” was premiered in Paris on the GRM Acousmonium on 14 October, 2018. “Cleopatras Needle” was premiered at the SeaM in Weimar during the Competition for Franz Liszt Composition Scholarship, where Nicola Misic attended a Masterclass with Robert Normandeau.
Besides composition, his main interest lies in the interpretation of live electronic music and improvisation. He has also created the soundtrack for various documentaries, feature films and dance performances, such as the Swiss documentary “Summerloch” (2019) or the dance performance “Industrial Seagrass” (2018) for 16 dancers. Currently he’s working on a commissioned multichannel work for the Kunstmuseum Basel wich will be premiered at 15 June, 2019.
Insection mainly incorporates recorded sound material from insects. Insects are amazing creatures, not only their morphology and way of life, but also their cultural significance in our society is diverse. These fantastic sound generators make themselves audible through molecular vibrations, chirping, rustling, humming, clicking, scratching and scraping. Not only the bodily sounds of the insects are of musical interest, but also their diverse way of life: Their power for metamorphosis, parasitism, mimesis and blending with their territory and environment and the speed of movement. Insection attempts to create a sonic space outside our acoustic habits. This is achieved by producing unexpected, fast, strange sounds that rip open the forms of musical memory in a vortex of speeds. The swelling and receding of sound streams, but also microcurrents flowing into each other, small vortices, produce microscopic jumps and strange concentrations. The insect sound world evokes the idea that we inhabit unknown, post-human acoustic environments all the time. We just don’t hear them – we’re not used to picking them up or tuning in.