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Nick Miamis is the man behind the psybient/electronic/chill out Side Liner project. He’s also the label manager of Cosmic Leaf Records. Has a demanding day-job, nut above all he’s a dad! Last Day Deaf interviewed Nick a few days before the sublime event DOTS. Downtempo Connexions, featuring AES Dana & Solar Fields as headliners at Black Box Methodia, on May 12th. Sit back and enjoy!

Hi Nick, and welcome to Last Day Deaf. Would you like to tell our readers how did the Side Liner project emerge back in 2004?

Hello everyone and thank you Last Day Deaf for the interview. Being in music business as  trance music producer since 1999 and having started my own label Unicorn Music back in 2003, I used to be besides a chill out music lover, collecting and listening various music genres. Nevertheless, until 2004 I never had the idea to produce anything chill/downtempo but I was enjoying as a listener. Then, I received a demo from Zero Cult in Unicorn Music office, a chill out demo that had nothing to do with the trance music I had been involved. His music was so good for not to be listened and along with my passion as chill out listener this period, I decided to open a sublabel Cosmicleaf Records and ask my trance artists of that period to make a chill track, including myself, to produce a compilation. That way I could use the Zero Cult tracks and share them with the world. That compilation was the ‘Chill On Ice – A Warm Sound Enviroment For The Cold Winter Moments‘, since then everything came out physically and a new passion had been created.

From your latest 2017’s album I would like to ask you about two distinctive tracks ‘Children’ & ‘Thousand Thoughts’ in which your daughter Danae features. As a father of two boys, I would like to ask you if it is a matter of paternity; Of creativity? Maybe both? Something else? In plain words, what urged you sample your child and create these magnificent tracks?

All the best to your family, I am sure from first hand, when you have a family, lonely moments are rare, so due to production moments my little daughter always interrupted me and being way too curious about all lights, sounds and keys in my studio. One of these interruptions are due to recordings, that surprising recordings are captures of sweet moments that have passed now. I wanted to give eternity to those moments and a sweet reminder every time I listen to those tracks. The result was mesmerizing. Likewise and with track ‘Danae‘ where was my first recording of her when she was 6 months  and was laughing trying to catch the microrphone.

A tricky one now. What does ambient music mean to you?

Last 20 years it’s been like water for me; it is the best detox for me, a stress relief, the best daydreaming music.

Being active since 2004, which moments would you pick as milestones for Side Liner then?

The beginning was everything, my continuous involvement and creativity brought the rest physically. I wish I can keep being involved with ambient until getting very old. I have released enough albums, EPs  and compilations so far but still I remain thirsty for creativity.

Why do you choose to release “beta” versions of your tracks on Last.fm and other music channels on the web to get feedback from the public before finalizing an album? Lack of confidence? Or maybe something else?

Actually this is an old statement on my bio that should be updated nowadays. Before 2006, Last.fm was the best and a powerful tool to connect with your own fanbase, never felt the same feeling with Facebook or even Myspace in the old good days. There I had discovered many of my listeners and I was loving to share moments of my early productions for promotional and caring reasons. In a same way like nowadays many artists post studio moments in their Facebook pages. Missed the pure music community of Last.fm, I have done there many good friends that we are still connected til today.

You are also running as a label manager, Cosmicleaf Records with numerous releases in parallel to the Side Liner project. How can you combine these two activities then? French Kick Bong project is out these days, right?

If you add on these, my dayjob as a customer care and sales in HoReCa supplies and the family, very hardly, I admit I give huge effort to keep active and creative with the Side Liner project, working until late night. Yes, Kick Bong, another of the oldies of Cosmicleaf Label, is back with his new album ‘Mystica‘, a wonderful new album and a very anticipated one.

In 2016 you released a co-operative album with Aviron, ‘Out Of Town‘. How was the experience like? Would you like to repeat this with another artist, and if so which one(s) would you like to be?

For completing a full album with another artist, needs connection and understanding, of each one’s needs, style  and production habits. With Aviron that connection is very good. We have worked also in a new EP that will come out this June 2018. My only problem to be open to more collaborations is “time”,  and time of production for extra tracks than scheduled is limited, that have pushed me back from new collaborations or get involved with other compilations offers.

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You are going to participate in a significant event on May 12th, along with great acts such as AES DANA & Solar Fields. What should we expect by you that night?

It should be  a magical night, as always used to be with such an involved line up. I am keen to play the most emotional groovy tracks for a dancing nostalgic euphoria.

What’s on the horizon for Side Liner?

Coming next my new EP with Aviron in June, another new EP as Side Liner in July, on 10th May a CD version of my lounge compilation ‘Relax Culture, Vol. 1‘, and a second volume release until end of 2018. My new high resolution compilation in 24bit / 96khz , called ‘2496‘ until end of 2018. Also this August, I am playing 11-12/8 in Samsara Festival (Hungary) as Side Liner, Cosmicleaf and a trance set with Zero Cult of our side project Anasa, there is also another confirmed festival on July; I will play on 14/7 but I cannot share yet until it is officially announced.

Christos Doukakis