Nico Lahs

Nico Lahs
Nico Lahs for 5 Magazine - Issue 225
Nico Lahs for 5 Magazine - Issue 225
Background information
Born1987 (age 38–39)
OriginBari, Apulia, Italy
GenresDeep house
Occupations
Years active2008–present
Labels
  • U FIT
  • Mistress Recordings
  • NDATL Muzik
  • Moods & Grooves
  • Undaground Therapy Muzik
  • Local Talk
  • Metamorphic Recordings
  • Ovum Recordings
Member of
  • Tema Due

Nico Lahs (born 1987), birth name Nicola Loporchio, is an Italian DJ and record producer born and based in Bari, Italy, and known known for his genre-spanning and eclectic DJ sets and contaminated deep house productions. He is owner of the U FIT[1] record label, and member of the group Tema Due[2] with Nicola Conte. His releases have appeared on labels including Ovum Recordings, Metamorphic Recordings, Delusions of Grandeur, Moods & Grooves, Undaground Therapy Muzik, NDATL Muzik, and Mistress Recordings.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9]

Biography

Nico Lahs’ musical journey started as a DJ at a young age, collecting records and cultivating a deep love for house music and beyond. Early on, he displayed a curiosity for unusual and genre-defying sounds, a trait that would evolve into a signature element of both his productions and DJ sets.

Nico Lahs began crafting deep house grooves and issuing records in 2009. His 2011 EP Clouded Visions, released by Josh Wink’s Ovum Recordings, was his fourth release within roughly a year. Reviewing the record, Resident Advisor highlighted its detailed production, weighty low end and references to early-1990s house music.[3]

In 2016, he launched a new side project, Cosmic Garden, alongside the launch of the Cosmic Rhythm label, exploring more dreamy sounds rooted in Italo house, jazz, and vintage house textures.[10]

In 2020, Nico returned to his primary alias and released his debut album, Freedom, through the Beijing-based label Adeen Records. The double LP moved beyond a strictly club-focused approach, drawing on jazz, downtempo and hip-hop influences alongside house and electronic music.[4][5] That same year, he released three new EPs on Jimpster's Delusions of Grandeur, Dan Curtin's Metamorphic Recordings, and Brooklyn's Dailysession Records.[6][7][8]

From 2022 to 2025, Nico released remixes for Alton Miller and Amp Fiddler on Adeen Records[11], and releases on Mike Grant's Moods & Grooves, Omena [12][13], Phonogramme, Selections.[14], Roy Davis Jr.’s Undaground Therapy Muzik[15], Quintessentials, D3 Elements, Housewax, Kai Alcé’s NDATL Muzik, and Local Talk.

In 2023, Lahs launched the Italian record label U FIT, inaugurating it with two EPs, Distant Shadows and Possibilities.[1]

In 2024, he also embarked on another creative journey with the launch of Tema Due, a collaborative project by Nico Lahs and Nicola Conte. Its first two EPs, released in 2025, introduced a sound built around African and tribal percussion within electronic arrangements. In 2026, the project released its debut full-length album, Universo Astratto, as a double LP on Schema Records. The record features vocal and instrumental contributions from artists including Lalin St. Juste, Nina Miranda, Siya Makuzeni and Toco.[2]

Style

Nico Lahs' production and DJ sets are primarily rooted in deep house, drawing direct stylistic influence from early Chicago house and Detroit techno alongside contemporary European electronic aesthetics.[16] His tracks and DJ sets routinely incorporate elements across jazz, soul, funk, disco, broken beat, dub, techno, and minimal techno.[17][18] Music critics often note his reliance on analog synthesisers, warm basslines, and intricate syncopated percussion patterns.[7][19] Rather than relying on abrupt drops, his arrangements typically unfold through slow-building progressions, atmospheric pads, and rhythmic layering.[20]

Discography

Albums

  • Freedom (Adeen Records, 2020)[4][5]
  • Universo Astratto — with Tema Due (Schema Records, 2026)[2]

Singles and EPs

  • Clouded Visions (Ovum Recordings, 2011)[3]
  • Sunday 65 (Ovum Recordings, 2012)
  • My Side E.P. (Poker Flat Recordings, 2012)
  • Absence (Ovum Recordings, 2014)
  • Off The Rails (Rawax, 2015)
  • Visions (Dailysession Records, 2020)
  • Blow Your Mind (Metamorphic Recordings, 2020)[6][7]
  • Got Me Coming Back EP (Delusions Of Grandeur, 2021)[8]
  • Innermoods (Moods & Grooves, 2022)
  • Fundamentals (Phonogramme, 2022)
  • Step Into The Future EP (Selections., 2022)[14]
  • Ancestors Call (Part 1) (Omena, 2023)[12][13]
  • Ancestors Call (Part 2) (Omena, 2023)
  • Distant Shadows (U FIT, 2023)[1]
  • Possibilities (U FIT, 2023)[1]
  • Holy Day (Undaground Therapy Muzik, 2023)[15]
  • Easy Loving You (Quintessentials, 2023)
  • Luv You The Right Way (Housewax, 2025)
  • Signals From Outer Space / Crusin' (Local Talk, 2025)
  • Over Me EP (NDATL Muzik, 2025)
  • EP 1 — with Tema Due (Schema Records, 2025)
  • EP 2 — with Tema Due (Schema Records, 2025)
  • Do What U Feel (U FIT, 2025)
  • Mistress 19 (Mistress Recordings, 2026)[9]

Compilations

  • Makeup - The Edits (Compiled by Camille & Chez Damier / Edited and Mixed by Nico Lahs) (Adeen Records, 2021)
  • Make Up The Edits 3 (Compiled by Camille & Chez Damier / Edited and Mixed by Nico Lahs) (Adeen Records, 2023)
  • Make Up The Edits 4 (Compiled by Camille & Chez Damier / Edited by Nico Lahs) (Adeen Records, 2024)
  • Make Up The Edits 5 (Compiled by Camille & Chez Damier / Edited by Nico Lahs) (Adeen Records, 2026)

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Matthew, Terry (10 November 2023). "Nico Lahs Launches U FIT with a Pair of Stellar EPs". 5 Magazine. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 Mirza, Imran (15 May 2026). "Tema Due Universo Astratto 2LP (Schema) 4/5". ukvibe. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 "Nico Lahs - Clouded Visions · Single Recensioni ⟋ RA". Resident Advisor (in Italian). Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  4. 1 2 3 Matthew, Terry (12 May 2020). "Nico Lahs to Release His Debut LP Freedom This Month". 5 Magazine. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 "Nico Lahs turns to Beijing's Adeen Records for his album 'Freedom'". Mixmag Asia. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  6. 1 2 3 Matthew, Terry (2021-03-22). "Mind = Blown: Nico Lahs' Blow Your Mind on Metamorphic Recordings". 5 Magazine. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Audio, Inverted (2020-09-22). "Review: Nico Lahs: Blow Your Mind". Inverted Audio. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  8. 1 2 3 Matthew, Terry (2021-01-21). "Nico Lahs is making music for making people happy". 5 Magazine. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  9. 1 2 Redaktion, Die (2026-08-13). "Die Platten der Woche mit Atrevido, Djrum, Pancratio, Ken Ishii & David Castellani und Nico Lahs". Groove (in German). Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  10. ↑ Matthew, Terry (24 October 2022). "Cosmic Garden (Nico Lahs) Releases New Single "Come With Me"". 5 Magazine. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  11. ↑ Matthew, Terry (2021-10-22). "New remixes of Alton Miller & Amp Fiddler classic "When The Morning Comes"". 5 Magazine. Retrieved 2026-07-31.
  12. 1 2 Bray, Axel (2022-12-19). "Nico Lahs channels the 'Ancestors Call' on new LP". Electronic Groove. Retrieved 2026-07-31.
  13. 1 2 Rigoli, Daniele. "Nico Lahs. "Ancestor Calls" è (spiritual) deep house di pregio assoluto". SENTIREASCOLTARE (in Italian). Retrieved 2026-07-31.
  14. 1 2 Heath, Harold (2022-10-03). "Nico Lahs drops four tracks of Italian deepness on Step Into the Future". 5 Magazine (in enUS). Retrieved 2026-07-31.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  15. 1 2 Redazione (2023-05-26). "Nico Lahs - Holy Day". Parkett (in Italian). Retrieved 2026-07-31.
  16. ↑ "Nico Lahs · Biography". Resident Advisor.
  17. ↑ Zannato, Alberto (2020-05-08). "Internal Selection 038: Nico Lahs". Parkett (in Italian). Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  18. ↑ "14 Fakts Interview with Nico Lahs". www.tokamusik.com. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  19. ↑ "elevate: Nico Lahs, Dam Swindle, Heist in the new 5 Mag". 5 Magazine.
  20. ↑ Nico LAHS - Do What U Feel Vinyl at Juno Records., retrieved 2026-08-24
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