Checkpoint x BAG at Les Enfants pres. Niff, Louis, Rainer

Checkpoint x BAG at Les Enfants pres. Niff, Louis, Rainer Nicola Paesani is Niff - a Berlin-based artist and label owner who cut his teeth as a DJ during a golden era on the Riviera Romagnola. Active for some 15 years now - it was the soundtrack of his family home growing up in Teramo (Abruzzo) that first warmed his ears to the sounds of music. Brother to a master pianist and son of a theatre director, he was never too far from his mother’s love for Italian crooners like Lucio Battisti or Francesco De Gregori either. Art heavily influenced his youth. Nicola would rather steer his own tastes towards ’90s rap and American hip hop, before finding a permanent groove in house music and its diverse sub-genres - owing much of this discovery to local radio and its openness towards underground sounds. In the early 2000s, Niff would experience clubs like Echoes and Cocoricò Titilla for the first time, witnessing influential DJs from the US and local selectors playing their trade to influential effect. Making a name for himself with a distinctive soundtrack of progressive house and electro styles, Niff would later become a resident DJ at Zu::Bar in Pescara and later Pragmatism in Naples. A founding member in the launch and success of Seekers - a record label and international network - He would begin to tour Europe and the UK extensively, taking in sets at Fabric on Sundays - while becoming a visible component at waterside venues Club der Visionäre and Hoppetosse. Spending a brief period living in London, working at Dalston’s Koncept Store, Niff would move to Berlin permanently in 2018, galvanising his musical bond and kinship with DJ Tree, while on occasion working at Libertine Records Shop in Kreuzberg. With a full repertoire now at his disposal, Niff’s sound encapsulates a deeper and contemporary blend of techno, wave, new beat and trance to synth pop and EBM - while also taking in downtempo, ambient and beatless styles too. Niff today is an arbiter of good taste for boutique shows further afield in Europe and to the Americas. Drawing ultimate inspiration from the sunrise sets of his native Adriatic coast, and a personal evolution in Berlin, He created Fuori Orario in 2022 - a nonconformist, multidisciplinary platform translating to ‘After Hours’. Conceived from a profound connection to his Italian roots but also an unwavering commitment to fostering and promoting emerging talent. The project, encompassing a record label, mix series and emerging roster of international showcases, stands as a testament to Niff's dedication, vision and savour: past and present.