Nice Nice

Portland’s experimental duo Nice Nice features guitarist Jason Buehler and percussionist Mark Shirazi. Though the pair began playing in the mid-‘90s, they didn’t adopt the Nice Nice moniker until 1999. From the start of their collaboration, however, their improvisations and nimble interplay defined their music on record and in their live shows. Their self-titled debut EP appeared in 2001 on the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Archigramophone%22">Archigramophone</a> imprint, followed by a single on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22White+Denim%22">White Denim</a> and appearances on compilations from that label and <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Tigerbeat6%22">Tigerbeat6</a>. Their first full-length, Chrome, arrived in 2003 and showcased the duo's artful mix of playing and real-time effects processing. The following year, Nice Nice released the Yesss! EP, which was an even more ambitious take on their music. Along with works for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Audraglint%22">Audraglint</a> and <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Audiodregs%22">Audiodregs</a> in 2005 and 2006, they issued a limited-edition series of EPs inspired by the seasons for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Temporary+Residence%22">Temporary Residence</a>. Buehler and Shirazi also collaborated with <a href="spotify:artist:1EWpmAeGgHme81HG1j5sGe">Cex</a> on his 2006 album Actual Fucking. That year, they signed to <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Warp+Records%22">Warp Records</a> and spent the next few years working on their second-full length; the single One Hit, which was released late in 2009, was the first taste of this material. That single and the track “See Waves” from the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Warp%22">Warp</a> compilation 2010 paved the way for 2010's Actual Wow, which aimed to capture the dynamism and exploration of Nice Nice’s concerts. ~ Heather Phares, Rovi