Nick Curly
Mannheim’s Nick Curly co-founded Cécille and 8bit, released his album Between the Lines in 2012 and mixed an edition of Defected’s In the House.
- German DJ and producer based in Mannheim, a key name of the “Mannheim sound”.
- Co-founded Cécille Records with Marc Scholl in 2007; also co-runs 8bit with Gorge.
- Debut album Between the Lines (Cécille, 2012); Defected In the House mix in 2014.
Nick Curly is one of the names behind the “Mannheim sound”, the deep, loop-driven house that came out of Mannheim in the late 2000s. With Cécille and 8bit he gave that sound two labels. With Between the Lines, in 2012, he gave it an album.
A small scene with big ideas
In a 2012 interview with Ibiza Spotlight, Curly described the Mannheim scene as small: the annual Time Warp festival, a few clubs in nearby cities. He and his friends Johnny D, Ray Okpara, Gorge and the Oslo crew were inspired by the music anyway, and started their own RAJO events in the city.
What they built became known for tribal rhythms, hypnotic loops and a deep, warm feel. At a time when minimal techno dominated, Mannheim offered house and techno with more heat in it.
Cécille and 8bit
Curly founded Cécille Records with Marc Scholl in 2007. The early catalogue broke artists such as SIS, whose “Nesrib” was a 2008 hit, Markus Fix, Robert Dietz and Johnny D. Later came Lee Burridge & Matthew Dekay, Matthias Meyer, DJ Sneak and Sebo K. In parallel, Curly runs 8bit Records with the producer Gorge.
Cécille stopped releasing in 2015. “Success came to us very quickly back then, maybe too quickly,” Curly told Resident Advisor. The label returned on 11 October 2019 with an Archie Hamilton rework of “Nesrib”, and reached its 50th release in 2023 with Curly’s own Altrip EP.
Between the Lines
His debut album came out on Cécille on 16 March 2012. Planned for 2011, it was delayed by touring and finished at home in Mannheim after the Ibiza season. It features three vocalists, Rebecca Maas, Luca Sportiello and Worthy Davis, and live bass and drums on some tracks; “Piano in the Dark” and “Underground” were among the standouts. Explaining the title, he said: “I don’t really belong in one particular place.”
The album tour opened at the Cécille showcase at The BPM Festival in Mexico, alongside DJ Sneak. The summer before, in 2011, Curly had played most weeks on the Terrazza at Space in Ibiza, and was a regular of the club’s Thursday party, Kehakuma.
Defected and the later records
Curly’s two-disc entry in Defected’s In the House series came out on 26 January 2014, mixing deep house and techno with his own “Aymara” and “Hang Fire”. Later highlights include “Helter Skelter” (2016), “Island Letters” and “Sway” (2022), and on Cécille the We Luv EP (February 2025) and the Joystick EP (2025).
For more German house from the same era, read about Solomun; for the Ibiza side of tech house, Jamie Jones.
FAQ
Where is Nick Curly from?
He is a German DJ and producer based in Mannheim, and one of the artists associated with the city’s “Mannheim sound”.
Which labels does Nick Curly run?
Cécille Records, co-founded in 2007 with Marc Scholl, and 8bit Records, run with the producer Gorge.
What is Nick Curly’s debut album?
Between the Lines, released on Cécille on 16 March 2012, with vocals by Rebecca Maas, Luca Sportiello and Worthy Davis.
