Born in Albi on December 11, 1964, Nicolas Repac likes to say that his musical vocation was born in front of the television, fascinated as a child by the solemn strains of Charpentier’s Te Deum. In a modest family with little interest in music, he developed an early passion for it, nourished by his sisters’ records, the vintage rock of the family record collection (Chuck Berry, Bill Haley), then the psychedelia of Pink Floyd or the Beatles’ White Album. At 13, he received his first guitar, bought at the local supermarket. From then on, he spent hours locked away in his room playing Bob Dylan, Bob Marley or Deep Purple by ear, before starting to compose under the influence of Charlélie Couture, Gainsbourg and the poets Baudelaire and Rimbaud.

After studying philosophy, he formed his first English-style post-punk band, discovered jazz (Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Miles Davis), and moved to Paris to join the CIM. But his career path took a turn when he began making jingles for Radio France Lyon, discovering synthesizers, drum machines, samplers and computers – the tools of his future sound signature. By the 1990s, he had established himself as a creator of hybrid textures, influenced by jungle, hip-hop and Björk.

He then met Arthur H, with whom he forged a decisive collaboration: Trouble-Fête in 1996 marked the start of an artistic adventure that included six albums, including L’Homme du Monde (Victoire de la musique 2008). At the same time, he embarked on a solo career with La Ville (Label Bleu, 1997), followed by Swing Swing (No Format, 2004), an electro-jazz odyssey around the 1930s. This was followed by two albums with Malian singer Mamani Keita, fusing Mandingo music, jazz and dub.