Jazz saxophonist, electronic artist, singer, composer, researcher, educator… Nicolas Kummert has always shown curiosity, versatility and openness to all styles of music. He played and recorded with his own projects featuring Lionel Loueke, Jeff Ballard, DRIFTER, Nicolas Kummert Voices, L’ELOGE DE LA FUGUE, SYM and Respire! But also with Pierre van Dormael, Jef Neve, Diederik Wissels, Slowly Rolling Camera, Yves Peeters Group, GrooveTHing, Qu4tre, Alexi Tuomarila Quartet, Karl Jannuska group, Matthieu Marthouret, Viktor Lazlo, Cecilia Sanchietti ‘La Terza Via’… His latest release is 'la diversité' on British label Edition Records, a variable geometry group feat. Lionel Loueke.

Recently awarded a second Master Degree in composition for film and theatre, Nicolas conducted a research on hybrid sounds and their expressive possibilities where he developed his own modulation process which allows him to manipulate an instrument’s sound without betraying the sonic specificities and the player’s techniques and expressive choices. It is this modulation setup that he explores in his research project at the Conservatory of Antwerp. During 2 years, he will experiment with improvising musicians and manipulate their sounds in real time, observing the interaction between the two musicians who share control of the sonic material they create together. He works as a composer for films and dance performances, focusing on hybrid sounds and their expressive possibilities. He developed his own modulation schemes which he applies to his saxophone (see Saxleton Live) and to the piano (see prepared piano) among other instruments. This hybrid world is particularly suited to multidisciplinary performances.

Nicolas is also active on the African music scene (with singers like Patrick Ruffino, or occasionally Manu Di Bango, Keziah Jones), on the DJ scene with hip hop DJs (Grazzhoppa DJ bigband,…) and house DJs  (studio recordings and shows in famous clubs like the Ministry of Sound in London, Teatro Kapital in Madrid…). Nicolas was also part of Viktor Lazlo and Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt’s project “My name is Billie Holiday”,  a magnificent tribute to Lady Day that played above 200 around the world and featured as composer and musician in several dance performances, the latest being ‘au pieds du mur du temps’, with dancers and musicians from Mali.
In his young career, he recorded over 50 albums as a leader or a sideman and played in more than 50 countries worldwide.