Musician, filmmaker, Forests Without Frontiers founder, and force of nature.
Are you local?
I’m originally from northern Transylvania, but I have lived in Brighton since 2000, meaning I’ve been here longer than I was in Romania. My son Rumi, who is now 21, was born here. So yes, I am local! But feel I have two homes.
How did you come to live in England?
I was volunteering at an orphanage in Romania in 1998, and I was invited to England to do some volunteer work for the Bivol Trust, a charity which was raising money and collecting clothes and food for the orphans. During that trip I fell in love with Brighton, and one of the charity workers. I also went to Womad and the Big Chill festival, which blew my mind. I then spent many years working as a social worker, while developing a career as a filmmaker, DJ and music producer under the name Nico de Transilvania.
Tell us about your work with Forests Without Frontiers.
I set it up in 2019, after recording my first album, Be One, in the Carpathian Mountains. I wanted to give something back to the landscape where it was recorded with local musicians. There has been massive deforestation there after the Communist era, so I decided to get a team together and start planting trees. I’m just back from my latest trip there: so far we’ve planted over 185,000.
You’ve also been working in Sussex…
In the UK we’ve been planting native trees first in Devon, and now on two sites in Sussex, near Hailsham and near Fletching. We are working alongside various organisations like the Woodland Trust and the Sussex Wildlife Trust, with help from our local partners Locate Productions and a group of hard-working volunteers and team members. It’s important to mention that we’ve had enormous support from local musicians, performers and visual artists who have performed and donated artworks to raise funds and the profile of the organisation.
So, there’s a cultural element to the organisation…
Very much so. I’m currently working on a big project called 22 Enchanting Forest, making a short film and recording an album in Sussex, with local musicians. I’ve always mixed electronic music with elements of folk song, incorporating the sounds of nature: the wind, rivers, birdsong, crickets, and many others. For this project, as well as conservationists, researchers and academics, we are bringing together a multi-generational choir and feature folk artists like the Copper Family. We are recording and filming on sites like Ebernoe Common and Kingley Vale, near one of the oldest oak trees in England. Here we are going to invite artists to create and get inspired by the landscape. We aim to launch the project this autumn.
Who are your favourite Sussex-based musicians?
I’m working with a lot of them! I love the music of Alice Russell and Emilíana Torrini, Adam Freeland’s Marine Parade and the Tru Thoughts record labels, DJ Evil Tom, Sophia Efthimiou of Zu Choir, multi-instrumentalist Andrew Stewart-Buttle. And so many more! What do you think of the music scene in Brighton, do you think the venues are sufficient for a city of its size? In my experience as a DJ there are a lot of good independent spaces, such as the Prince Albert, Komedia, the Rose Hill, Chalk, Concorde 2 and, best of all, the newly founded Alphabet, run by Will who also runs the Black Dove and knows the value of an excellent sound system. And the Dome, of course, is a brilliant venue, as is the Corn Exchange. But there isn’t much a step up from those: I’m not a big fan of the Brighton Centre, it’s a bit impersonal.
Which Sussex galleries do you like to go to? Who are your favourite local artists?
In Brighton I like going to Open House venues and shows in The Regency Town House and Cameron Contemporary. I really miss the Onca Gallery. Further afield, Sussex has so much to offer: Pallant House in Chichester, the Towner in Eastbourne, Hastings Contemporary, Charleston in Firle and Charleston in Lewes, the De La Warr Pavilion – what a beautiful Modernist building that is! We’ve got many of my favourite local artists to support Forests Without Frontiers: Andrew Gifford, Stanley Donwood, Jasper Goodall, Clara Wilkinson, Solange León, John Moore, Emma Critchley…
How could the arts scene in Brighton/Sussex be improved?
There are so many artists in Brighton, but not enough galleries. And I think the city could do with a space that could cater for multi-media events, with room for music, art, installations and films.
Tell me about your favourite pubs and restaurants?
I love the Basketmaker’s in North Laine, and the Farm Tavern in Hove. The Ginger Fox, near Henfield, is good. I like a pub with a garden in the summer, and a fire in the winter. I don’t drink beer, but I love a good glass of wine. And, before a meal, a drop of palinka… When I’m eating out, I like local organic food, in season. For many years I’ve gone to Plateau, and I’ve recently discovered Wild Flor in Hove.
Tell us about your favourite building in Sussex.
I love the eclectic nature of Brighton Pavilion, with its mix of Indian, Islamic and European styles. And the Brutalist Basil Spence buildings at the University of Sussex.
Do you ever feel homesick?
Yes, though not right now as I’ve just come back! I’m very lucky that I can visit Romania frequently as part of my job. When did you last swim in the sea? It’s one of the reasons I live in Brighton, I love it. I’m not a winter swimmer – not yet anyway – and I was tempted the other day, but I haven’t been in since last autumn.