NiiL

Ni!L is a stoner rock duo from South West France. Guitar/voice for one, Drums for the other.

Nicolas Willem is rocked by grunge and devotes himself to rock from adolescence, guitar and singing. First, there was THE POULTRIES, in duet with his brother who hammers buckets and barrels of laundry. Then comes ADRELINE whose compositions of the time are largely influenced by NIRVANA and SILVERCHAIR. At 26, Nicolas Willem joined ORANGE MILK and played the first games of NADA SURF and DOLLY. A few years later, the electro-rock project SINOFAR offered him the opportunity to step on beautiful stages and share the bill with bands such as DELUXE, LESCOP, BOULEVARD DES AIRS and CALYPSO VALOIS.
As his fortieth birthday approaches, Nicolas Willem finds the opportunity to turn his musical adventure into a solo one. Thus was born in 2018 “Blue Karma”, like an azure sparkle. His first EP under the name of three letters (NIL), seals his musical destiny. In 2019, he meets drummer Bastien Cazimajou. A new story is emerging – this time with two i – NIL becomes Ni!L. The solo project is transformed into a fusion duo, inspired by two generations of indie rock: “Avant le Vide” is recorded and mixed at Ni!L Studio.
Nicolas Willem is also a real character. Passionate about music, in addition to doing it, he loves to talk about it, especially on his YouTube channel “LaboNico” where he chronicles musical novelties, favorites and mood tickets in a very particular style, with humor and second degree.
Just as rocker as he has always been, in parallel with his two passions, Nicolas Willem has secret functions at the world leader in helicopter engines…

Bastien Cazimajou, self-taught drummer since 2010. He studied letters in Orthez with cinema option and met the members of his first band, WAVE MOUNTAIN. They embark on an alternative rock adventure that lasts until 2015, with stage performances alongside other bands like LE TROTTOIR D’EN FACE, CONCRETE KNIVES and TAÏRO. Since 2014, he is a member of the collective “Ces Enfoirés d’Orthéziens”, which raises funds for charitable associations by performing on stage during the holidays.
On January 1, 2019, he was touched by the sudden death of his little sister. The music then becomes more than a passion for him: it is an evidence, an outlet. In these circumstances he meets Nicolas Willem: Ni!L forms and becomes one of his reasons for living. This does not prevent him from playing punctually with the SPICY WASHER in 2020 and winning the springboard of the Festival ROCK N’SOLEX in Rennes. Bastien Cazimajou teaches drums at the music school in Gélos.

Nicolas Willem and Bastien Cazimajou, Ni!L, released their new album in 2022 in their home studio. Paul Bessone discovers the group on social networks and spontaneously proposes a partnership.
The album was finalized with Juste Une Trace during the first half of 2023 and was released on September 15.
Entitled “Samsāra”, the album can easily be integrated into the disco of all music lovers who listen to Queen of The Stone Age, Soundgarden, Bandit Bandit, or Eiffel. In other words, fans of grunge, stoner and French lyrics.

photographs by Jean-Michel Gaudemer