Nils Olav: The Origins of Nixi Music

As we move into the 9th year of Nixi Music, it feels like a good time to share more of our backstory from the perspective of co-founder Nils Olav Strand Lausund. A joint endeavour between DJ, producer, promoter and music industry professional Nils alongside multi-instrumentalist musician, producer, promoter and wildly creative force Txai Fernando, Nixi Music was born as a place for heart-centred music to find a home and fly higher. With Txai Fernando’s roots in Brazil, his time spent living with and learning from Indigenous Amazonian tribes created a profound foundation for the music he makes, inspiring his mission to represent and elevate these traditions. Norway’s Nils Olav brings a lengthy background in the electronic dance scene, with a passion for dancefloor led rhythms that met a journey in the world of plant medicine healing. This eventually led the two men to move through the same circles and forge a strong, meaningful friendship and exciting creative partnership.

Over the years, Nils & Txai met more musicians - whether through ceremonial circles, festivals, concerts or mutual friends as their paths oscillated in and out of the same direction, evolving by the year to include an even broader collection of artists. The early days saw the release of outstanding albums by Ayla Schafer (Silent Voices) and Curawaka (Call of the Wild) alongside timeless offerings from Txai’s project with Bastiaan Kamãvena as Astral Flowers and music by legendary medicine music artist Chandra Lacombe among others. 

Fast forward to 2025 and Nixi Music’s repertoire is vast, including world-class songs by emerging talents such as Genevieve & Milo and Flowers of the Forest, a stunning mantra based album by Adrian Freedman and collaborations and singles from renowned artists from the medicine music genre such as Deva Premal, Mose, Lua Maria, Charlotte Mabon and more. Alongside traditional indigenous and medicine songs, the label also offers a multitude of remixes by Nils Olav, reimagining healing compositions as dancefloor focused tools for movement and release. 

Looking ahead to 2026, Nixi Music will unveil an epic album of original compositions by Txai Fernando, a hotly anticipated debut album by South African talents Genevieve & Milo, an original collaboration between Nils Olav and Chandra Lacombe, new music from talented Brazilian duo DOIS SÓIS and Norway’s Flowers of the Forest and much more.

Events wise, we have invited the likes of Mose, Curawaka, Ajeet, Snatam Kaur and more to perform for our dear Norwegian community over the recent years. This January saw us welcome experimental and innovative electronic duo AWARË back for the third time for another sell out concert at Oslo venue Kulturkirken Jakob. This coming April 11th & 12th will see the return of the wonderful Krishna Das for a 1000 capacity kirtan event and intimate workshop at the stunning Oslo Konserthus. With further concert plans in the works for Winter 26/27, we are excited to share even more in-person gatherings with you soon.

We are so happy to be on this journey together and look forward to sharing much more excellent music and many dancefloor moments as we continue to expand and move forward. 

Read on for some insight into the origins of Nixi Music from Nils Olav Strand Lausund... 

⁠•⁠ ⁠How and where did you and Txai Fernando first meet?

We met through mutual friends, although there is a funny backstory. I was dating a girl back in the day and suddenly she dumped me for another guy - which was Txai Fernando. She then told me I should meet him as she believed we should make some music together. Heartbroken as I was, I “kindly” refused her request. But she was so right as when we eventually met we just clicked naturally, even though we are very different. But that in my opinion makes us a good team as we have different strengths. 

•⁠  ⁠At what point did you realise you were musically and spiritually aligned and when did this translate into the idea to co-create Nixi Music?

When we met a few years later, there was a mutual feeling we should do things together. I did a remix for one of his projects and after that the idea of making a label was born as I had experience from working in Sony Music. Firstly we did it because there were a lot of artists around in the circle that were so talented that needed good distribution and managing of the music royalties in a good way. And it kind of expanded from that point.

•⁠  ⁠How did you meet the artists you’ve released music by and what to you makes them suited to the Nixi Music ethos?

Txai was producing Curawaka and Ayla Schafer’s albums in the early days of the label so those was the first things we did together besides Txai’s project with Bastiaan Kamãvena - Astral Flowers - and also Chandra Lacombe. And as my background was more from electronic music we also have done remixes from the beginning. We almost exclusively release music we have been involved in on the creative side. So if Txai or myself have put our approval stamp on it from a producer's perspective, we naturally want to release it on the label if we feel it fits musically.

•⁠  ⁠Since day one, what have been the key highlights for you?

For me it’s about the journey, so each thing unfolds in its own way and we only work with projects we really care about. But looking back Curawaka's 'Call of the Wild' and Ayla Schafer's 'Silent Voices' are two very strong albums, I am still impressed with both the artists but also the producer touch Txai did on those albums. And on the concert front, the first AWARË concert we did in Oslo was very special to me. 

•⁠  ⁠For someone wanting to understand the meaning and musical direction of the label, which songs should they first listen to? 

If I have to choose a few I think Ayla Schafer's 'Grandmother (I Am the Earth), Curawaka's 'Noku Mana', Flowers of the Forest's 'Prayer Song' (including the Mose Remix) and Chandra Lacombe's 'Mahamritjunjaya' represent the sound of the label in a good way. 

•⁠  ⁠Who would be your dream artist/artists to release music by and why?

We mainly release artists that are our friends and that we produce already, so to be honest we already are doing that in my opinion. 

• Which new artists are exciting you at the moment?

Moving forward, there are many exciting projects on the horizon. To mention just a few of the ones we’re currently working on, we’re recording and producing a new EP with Flowers of the Forest, which includes some of my favourite songs they’ve written. I’ve been a fan of their music for a long time and over the years we’ve also become very good friends.

Another project I’m especially excited about is a beautiful album from Susie Ro, which she produced together with Txai Fernando. It’s now in the final stages with only the finishing touches left. Susie is a strong songwriter and a brilliant performer and I really love this new album.

We’re also working with a very talented emerging duo from South Africa called Genevieve & Milo. So far, they’ve released a few singles and an EP with us and they’re currently putting the final touches on their upcoming album. They’re the only artists we started working with without an existing personal connection within our close circle. They sent us a demo that really stood out and we signed them based on the music itself. I showed them to my friend just after that and she booked them to perform in her wedding along with Mose and Curawaka!

These projects reflect how we work as a label. We’re not interested in chasing trends or quick releases but in building long-term relationships with artists and giving the music the time and space it needs to evolve. That’s also why I find myself increasingly drawn to EPs and albums - they allow for deeper exploration, stronger identity and a more honest artistic process.

•⁠  ⁠What’s the vision going forward? Where would you love to see Nixi Music in 5/10 years? What do you still wish to create?

We will continue to do what inspires us and be a home for artists where we can create and perform together in various ways. 

Look out for Nils Olav's upcoming collaboration with Chandra Lacombe, 'Echoes of Slokas', which arrives on February 20th. Pre-order now.

Interview by Julia Jennings.