Jérôme Nika is a computer music designer / musician, and a researcher in human-machine musical interaction. He graduated from the French Grandes Écoles Télécom ParisTech and ENSTA ParisTech. In addition, he studied acoustics, signal processing and computer science as applied to music and composition. He specialized in the applications of computer science and signal processing to digital creation and music through a PhD (Young Researcher Prize in Science and Music, 2015; Young Researcher Prize awarded by the French Association of Computer Music, 2016), and then as a researcher at Ircam. His research focuses on the introduction of authoring, composition, and control in human-computer music co-improvisation. This work led to numerous collaborations and musical productions, particularly in improvised music (Steve Lehman, Bernard Lubat, Benoît Delbecq, Rémi Fox) and contemporary music (Pascal Dusapin, Marta Gentilucci). In 2019, he moved from the role of researcher to that of independent computer music designer / musician / researcher, and worked on 3 projects: Lullaby Experience, an evolutive project by composer Pascal Dusapin, and two improvised music projects: Silver Lake Studies, in duo with Steve, and C’est Pour ça, in duo with Rémi Fox. In 2020 he will be in residency at Le Fresnoy – Studio National des Arts Contemporains.
As a “digital luthier,” he develops his own software instruments in collaboration with Ircam, the ImproteK and DYCI2 systems, in interaction with expert improvisers. More than 60 artistic performances have brought these tools into play since 2016 (Ensemble Modern, Frankfurt; Annenberg Center, Philadelphia; Centre Pompidou, Collège de France, Le Centquatre, Paris; Montreux Jazz festival, etc.). Among them, the DYCI2 library of generative musical agents combines machine learning models and generative processes with reactive listening modules. This library offers a collection of “agents/instruments” embedding a continuum of strategies ranging from pure autonomy to meta-composition thanks to an abstract “scenario” structure.