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Nicola’s Studio

               Square Meters features  sound artist Nicola Ratti. Talking about his first approach to music through cheap and basic materials, sound’s physicality as a form of inspiration itself, and collective perspectives in pandemic times, Nicola lets us peek into his personal soundscape. This episode has been recorded at Nicola Ratti’s studio located at STANDARDS, in Milan, Italy.


Born in Milano in 1978, Nicola Ratti is a musician and sound designer active for years in the experimental fields. For Nicola, sound comes from the most unexpected sources. It is a physical element perceived by the artist through his touch, and by the audience through the space they are in. Everything is unpredictable in sound art and ‘surprise’ is a key factor that opens new possibilities.

Nicola’s previous career in architecture definitely has influenced his way of doing music: sound shapes the space to the same extent that it is shaped by architecture itself. Finally, sound leads to a collective and participative dimension, in a way that should let us think in terms of the future of art and culture. Since May 2015, he has been one of the founders and curators at Standards, an experimental sound research gallery located in Milano.

He has performed live in Europe, North America, Russia and Japan. He’s currently working as live sound director and sound technician with Romeo Castellucci–Socìetas and with Silvia Costa as musician and sound designer.


Music fragments are from Nicola Ratti’s new album Continental, released by Students of Decay in July 2019.

Credits /
Curated by Alessandra Chiericato
Recorded: June 2020
Published: June 2020
Music: Roberto Farina
Editing: Alessandra Chiericato
Photo Credits: The Room Projects