The musical journey that led Nikos Mavrommatis to find his passion in deep house music started as a child listening to his father’s collection of Latin American albums. It continued as a teenager when he learned to play guitar and discovered rhythm and blues and played in several rock and blues bands. When he was in his twenties, he left his native Greece for England where he was involved with other musicians in establishing the Bristol sound.

In 1995, while he was playing bass for jazz and soul acts, an event of happenstance ended his journey of discovering house music and started his journey as DJ and producer Nikos. That event was his accidental purchase of a mixed CD by Roger Sanchez. That CD brought the jazz, funk, soul, and blues influences from Nikos’ past together in the genre of deep house.

Nikos returned to Greece and began living out his new-found passion. In 1998, he began his residencies at the Yazz Club on the island of Santorini. After that, he had a residency at The Loop in Athens. Nikos soon became one of the top DJs in Greece. It was during this time that he met Elesha, an American waitress who worked at the bar where Nikos was DJing. She led him to Christ and later became his wife.

At the end of 1998, Nikos moved to Los Angeles where his talents gained him a residency at Organic/Funki Tekno Tribe and notoriety as one of the best DJs in LA.

As a ministry given to him by God, Nikos founded Under My Skin Records in 2002. The label has produced numerous 12” releases by Nikos and others.

In 2005, Nikos’ deep house journey came full circle when the Nikos track “Bright Like a Star” was selected by Roger Sanchez for Sanchez’s “Release Yourself Vol. 4” compilation. In the same year, Nikos was a featured artist at the Winter Music Conference in Miami. His tracks have been on the playlists of DJs around the world, including Sanchez and Tony Humphries.

Nikos currently is based in Atlanta where he spins with Calvin Morgan at Bar Azul’s the “Don’t Tell Mama” parties on Sunday nights in Decatur, GA. He continues to run Under My Skin Records.

Web site:

• www.undermyskinrecords.com