Agi Isaku

Raised in Basel, Isaku began organising events professionally at the age of eighteen. Between 2003 and 2010, he lived and worked in Zurich as Creative Manager for Freddy Burger Management, contributing to projects at Kongresshaus Zürich and Acqua. During this period, he developed and produced nightlife and electronic music events at venues including Kaufleuten, Club Q and Supermarket.

At the same time, he co-founded Leben Banditz with Andrea Oliva. The platform became part of Zurich’s emerging electronic music landscape and helped connect a new generation of Swiss artists, promoters and audiences with an expanding international network.

In 2005, Isaku began working with Gregory Brunold in Basel. By 2010, he had played a central role in transforming Nordstern from a former cultural project into a highly focused platform for electronic music, defined by artistic ambition, rigorous programming, exceptional sound quality and an international outlook.

Under Isaku’s creative leadership, Nordstern developed into one of Switzerland’s most recognised cultural institutions for electronic music. The venue received six Swiss Nightlife Awards, including Best Specialized Club, Best Event for Carl Cox & Nordstern, three Best Club awards and Best New Location after its relocation onto the Rhine.

Nordstern’s impact reached far beyond Basel. Skyscanner named Basel the third-best clubbing destination in Europe, highlighting Nordstern as a key reason for the city’s international reputation. In FAZEmag’s international club rankings, Nordstern was listed among the leading venues worldwide, reaching sixth place in 2024 and third place in the 2025 poll.

In 2016, Isaku led Nordstern into a new chapter by relocating it from Voltaplatz to a radically rebuilt former riverboat in Basel’s harbour. The ship was conceived not simply as a club, but as a cultural vessel: a flexible platform with music spaces, exhibition areas, event rooms and an open-air deck, capable of hosting projects across contemporary art, gastronomy, music and public culture.

Sound became central to the identity of the new Nordstern. Developed through a specialist acoustic concept with WSDG and L-Acoustics, the ship combines sound isolation, room acoustics and a precisely calibrated sound system. The result is internationally recognised as an exceptional club environment. Carl Craig described Nordstern’s system as the best he had ever played on.

Since 2015, Isaku has expanded this cultural vision through a long-term collaboration between Nordstern Basel and Fondation Beyeler. Together, they have developed formats including sun.set, live.set and art.set, bringing internationally recognised musicians into direct dialogue with contemporary art, architecture and landscape.

With art.set, Isaku helped establish an international platform that places electronic music in direct conversation with contemporary art. The format has travelled between Basel, Zurich, Miami and Hong Kong, creating site-specific encounters between artists, musicians and audiences. Selected editions have brought together Wolfgang Tillmans and Seth Troxler, Tobias Rehberger and Seth Troxler, Tobias Rehberger and Rirkrit Tiravanija with Dixon, Sarah Morris with Andrea Oliva and tINI, Ernesto Neto with Lost Souls of Saturn, Peter Doig with DJ Tennis, and Adriatique in dialogue with works by Auguste Rodin and Hans Arp.

In Miami, art.set became part of Art Basel Miami Beach week through presentations with artists and musicians including Tobias Rehberger, Seth Troxler, Andrea Oliva, tINI and Behrouz. In Hong Kong, the format developed through collaborations involving Wolfgang Tillmans, Tobias Rehberger, Rirkrit Tiravanija and Dixon.

During the pandemic, Isaku expanded his work into digital and hybrid formats. Dixon x Transmoderna reimagined Fondation Beyeler as a digital environment, combining virtual architecture, electronic music, AI-driven visual interventions and works from the museum collection. The project showed how cultural experiences can move beyond physical walls while retaining artistic depth and emotional connection.

In 2025, art.set returned to the Nordstern ship during Art Basel, transforming the vessel into a setting for sonic and visual experimentation with Claudia Comte, Desiree, Sezer Uysal and MRAK. The project reflected a central principle of Isaku’s work: art should not remain static or distant, but become social, spatial and lived through sound.

In 2026, Isaku initiated art.klub, a new platform for ambitious projects at the intersection of contemporary art and electronic music. Its first major presentation, Warehouse Artefacts, brought together Thomas Bangalter, Julian Charrière and Rampa during Art Basel. Conceived as a deconstructed dance floor, the immersive work connected political history, underground culture, installation, sound environment and rave culture. The project was produced by Nordstern Basel in cooperation with Art Basel and Fondation Beyeler.

Alongside his museum and art-world collaborations, Isaku has developed independent cultural formats including Apollon at Augusta Raurica, Moving City in Basel and Tirana, and Moving Mountain in Laax and Engelberg. Across these projects, his focus remains consistent: creating ambitious cultural settings in which music, visual language, place and community become inseparable.

Today, Agi Isaku is recognised as a visionary cultural producer who has built lasting bridges between club culture, contemporary art and international institutions. His work is defined by long-term artistic trust, a strong instinct for cultural relevance and the belief that music can transform how people experience art, architecture and public space.