SUNRISE BANG UR HEAD AGAINST THA WALL: RED LP

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NiaArchives:Yeah! I think I kind of manifested that. My friend Delphino, who I’ve made a few videos with, he’s Brazilian, and I said to him last year, “We’re going to go to Brazil together one day.” I didn’t know it’d be this soon, but I was so drawn to it — it seemed inevitable. We went into a favela community to film, and meeting the locals, playing football with the kids who dance in the video, that was such an experience. People seemed to appreciate that I’d paid homage to their culture with ‘Baianá’, even though I’d made it into something so different. Nia Archives (Picture: Cosmo Webber)

I’ve not done any gigs as Nia Archives… Not gonna lie, I’m bare nervous. But in some ways it’s good as there are no expectations. No one knows what it will be like. I only started teaching myself how to DJ last year. I’m literally learning as I go. NiaArchives:I’m going to say when I moved to London. I started out trying to make faster, dancier stuff when I was still in Manchester, but a lot of it was really awful; I was just experimenting, throwing ideas out there, figuring things out as I went along. I mean, I didn’t know what a metronome was; everything was out of time. But I kept working at it, and found that there was something in this contrast of writing emotional songs about real-life situations, and pairing that with scatty drums, which are my favourite part of producing. It was weird, but it worked. Goods that are faulty or sent in error must be returned to Crash Records Limited, 35 The Headrow, Leeds, LS1 6PU within 7 working days of the item being received by the customer. I’ve got a couple of remixes coming up and I’m working on my next EP. After that, I’d love to start looking towards an album. Next year, I want to really delve into gigging and continue creating. I’ve got so much music in the archives ready to go, it’s just a case of working out how I want to present it. I see each music project like an art piece. It’s not just the music, it’s also the visuals complimenting it.

Not only does Nia excel as a producer, but she also showcases her powerful vocals as a singer. Her soulful voice effortlessly conveys raw emotions and connects with listeners on a deep level. Combined with her poignant lyrics and catchy melodies, Nia's songs have the power to leave a lasting impact. I know, it’s crazy! I’m still processing it to be honest… I think one of the reasons things have progressed so fast is because what I’m doing is not really being done in the scene right now. I don’t have an ego, but I feel like I’m approaching my sound from a different perspective, so that’s maybe why it stands out more. I’m still processing that too… I’m glad people are vibing to it. I’m happy it’s released because now I can start making new music. Releasing music is a physical process, but it’s also a mental / emotional process getting it out there so that I can move on. Oh Me Oh My by Lonnie Holley Springing from Lonnie Holley’s enduring ability to render his lived experience into song forms and narratives that look to open-heartedness, beauty and trauma within the same assemblage, Oh Me Oh My comes as another vital chapter of his recorded works. With the likes of Michael Stipe, Jeff Parker, Moor Mother, Sharon Van Etten and Rokia Koné accompanying the LP, a wealth of approaches add to Holley’s genre ferment, which places a present tense, non-simulacra form of blues at the forefront. Moving between refrains and narrative threads, and as content to hit on grooves as it is to pull at the heartstrings or move towards the outer limits (“Future Children”), this one’s another worthy listen from an inimitable artist.–JH With her debut Headz Gone West EP now released, UKF felt it was the right time to uncover the story behind one of jungle’s brightest prospects.

NiaArchives:Yeah. I loved music from when I was a kid; my family used to go to Pentecostal church, so that exposed me to choirs, and I taught myself to play instruments when I was younger, just following along on YouTube. My ex-stepdad was a producer, too, so that was a lot of exposure to music when I was younger. It wasn’t until I moved to Manchester that I started thinking about really writing. Brought through last year by the awesome EQ50 mentorship helping womxn to progress in jungle and drum and bass, Nia has since been developing into an artist with a real understanding behind her music. With a heritage founded on Caribbean sound system culture, combined with her teenage years spent writing albums worth of music for fun, it feels like music has always been the destined path for Nia – a dream she is finally living. It’s all very DIY! I’ve been independent since a young age and have had to do things myself. With my music, there’s no big label or anything. I’m just doing what I know. It’s not perfect, but I enjoy it. It’s all about having fun right now.

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Haha, yeah! My nanna influenced a lot of my early music because I spent a lot of time with her. I used to go to her house and she would have a big sound system. In Caribbean culture everyone has a sound system in their house. My nanna would always show me tunes. She put me onto bare disco, rare groove, soul and funk. It’s mad how all these little influences changed the way I listen to and write music. It’s a side project I started before I put any music out. HIJINXX was the name for my visual archive. My ex-step dad used to love a skater called Beagle, who did this thing called Hijinx. It’s basically documenting the good side of life, but also the chaotic. I created that name because I wanted somewhere for visual work and music. In future, I would love to put together my own mini documentary and release it under HIJINXX.

Definitely. I never want to force anything. When I’m not feeling productive I will go and do something else that’s not music because I want my music to be authentic. I don’t want to force a beat out. I feel like you should always vibe to your music. With my debut EP, I listened to it for a whole year without anyone else hearing it. Making sure I love my music is the most important thing to me. Yeah. I wrote Crossroads when I was 17-years-old. I’m not sure what was going on at the time, but somehow I wrote enough tunes for a whole album. I’m slowly trying rework all those old lyrics. Crossroads was originally written over a boom bap beat. It was one of the first beats I started, but the final beat I made last year.

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BBE’s much celebrated J Jazz series has long delivered a carefully curated selection of Japanese Jazz obscurities unavailable to the average collector. Available for the first time since its release 36 years ago, BBE’s reissue of bassist Isao Suzuki’s 1986 contemporary jazz gem Approach is no exception to this rule. Approach showcases the virtuosic musicianship and innovative compositional vision of its musicians—the prodigious percussionist and drummer Masahiko Togashi, keyboardist Hideo Ichikawa and guitarist Akira Shiomoto, all who join the young Suzuki on this early record, marking the fruitful beginnings of his now renowned career.–AVD If you haven’t heard anything about Nia Archives then the question has got to be asked – where have you been? Arguably one of the most talked about newcomers breaking onto the jungle scene right now, at 21-years-old Nia is an exciting prospect on her way to big things. Speaking of improvements, it seems like EQ50 was the big moment helping you to reach the next level.