Photo credit: Emilly Obeng
NikNak, a musical polymath excelling in composing, sound design, DJing, and turntablism, made history in 2020 as the first Black turntablist to receive the prestigious Oram Award. Known for her albums, remixes, and performances, she has gained worldwide recognition and praise from DJ Mag, Clash, The Wire, and Resident Advisor. Her debut album Bashi received critical acclaim, and her fourth studio album, Ireti is available now on Matthew Herbert’s Accidental Records.
Ireti embraces Afrofuturism and explores the intersection of humanity and technology. Inspired by films and video games like Blade Runner and Cyberpunk 2077, it tells a dystopian story about reclaiming humanity from machines. “If there was a Black Blade Runner, this would be the soundtrack,” says NikNak.
The album features collaborations with Agaama, Cassie Kinoshi, Chisara Agor, Grifton Forbes-Amos, and SlowPitchSound, blending turntablism, experimental synthesis, haunting vocals, and dynamic electronic elements. It spans genres like jazz, jungle, experimental, and trip-hop.
Tracks like "This Pile Of Rubble is More Human" and "12000 RPM" depict urban chaos and high-octane action. “I wanted to create the sound of the world collapsing,” NikNak explains, using manipulated fireworks sounds to evoke a war-like atmosphere. "You Were Supposed To Be Good" features Grifton Forbes-Amos and Cassie Kinoshi on horns and saxophone, enhancing the track’s impact.
NikNak is touring the UK and Europe throughout spring and summer to celebrate the album's release.
Your new album, "Ireti," delves into Afrofuturism and explores the intersection of humanity and technology. Can you tell us more about how this concept influenced your creative process?
In one way it was from seeing a growing increase in AI availability and how it’s been clashing with artists, resulting in works being stolen or manipulated, and even in some cases big organizations choosing it as an option instead of paying artists. In another way, it was from being surrounded by the ways we’ve seen it be depicted in media thus far but without much Black representation - Blade Runner for example.
Your music is known for its fusion of turntablism, experimental synthesis, vocals, and electronic elements. For those unfamiliar with turntablism, could you explain what it is and how you first got involved with it?
Turntablism is a term originally coined by DJ Babu where a turntable is being used to creatively manipulate sounds into melodies and rhythms. It’s more commonly associated with hiphop where people would scratch onto a hiphop beat, but it’s also known in more experimental and avant garde styles of music too. I first got involved with it during my undergraduate studies in Leicester via a really engaging lecture from Dr. Sophy Smith, but also through working in a bar and watching DJs scratch funk and hiphop tracks every Friday night. It was a particularly important time and everything kind of fell into place because I was learning how two seemingly different groups of people use the same tech to create/play music with.
How has your approach to turntablism evolved over the years, and in what ways has it influenced the production and storytelling in your latest album, "Ireti"?
Getting rid of the imposter syndrome for one has been a massive impact, and realizing that I don’t have to be locked into a specific genre or style to do it too. I love playing with the traditional scratch samples everyone is somewhat familiar with if the idea calls for it at the moment, but I equally love playing with everyday sounds too. That doesn’t make me any more or less of a turntablist, I just have my own approach; the same way that if you give the exact same guitar to Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton for example, you’ll get two entirely different sounds. Over the years, I’d say my sound has grown in its confidence as I’ve grown confident in my ideas and ways I want to express and share them, hence the creations of Ireti, Sankofa and other projects.
What drew you to explore and fuse Afrofuturism in your music?
I’m a nerd and it’s taken me a long time to learn about other Black nerds who create worlds in their own ways too, whether it’s on purpose or spontaneous. The fact that there are authors, scholars, comic book artists and more that are actively trying to contribute to diversifying these worlds in myriads of ways is really important to me, especially as I didn't see much of it growing up. My sources of representation in these worlds was primarily Storm from the X-men… and while later in life, I can say there are artists like Erykah Badu and Sun Ra who have these elements in their music, I didn’t know what the vocabulary was until much later in life, and that’s the problem. I guess what drew me to it is the sense of finally having a language or term that encompasses a chunk of the things I’m passionate and excited about, that also means that I don’t have to shrink in some way to fit into it either. I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s a “fusion of Afrofuturism with my music”, but instead it’s a realization that I can tell stories and/or ask questions within the realm of Afrofuturism, with genuine interest and without trying to be something I’m not.
What's your top advice for young people wanting to become music producers/singer-songwriters etc.
Make what you want to make. There’s no point in trying to emulate sounds that don’t resonate for you for the sake of it being popular or wanting to go viral. That in itself means it’ll be somewhat soulless with a mandate of wanting to fit in. What if you don’t want to do that? Play with sounds and ideas, and see what happens after the fact. You’ll be surprised with how much you’ve changed as you grow and mature - so will your sounds and ideas. Don’t lose sight of that, or the fact that at the end of the day, we’re all just messing around with sounds and noises.
Interview by ninakeh for shesaid.so