NikNak announces new album, ‘Ireti’, on Accidental Records
NikNak is releasing her next album, ‘Ireti’, in May. Listen to the single ‘You Were Supposed To Be Good’, featuring Grifton Forbes Amos and Cassie Kinoshi, below.
The London-born, Leeds-based turntablist, DJ and producer takes influence from Afrofuturism and dystopian sci-fi through the genres of jazz, jungle, trip-hop and experimental. The 11-track album, out 21st May on Accidental Records, features contributions from SlowPitchSound, Agaama, Chisara Agor and more.
“I found myself making the tracks somewhat relentlessly around the same time that my partner was playing the ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ game and kept seeing more synchronicities with films like Blade Runner”, NikNak said of the album’s inspiration in a press release. “I found myself wondering why there isn’t a Blade Runner style film told from a Black perspective? Something that’s on the same scale as Black Panther, but more of a detective noir film? If there was a Black Blade Runner, this would be the soundtrack.”
NikNaks’ last album was 2022’s ‘Sankofa‘, described as an “immersive turntablism-produced” record, which also mused on Afrofuturism with additional themes of Black spirituality, comic book characters and faith.
In 2023, NikNak released the ‘Ikigai‘ single and ‘Night‘ EP. Her acclaimed debut album, ‘Bashi‘, was released in 2020, with the special vinyl edition with remixes by Pinch and Kamau landing one year later.
NikNak was highlighted as a DJ Mag artist-to-watch for 2022. Revisit her Selections entry from that summer, in which she shares picks by Moor Mother, Whatever The Weather, Grove, Nyokabi Kariũki and more.
Check out ‘Ireti’ on Bandcamp, and listen to ‘You Were Supposed To Be Good’ below.
