nia archives, isn't she the greatest?

there was some discussion of nia archives during the year-end poll, but no dedicated thread. well that changes now, because there are few if any artists who are weaving the sounds of jungle, dnb, and garage into a contemporary mix like nia. a bit more club-oriented than pinkpantheress and definitely more adventurous with her experimentation. feels like she's gonna be major.

she has a new ep out today, collecting some recent singles and adding a couple new songs. plus a nytimes piece!: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/10/arts/music/nia-archives-drum-and-bass.html

new song from the ep, "that's the way life goes"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6I8ccvkm60

big hit from the ep, "baiana"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oELrBolP5mM

big hit from the last ep, "forbidden feelingz"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjCVcVw8f1Y

my personal fav, "18 & over" (brings both o.g. dub and pre-skrillex dubstep into the mix)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOzW5CWdTj0

forbidden feelingz was huge for me in '22, and the Columbo sample feels partic relevant to the current pop-culture era.

didn't mention it before, but i really like her voice and feel like it adds a lot. feel like it's hard to sing over instrumentals this intentionally "cool," but her singing manages to make her seem even cooler than the music she's playing. which is something.

i didn't follow the year end threads this year but forbidden feelingz was one of my fav records of last year. i love her voice... i don't have a ton of reference points for jungle so in my head i've always heard her music as like a jungle take on neo-soul. something like "luv like" makes me think of an alternate universe take on jorja smith's career post-"on my mind"

also she's an incredible DJ. when i saw her she sang a few of her songs during the set which i don't think i've seen a DJ do from a DJ booth at a real club before. she has a deft hand as a mixer, has great taste & is really charismatic. very curious to see how her career unfolds

yea her boiler room was one of the better recent ones i've seen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jO5JhZNSjUA

this is excellent stuff, that Cocoa Tea sample is serious rob-bait

Love this EP, sent me back to her earlier singles, she's great!

new song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEIHBnmCAr0

That is an incredibly fun track.

oh man, she's awesome. that boiler room video is fab.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMwzooIPbHw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHxEQ1oaYig

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQtEJX_bLds

singles for the new album (out this week) are wonderful although it's surprising how much indie rock is in these

love the club stuff, the santigold-esque indie stuff is not exactly what i'm looking for from her.

"crowded roomz," "blind devotion," "tell me what it's like" are all excellent

i feel that but stuff like "Cards on the Table" is winning me over too. So good in both modes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynzawXXUtzA

(moreso EP holdover "So Tell Me")

can't put the album down

Her Glastonbury set absolutely 🔥🔥

Loved the YouTube bit I saw from Glasto, plus the Boiler Room hour.

Pronunciation: Between vids I've seen, it seems both [ni:a] (NEE-ya) and [nai:a] (NIGH-a) are used by interviewers etc. Anybody know what she herself considers correct?

I've always pronounced it Nee-Ya but no idea if that's correct.

Really hoping her remix of Charli XCX's 360 gets a release at some point