Premiere: Nia Archives Stirs Together Jazz, Soul And Jungle On “Headz Gone

There’s a lot going on in “Headz Gone West”, the titular track of the new EP from Leeds-born, London-based artist Nia Archives. Inspired as much by Erykah Badu as she is by Remarc, jazz, soul, R&B, liquid drum & bass, jungle, late ‘80s rave nostalgia, Jamaican soundsystem culture, UK garage… and yet it all fits together perfectly. 

As our own nostalgia for raving and club culture reaches fever pitch, it’s no surprise that a hands-in-the-air rush of energy like this has already struck a chord. But even before ^{this track dropped yesterday, she was notching up critical acclaim across the board as a producer whose palette is the perfect microcosm of the UK’s patchwork of underground club music.}

To go with the new banger, she’s just put together some warped, home video style visuals from Delphino productions that track her and a friend as they explore an eerily quiet capital. Dipped in psychedelic colours and glitchy effects, the pair ultimately find a safe haven for them to rave their troubles away.

Speaking on how ^{the EP came together, she explained:} “Making the EP was super fun! I had a little DIY set up in my room and I would sit up all night making loads of quick beats for fun… some of them I would end up proper vibesing to and so kept working on them. Overall, the project is massively inspired by my love for breakbeats, jungle and D&B—and ‘Headz Gone West’ is the second track I wrote for it straight after ‘Sober Feels’.”