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Nia Archives: Silence Is Loud review – bold, fresh jungle unbound by tradition
The Bradford producer confidently tethers her breakbeats to a pounding four-to-the-floor kick drum – which would have been unheard of in the 90s – on a pop-facing, innovative record
Two EPs, 2021’s Forbidden Feelingz and last year’s Sunrise Bang Ur Head Against tha Wall, underlined her qualities as a producer well versed in her chosen genre’s past but not in thrall to it: the fantastic 18 & Over and Baianá’s skilful reboot of the samba-infused d’n’b style pioneered by Brazil’s DJ Marky were built to unite 20-something ravers and sniffy superannuated original junglists alike. She’s certainly dabbling in Britpop iconography: there’s a limited edition of Silence Is Loud pressed on “union jack vinyl”, matching the grill on her front tooth in the cover photo; the video for Unfinished Business featured the Fred Perry-clad producer in a greasy spoon cafe and drinking a pint in an ungentrified boozer. Nia Archives: Unfinished Business – videoIn fact, it turns out merely to indicate a certain colloquial snottiness to the vocals (“all my friends hate you – to be fair, I do too”, opens the excellent Nightmares, addressing an ex who’s apparently “a tool”), and the presence of guitars.
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