Nia Archives is bringing jungle back to the masses. The British singer, songwriter and producer is spearheading the recent revival of jungle and drum-and-bass in the U.K., which is now spreading across the pond.
The DJ brings her ‘Up Ya Archives’ tour to Atlanta for a show at The Loft on Oct. 21, marking her first performance in the city.
“I am so buzzing to come to ATL”, she remarked. “I have been to America a few times but this will be my first time in Atlanta. I have no idea what to expect, the city has a big rap export but I am not familiar with the underground dance music scene there.”
Jungle — characterized by its breakbeats, fast tempo and heavy bass — is an influential and distinctively British genre, emerging in the U.K. in the early ‘90s through underground raves and pirate radio stations.
As it evolved into drum-and-bass, it lost some of its hip-hop influence and relied more heavily on synthesized sounds. As drum-and-bass and electronic dance music (usually shortened to EDM) evolved and grew in popularity, jungle seemed like a relic of the past.
From a young age, West Yorkshire-born Archives was immersed in this rich world of British dance music as her grandma and auntie ran a pirate radio station.
With this upbringing, it seemed inevitable that she would pursue a career in music. As a teenager she packed her bags and moved to Manchester to further immerse herself in the northern rave scene and subsequently taught herself to produce from YouTube tutorials, the rest is history.
Jungle isn’t hugely popular in the U.S., but Archives believes this is about to change.
“It is translating as a new sound for the younger audience who are hearing it for the first time. For the older heads, I’m sure it’s quite nostalgic,” she said.
After being nominated for the ‘Rising Star’ award at this year’s BRIT Awards, a huge collaboration with R&B star Jorja Smith and viral Boiler Room sets, Archives has the mainstream success that very few junglists have managed to achieve over the years.
Through her fame and growing influence, Archives wants to effect change and create safer spaces for women in raves and also make it a more inclusive genre for DJs. She organized the “Bad Gyalz” rave in London this summer, which featured a lineup of female and non-binary DJs.
“I love that my music and the jungle sound can bring big groups of people together and make them feel like they can rave in a safe environment,” she said. “It means so much to me to see so many young women coming to my shows. It’s something I want to continue to push in the future. Earlier this year I threw a rave in London which was primarily inviting women and people from the LGBTQ+ communities which felt like a real moment,” said Archives.
It has been a monumental couple of years for the award-winning DJ, but perhaps the most surreal moment was when she was asked to open for Beyoncé on her “Renaissance” tour for one date in London.
The concert, held at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in June, marked the tour’s first date to feature an opening act. However, as Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” is an album that pays homage to the influential Black figures in dance music, it makes perfect sense that the new torchbearer should open the show.
“Honestly, this was the craziest moment all year for me, maybe in my lifetime,” said Archives. “I didn’t find out it was 100% happening until the morning of the show when my manager called me and said it was happening. So I couldn’t really process it at the time, I was just out of bed, straight into glam and in a car to the venue, it was surreal.”
When she performed jungle and drum-and-bass in front of 62,000 people at that show, it was likely the first time many of them had heard this type of music.
“It felt like a blessing to be pushing a sound I love so much, that’s been around for 30 years and now feels like it’s spreading all around the world for the first time,” she said.
Archives has also performed at some of the biggest festivals in the world, including Glastonbury, Primavera Sound and Coachella.
“It’s mad to see the people that listen to my music because everything with my art is completely selfish and I often forget that other people listen to my stuff,” she said. “I enjoy the challenge of the bigger shows because it’s an opportunity for me to do me and hopefully be a gateway in junglism for people hearing the sound for the first time.”
Having performed across Asia, Europe and now the U.S. and with further big collabs and a new album on the way, Archives is hoping to push jungle to new heights.
CONCERT PREVIEW
Nia Archives
8 p.m. Oct. 21. $25; $22.50 in advance. The Loft, 1374 W. Peachtree St., Atlanta. 404-885-1365, centerstage-atlanta.com.
