NikNak: 'I wanted something on Black Panther level, that kind of vibe'

A former winner of the PRS Foundation and Radiophonic Institute’s Oram Award, which she says has made her “more confident” in her abilities as a turntalist and producer, her latest project is Inner Ireti, an exclusive audio installation at Leeds Art Gallery that is her contribution to this year’s Leeds Jazz Festival.

Located in the gallery’s Central Court, it will offer audiences the space to experience her latest album Ireti – a collision of jazz, drum & bass and experimental music – in a new light, complete with visuals and the music videos for the tracks More Life and Pandora’s Box.

Of the record itself, NikNak says its ideas developed out of her fascination with science fiction and video games. “There were things going on in my peripheral around the same time, for example my partner was playing the Cyberpunk 2077 video game and how immersive that was with the tech around it, that was really interesting, and there’s obviously Blade Runner and Akira and stuff, and I found myself making this music but also asking myself why is there not a black version of these films, or a black Afro-futuristic noir thing.

“Then when I sat down and thought about it more, (I realised) I, Robot has three cast members that are black, so that doesn’t really count in the same way that on Black Panther 90 per cent of the cast and crew were black. I want something on Black Panther level, that kind of vibe.

“There was a TV show called Altered Carbon on Netflix and in the second season the protagonist is a black man. That show explores how people can essentially be immortal by transferring the consciousness and then uploading it into a new body that’s made for them. Interesting themes, but not on the same level as Black Panther. The more ideas were coming at the same time too that I wanted to explore.”

When NikNak had shaped the basic tracks, she approached friends such as Agaama, Cassie Kinoshi, Chisara Agor, Grifton Forbes-Amos and SlowPitchSound to contribute. “Quite a few of my mates are big comic book or animé nerds, so I thought, I’m going to just ask...and if people want to jump on then they can and they can pick the song they want to jump onto. Everybody was like, ‘hell, yes, let’s go!’

“It was really important to me with the creation of this album to work holistically, so I said to people from the get-go, ‘However you work I will do my best to honour it. If you would rather record remotely and if you have the materials to do that, then please do and I will fix it. We’ll go back and forth to make sure everything is cool and we both like what we’ve done with the track. And also, if you would prefer to work in the studio then let me know because I have free access to the This is Beautiful studio in London, so I can go down there, we can book some time and hash it out there too. I don’t want to stress anyone out, I don’t want to be really strict with anything. You pick what you want to jump on and we’ll just keep in contact about how we work and try to get this put together in an honest and genuine way that all parties really like.’ I’m really happy to say that we achieved that.”

The album has a narrative about reclaiming humanity from the grasp of machines. As a self-confessed tech nerd, NikNak appreciates the irony in how dependent we’ve become on digital media and artificial intelligence. “It’s interesting in recent months learning about the various things that are going on in the world and how that relates to tech,” she says. “How tech has helped people become aware of certain atrocities, tech has also made it easier for people to make those atrocities, which sucks. With the horrible things going on in Congo, for example, the mining and exploitation​​​​​​​ – all this for the sake of getting that brand new upgrade​​​​​​​.

“I’m saying to everybody, just get a refurbished phone​​​​​​​, go to Cex, do it that way. We’ve been conditioned to think that we need brand new phone​​​​​​​s, brand new this, that and the other​​​​​​​, and it’s actually bull. ​​​​​​​You can upgrade with second-hand part​​​​​​​s, it’s kinder for the environment and more sustainable and supportive of the people that really need it.

“It’s interesting looking at tec​​​​​​​h and how in Blade Runner and Akira ​​​​​​​and all of this stuff, there’s so many examples of ​​​​​​​media that look at dystopian futuristic stuff and for the most part it all sucks​​​​​​​. There isn’t really a happy ending for any of those, really​​​​​​​. OK, there’s technological advances but in most of these films they have some kind of bleak ending​​​​​​​, so we’re kind of shooting ourselves in the foot with all of this stuff.

“I guess there are a lot of narratives within Ireti about our relationship with tech and the need for a black noir detective thing on the same scale as Blade Runner or The Matrix and Black Panther smooshed together with black people in the forefront.

“Also, everybody’s talking about AI but if we rely on it too much​​​​​​​ then we’ll forget that we made it. Humans are complicated plants, we need​​​​​​​ sunshine, water and good food, we don’t need to be sitting on our phones scrolling but because of everything being so immediate​​​​​​​ and convenient we’ve been conditioned to think we should be on our phones​​​​​​​, we should post on Instagram every day​​​​​​​, we should do this, that and the other. No, we don’t​​​​​​​.

“So there’s lots of different things I’ve been exploring in Ireti. With everybody’s contributions on the album as well, it’s like we’re all having this discussion together at the same time, which is really nice.”

Ireti is out on May 21. Inner Ireti opens at Leeds Art Gallery on May 23.

Leeds Jazz Festival ​​​​​​​runs at various venues throughout Leeds from ​​​​​​​May 23-28​​​​​​​. For full programme details, visit https://www.leedsjazzfestival.com/