An Introduction to Nia Archives

When researching the young artist from Bradford, I found it difficult not to immediately become captivated by Nia Archives. Modest, sweet, assured – yet tinged by a charming introversion – the intriguingly elusive Nia Archives comes off as someone you can’t help but like. This rather gentle persona, combined with Nia’s intoxicating, ferociously noisy jungle-infused beats, has left me with a deep appreciation for this rising artist.

Whilst I certainly wouldn’t describe Nia Archives as an underground artist, prior to the release of her debut album ‘Silence Is Loud’, her discography consisted of a smattering of EPs and an impressive yet sporadic release of singles beginning in 2020. Despite the previous lack of an LP, Nia has achieved mainstream recognition from the offset, with her 2020 debut single ‘Sober Feels’ becoming an instant hit due to its innovative fusion of bold jungle, cursive neo-soul and confessional-pop style lyrics.

Nia Archives is vocal in interviews about her admiration and identification with old-school jungle and its unique culture. British jungle was created by the children of the Windrush generation, and Nia has expressed that this genre resonates with her due to her own dual-heritage. Since Nia’s music, and specifically her new album, has been so affected by jungle, it’s worth understanding the origins of this genre.

Side note – if you’re seeking a jungle deep-dive, some great jungle/drum and bass documentaries include All Junglists: A London Some’ting Dis (1994), Drum & Bass: The Movement (2020) and YouTube doc What Makes Something Jungle by Resident Advisor (2024).

Jungle’s Origins

Jungle emerged in Britian in the late eighties as a complex, hybrid-genre pioneered by the working-class. The post-war mass migration of immigrants from the Caribbean in the 1950s resulted in many children growing up with a sonic pallet reflecting their parents’ culture. This consisted of reggae sound system, ragga and sega, combined with British rock, jazz and influences from across the Atlantic, particularly hip-hop, Detroit Techno, Chicago house and soul. With a generation exposed to such diverse music, there was an amalgamation of new production styles inflected by this fusion of international genres. A few sub-genres that spawned within this period include acid house, happy hardcore, hardcore breakbeat and jungle.

The development of technology in the nineties magnified the novel sound of jungle, with the genre’s core elements being basslines (taken from dub reggae and sound system culture) combined with intense, accelerated drum patterns (usually taken from hip-hop breakbeats which were sped up and layered with drum solos). The DIY nature of producing jungle challenged contemporary technology and included combining music mixed from personal record collections and pirate radio-stations. This created a unique, culturally distinct and intoxicating genre. The individual personalities of different producers became evident within jungle due to trademark production preferences such as time-stretches, sampling and specific drum-patterns. The skill of the producer was often measured by their ability to disguise mainstream samples within a concoction of genres, whilst creating a recognisable yet chaotically intense sound.

The Growth of Jungle

The growing following of jungle throughout the nineties was the result of several factors. Firstly, rave culture created a sense of community, as jungle created a genre of black British music that united those in urban areas who identified with a dual-heritage background. This community-driven feeling was solidified by the fact that raves were predominantly spread through word of mouth. Furthermore, as jungle grew, it began to bring together working-class communities of different races, all of whom were seeking a release after a hard week of work. Despite its potentially unifying nature, race prejudices were not absent. As jungle grew, it was unfairly vilified in the media as violent, black music and the refusal of black ravers from certain events remained a stark reminder of underlying prejudices within Britain.

As jungle and drum and bass evolved, it has progressively become a more white, male-dominated space, an environment which Nia Archives has drawn attention to and is determined to change. Her intent to manoeuvre jungle into a more inclusive space is demonstrated through her female-only events, as well as her hope that her presence as a young, black women on the jungle scene will encourage a positive change in the demographic.

A Brief Insight into the Talent and Creativity of Nia Archives

Nia Archives’ individual upbringing on a diverse collection of genres is evident within her own music. Growing up she sang in a Pentecostal church choir whilst at home, reggae, rock, bashment and jungle were played. Nia’s Nanna was an especially influential music presence in her life, playing rare groove, soul, funk and disco on her home sound system. Clearly exposure to such an eclectic range of genres has resulted in Nia’s penchant for multi-genre production.

The twenty-four year old produces, writes and provides the vocals for her tracks. Furthermore, she gained her moniker ‘Archives’ from her personal passion for creating VHS productions to accompany her songs, stating that she loves to emulate the nineties rave documentaries she grew up watching.

Nia’s creative history and accolades are extensive – if you’re interested in finding out more about her past productions and influences, I recommend reading the articles by UKF, Clash and Crack in this articles’ references. Fundamentally, what makes Nia Archives such a prominent artist in the dance music scene is her ability to produce a sound both distinctive yet familiar. Her ode to jungle’s roots is cleverly layered and disguised within refreshing and irresistible tracks curated into a sound that satisfies and caters to both junglists and more mainstream listeners. Nia Archives’ music is authentic not only through her presence as a young, black woman creating successful jungle, but also through her transformation of the genre setting the tone for the next generation of junglists.

Nia uses dizzying breakbeats, reliable drum and bass and distinct sampling combined with sweet melodies, exposing lyrics (comparable to the lyricism of Lily Allen and Kate Nash), all delivered in her distinctively jazz-infused neo-soul vocals. This creates a novel sub-genre – self-labelled as ‘emotional jungle’ – which pioneers a new class of narrative dance music. Nia herself recognises this mixture of genres, claiming: “I love rave music, but I don’t necessarily listen to albums that sound like that. I love albums that tell stories.” Indeed, Nia reveals although she uses her music as a mode of emotional expression, she prefers to disguise this vulnerability within the intensity of jungle. Whilst her tracks contain implicit depth and complexity, they are also reliable dance tracks in themselves, which offers her emotional anonymity.

Silence Is Loud Introduction

All of Nia Archives’ previous singles and EPs have hinted at the direction this album has taken, and although none of her earlier work can be described as tentative or lacking distinct personality, the praise her work has garnered has clearly been the fuel Nia needed to release a full-length album.

‘Silence Is Loud’ refuses to be categorised into one genre. Having listened to and loved this album, I can hear influences from samba, pop, neo-soul, indie-rock, drum and bass, jungle, Britpop and jazz scattered throughout. Nia’s debut album is so engaging because it documents the evolution of her unique sound.

The albums’ sweet, melodic, neo-soul, pop infusions flaunt her versatility, whilst showcasing her talent for producing dance tracks characteristically full of jungle, breakbeats and synths. ‘Silence Is Loud’ intimately documents the rise and fall of a romantic relationship. The album’s thirteen tracks are gently directed by the stages of falling in and out of love; a narrative beginning with sweet dependence and infatuation, transitioning into insecurity and uncertainty and finally ending in the realisation that the relationship cannot go on. This thematically gives the album direction and lyrical content, with the ‘stages’ of love providing a loose framework in which to guide the album from simply amassing into a disjointed collection of singles. Furthermore, the songs transform sonically to cleverly match the adjacent lyrics and thematic undertones, allowing creative variety and contrasting tracks whilst remaining cohesive. Indeed, the first few tracks are super-melodic and sweet, mimicking the honeymoon stages of love, whilst the tracks become progressively spikier with darker synths and relentless breakbeats sonically narrating the development of a tricker, more oppressive relationship. To round off this creative body of work, the name of the album, ‘Silence Is Loud’, effectively titles the loneliness one can feel within a broken relationship.

Cards On The Table

To begin with, let’s start with the incredible track, ‘Cards On The Table’. I was immediately hooked by the opening guitar – instantly a refreshing inclusion in a self-professed jungle album –which is then swiftly intersected by crisp, bright breakbeats and Nia’s soulful vocals. The vocals are simply beautiful, the lyrics themselves are catchy and align with my personal fondness of Lily Allen-style electro-pop and overall the elevated jungle-flavours of her production make this song a noisy yet introspective dance track.

Unfinished Business

‘Unfinished Business’ is the third song on ‘Silence Is Loud’ and is another thumper. The lyrics are again relatable, emotional yet carried by the youthful fervour of incessant drumbeats. Although I might argue the vocals are a little hesitant compared to other tracks of the album, the song as a whole feels spacious and expansive, aligning with the theme exploring uncertain spaces within a new relationship.

Crowded Roomz

Another gem of the album is ‘Crowded Roomz’. The lyrics are heartbreaking, inclusive and full of vulnerable personality. The raw relatability of feeling lonely in crowded rooms is matched by softened guitar, pauses in breakbeats and lonely synths. Overall, a melodic and personable soft-jungle banger.

Nightmares

My final song review from ‘Silence Is Loud’ is ‘Nightmares’, undeniably my favourite of the album. Darker, cutting yet euphoric – the song feels powerful and playful. The production is incredibly exacting, the drum beats diverse and frenetic and the vocals are exciting, a little pop-tinged and blatantly catchy. The layers and diversity of the track make it incredibly enjoyable; in particular, hearing Nia execute bold derision through her delivery and choice of lyrics makes ‘Nightmares’ a Nia Archives’ classic.

Conclusion

‘Silence Is Loud’ offers a bold new era of Nia Archives, with her first full-length album being everything you could want in a debut. It is impactful, diverse and delivers enough new content to satisfy your Nia Archives’ itch without giving away too much or becoming stale. ‘Silence Is Loud’ promises versatile new music from Nia in the future and whilst the album will undoubtedly have its critics, perhaps from hardcore jungle-purists who find Nia’s take on jungle a little too mainstream, overall this album pushes jungle in a fresher and more exciting direction.

References

BRITs (2022) Meet NIA Archives | BRITs 2023 rising star shortlist. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jN294bADok.

Community Music (2023) Nia Archives Interview x CM Sounds Alumni. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLysNBrGJaw.

Digital, D. (2022) Nia Archives. https://www.dazeddigital.com/projects/article/57631/1/nia-archives.

Drum&BassArena (2020) Drum & Bass: The Movement – a D&B documentary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8fu_TOKlg4.

Hirst, J. (2024) Who the hell is Nia Archives? https://ukf.com/read/who-the-hell-is-nia-archives/.

Introducing: NIA Archives (no date). https://www.beatportal.com/articles/20903-introducing-nia-archives.

Jolley, B. and Jolley, B. (2024) Nia Archives ‘Silence Is Loud’ review: Jungle revivalist proves she’s the real deal. https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/album-reviews/nia-archives-silence-is-loud-review-jungle-revivalist-proves-shes-the-real-deal-38608/.

Martin, F. (2022) Nia Archives: the junglist bringing Black women to the front. https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/55657/1/nia-archives-producer-junglist-black-women-music-jungle-manchester.

Medford, G. (no date) Nia Archives is at the forefront of the jungle revival. https://crackmagazine.net/article/profiles/nia-archives-is-at-the-forefront-of-the-jungle-revival/.

Morris, K. (2024) ‘‘I want to bring the party up north’: Nia Archives on unleashing a Yorkshire rave revolution,’ The Guardian, 12 April. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/apr/12/nia-archives-interview-music-silence-is-loud.

Nast, C. (2024) NIA Archives: Silence is loud. https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/nia-archives-silence-is-loud/.

NIA Archives | Fred Perry UK (no date). https://www.fredperry.com/subculture/articles/nia-archives.

NME (2022) Nia Archives on Rihanna, Amy Winehouse & her first tattoo | Firsts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_gpQIU1bOc.

Petridis, A. (2024) ‘Nia Archives: Silence Is Loud review – bold, fresh jungle unbound by tradition,’ The Guardian, 12 April. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/apr/11/nia-archives-silence-is-loud-album-review.

Resident Advisor (2024) What makes something jungle? | Resident Advisor. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDZHEAwDAVo.

SNAX_Old Skool (2022) All Junglists A London Someting Dis 1994 jungle drum bass documentary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZhTEkY-hN0.

theneedledrop (2024) NIA Archives – Silence Is Loud ALBUM REVIEW. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvsyGZFUtxE.

ZWART (2023) Interview Nia Archives | Podium ZWART op Lowlands. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DBQ6rNides.