NikNak – Ireti
(Album review by Andrew Taylor-Dawson)

NikNak  (Nicole Raymond) has been turning heads for a few years with her distinctive approach to electronic music and turntablism.

On this, her fourth album, she weaves an Afro-futurist opus from a multitude of influences. Imbued with her interests in science fiction and computer games, she sees it as being like an imagined soundtrack for a “Black Blade Runner”.

The album seethes with filmic and dystopian qualities. NikNak views the opener ‘This Pile Of Rubbish is More Human’ as her attempt to create the sound of the world collapsing, and it’s easy to see where she’s coming from. The track kicks things off with chirping synthetic tones that evoke machines in meltdown. Distorted scratching and shots of noise blast through the track, before eerie washes of synth take over. It’s a simultaneously fascinating and disquieting start to the record.

Elsewhere, on tracks such as ‘Break My Bones’, ‘Mere Data’ (featuring fellow turntablist SlowPitchSound), and ‘Within Cells’, NikNak deepens and further explores dark and dystopian sound palettes. But this album doesn’t just serve up apocalyptic atmospheres. Indeed, ‘ireti’ is the Yoruba word for hope.

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Throughout the record, Niknak shifts gear repeatedly, bringing in moments of lightness, hope and even euphoria. The ears of jazz fans will be pricked up on second track ‘We Were Supposed To Be Good’, which features beautiful sax work from none other than Cassie Kinoshi, whose recent album NikNak also featured on. Along with trumpeter Grifton Forbes Amos, Kinoshi weaves beautiful melodies over the jittering beats and heady atmospheres.

Kinoshi makes a second appearance on gorgeous moody closer ‘You’ve Never Seen A Miracle’, which also features flute work and beautiful vocals from Chisara Agor. It laces the sound of rain with the reverb-soaked voice of Agor, scratching, and the aforementioned flute and sax lines. It feels like a moment of transcendence, and creates a fitting ending to a record that deftly pulls the listener through such a range of moods and influences.

NikNak is nothing if not distinctive, yet her touchpoints pop out frequently – from the skittering beats of ‘12000RPM’ that are reminiscent of many a 90s IDM album from Warp records, to dubstep and the work of artists such as Burial. This influence springs to mind at a number of points, but particularly on ‘Pandora’s Box’, featuring vocalist Agaama.

This album is much more than the sum of its parts. It provides a sonic journey through the imagination of an increasingly significant experimental artist. This record, while at times exploring challenging sonic palettes, also has moments of great release, melody and beauty. It will hold appeal for fans of a broad range of electronic music styles, jazz and experimental modern composition.

While making an immediate impression, the album grows with each listen, revealing more in its layers and textures. On Ireti, NikNak has created a work that shows its influences but basks in its unique presentation of them. Its greatest achievement is the complete vision that permeates the record as a whole. The only question it leaves is where will she go next?

LINKS:

NikNak’s website

Bandcamp / Ireti is released 21 May 2024