'I'm letting it be known: this is the summer of jungle,' she says, flashing a megawatt smile. It's the day before she drops her hugely anticipated sophomore EP ‘ Forbidden Feelingz’ on her own label HIJINXX and a week since she picked up the Best Producer prize at the BandLab NME Awards. Upon arrival, Nia Archives is sitting at a velvet corner booth in the lounge by a crackling fireplace framed by her espresso curls and a low-key peroxide streak. I'm on my way to meet the 22-year-old Bradford-born, West Indian multi-talent at The Standard hotel in London, the city where she's now based. 'When you see that young lady who made this tune, tell her, big up from one junglist to another.'
I crack the window and let the hook float down Hackney Road as Nia Archives flips the mood of the sample on ' 18 & Over' from crystalline synth to a pulse-racing pace and an iconic call-to-arms commands: 'Give me a motherfucking breakbeat!' The driver turns up the volume and gives me a nod of approval. A set of fluffy dice printed with the Jamaican flag swing side to side from the front mirror of a tricked out Uber as the deep bass of Cocoa Tea's 1987 reggae hit ‘Young Lover’ reverberates from the back.
