NTS Don't Assume with Zakia

Is this the happiest man in dance music? Kevain Space, better known as RP Boo, is widely regarded as one of the originators of footwork, a high-energy, syncopated form of electronic dance music from Chicago. Starting his career in the 1990s, RP Boo started out as a dancer and a DJ before developing his signature sound, which blends rapid beats, chopped-up samples, and frenetic rhythms designed to accompany fast-paced footwork moves.In this Don’t Assume interview Zakia and Boo get into the origins of Footwork in West Chicago, how the music evolved in lock step with the dancefloor and the influence of one dancer in particular who they were always trying to outpace. Boo talks about getting inspiration from the everyday, making songs out of the drinks machine at the garage where he worked or from overhead snatches of conversation. Boo’s energy is infectious, busting moves from the moment he got in, despite just having landed from Chicago and getting Zakia up to teach her some footwork basics.  His take on life is that you can be spiritual while having fun, words to live by.   Presenter - Zakia Sewell Producer - Alannah Chance Music composition - Jennifer WaltonMix-Mastering - Sol King Exec Producer - Lizzy King for NTS  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jamal Moss has been making music in Chicago under the moniker Hieroglyphic Being since 1994. His music is deeply rooted in the influential house and techno scenes of the city but also draws on the avant-garde and jazz. His music is both dark and transcendent, mechanical and organic. In this interview he unpacks the origins of these dualities, describing how he was raised by his adopted parents on the city’s jazz greats but discovered dance music in the club aged 12 after being brought along by an uncle who had business to attend to. Too young to enter the building, the young Jamal felt the vibrations from outside, and he was hooked. In this frank interview we learn about his early days running club nights in Chicago, how his adopted father’s position in the Masons gave him certain insight on the inner workings of the city, his unapologetic days as a gigolo and his rejection of the term AfroFuturist.  Oh and he also dabbles in nanotechnology. Hieroglyphic Being makes music to serve humanity, and when he’s not doing that you’ll find him throwing avocados at squirrels. Don’t Assume. This interview was recorded at the end of 2023, and includes music with generous permission from Hieroglyphic Being. Tracks in order:Hieroglyphic Being - The Flying Men of ZimbabweHieroglyphic Being - The Language of StringsHieroglyphic Being - The Mystery of the RoseHieroglyphic Being - Being Awake and EnergizeHieroglyphic Being - THANKS FOR THE TRACKS U LOSTHieroglyphic Being - Fuck the Ghetto, think about outer spaceDiscover Hieroglyphic Being on NTS [https://www.nts.live/artists/2391-hieroglyphic-being]Presenter - Zakia Sewell Producer - Alannah Chance Recording - Si RichardsMusic composition - Jennifer WaltonMix-Mastering - Sol King Exec Producer - Lizzy King for NTS Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bedroom producer turned global club-pop icon Kathy Yaeji Lee, better known as Yaeji, is our guest this week. Yaeji self-identifies as an “introspective loner” and was raised between New York and Seoul. In this interview she reflects on how her upbringing has influenced the music she makes today: whether that’s listening to her dad’s mixtapes of Korean indie ballads, finding community in internet forums or getting into the brostep scene for her radio show in Pittsburgh. She started out DJing and later became a producer, known for her introspective yet danceable beats, and vocals which swing between Korean and English. Where some of our Don’t Assume guests struggle to think of any surprising hobbies outside of music, Yaeji was spoiled for choice. She’s a prolific journaler, with multiple journals on the go at any one time. She’s also into fibre art, where she collects fibres from across the world and weaves them into yarn to knit or crochet into fabric. Whilst this sounds like a departure from the songs featured on albums like With A Hammer, it all feels like a continuum of Yaeji’s lifelong process of observing, gathering and reassembling the multiple facets of her identity to create something new. Discover Yaeji on NTS Presenter - Zakia Sewell Producer - Alannah Chance Music composition - Jennifer WaltonMix-Mastering - Sol King Exec Producer - Lizzy King for NTS Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Diamanda Galás is one of a kind. The Greek-American artist is known for her uncompromising approach and singular, multi-octave voice. Her work often channels the pain of the dispossessed, giving emotionally charged performances that explore subjects like the AIDS crisis, the Greek-Armenian genocides and experiences of grief. But she is equally at home singing jazz standards and blues songs. We couldn’t think of a better artist to launch this series of Don’t Assume, a podcast which reveals the sorts of things you’d never expect from our favourite artists.In this lively conversation, Zakia and Diamanda travel across the expanse of Diamanda’s wide ranging career, discussing everything from her collaboration with John Paul Jones, the influence of her strict father, her mistrust of the term “avant-garde” and her love of forensic TV shows. Diamanda is equal parts deeply serious and acerbically funny, swinging between reflecting on her regrets to lacerating the ‘bubble gum crap’ of the Beatles. This interview feels like a true meeting of minds, and a chance to see both sides of this formidable artist, truly someone who embodies the spirit of this new series of ‘Don’t Assume’. Discover Diamanda Galás on NTSPresenter - Zakia Sewell Producer - Alannah Chance Music composition - Jennifer WaltonMix-Mastering - Sol King Exec Producer - Lizzy King for NTS Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lisa Maffia came to prominence in the early 2000s as the only woman in So Solid Crew, the platinum selling UK Garage act from South London that took over the UK mainstream. Lisa joins Zakia in the NTS studio in London to reflect on Lisa’s younger years and the early days of So Solid Crew, through to Lisa’s solo career. Lisa and Zakia discuss the highs and lows of So Solid’s journey, which took them from DIY pirate radio to the Brit Awards and countless other accolades. Along the way they drew criticism from the British press, and they fell victim to the Metropolitan Police’s punitive 696 form, which all but shut down their scene. In this Don’t Assume interview, Zakia and Lisa celebrate the lasting legacy of UK Garage and its celebration of Black Britishness. Presenter - Zakia Sewell, Producer - Lizzy King, Sound Recording - Fabrice Robinson, Editing - Femi Oriogun-Williams, Composer - Jennifer Walton, Talent & Outreach - Samuel Strang. This is an NTS Podcast, discover more at www.nts.live. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lloyd ‘Bullwackie’ Barnes and his legendary Wackie’s institution has been at the heart of the dub and reggae scene since the 1970s. Starting out as a tailor to reggae’s brightest stars, Bullwackie quickly started working as an engineer at Treasure Isle and Studio One studios in Kingston, Jamaica. On moving to New York with his family he became immersed in the burgeoning reggae and dub scene briefly running his own soundsystem. Bullwackie opened up the first reggae studio in New York, Wackie’s House of Music. Since Wackie’s was founded in 1976, Bullwackie has produced and released records with the likes of Sugar Minnott, Lee Scratch Perry, The Love Joys, Horace Andy, Max Romeo, Dennis Brown, and - as Zakia discovers - even impromptu sessions with the likes of Mohammed Ali. After enjoying a resurgence of interest in more recent times, following a reissue series via Mark Ernestus and Moritz von Oswald’s Basic Channel dub techno label, Wackie’s today enjoys multi-generational cult status.In this podcast Zakia and Bullwackie reflect on his life and career, and the exciting discovery of his stolen archive of unreleased Wackie’s recordings that Lloyd has recently recovered, and is now in the process of mastering, in some cases nearly 50 years after they were first recorded. Check out the NTS Guide To Wackie’sPresenter - Zakia Sewell, Producer - Lizzy King, Sound Recording - Josh Farmer & Zara Wladawsky, Editing - Femi Oriogun-Williams, Mastering - Felix Stock, Composer - Jennifer Walton, Talent & Outreach - Samuel Strang. This is an NTS Podcast, discover more at www.nts.live. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of England's best loved folk singers, Shirley Collins talks to Don’t Assume host, Zakia Sewell (a life-long Shirley Collins fan) about her 60 year career in folk music. Recorded from her front room in Lewes, the conversation covers everything from Shirley’s legendary trip around the American South with folklorist Alan Lomax in the 1950s to her unique take on the notion of ‘Englishness’. Hear about Shirley’s experience working with the likes of Davey Graham and Current 93, as well as her thoughts on the future of folk music. Presenter - Zakia Sewell, Producer - Lizzy King, Sound Recording & Editing - Sam Stone, Mastering - Josh Farmer, Composer - Jennifer Walton, Talent & Outreach - Samuel Strang. This is an NTS Podcast, discover more at www.nts.live. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.