NIIX envelopes the world in night time magic in her new EP "I"
Folded amongst the flowers of Greenbank Park I meet NIIX, Greek goddess of the night. I spot her icy blue hair first. It flows past her shoulders highlighting the silver jewellery decorating her fingers, nose and neck. It’s mid afternoon on an overcast Monday in Merseyside, but NIIX seems to carry the stars with her regardless.
We settle into two chairs tucked away in a near by café, plants tangle above and besides us and it’s humid. In between sips of oat milk coffee NIIX begins to tell me about her latest EP release, I. Our forks clinking against a plate as we scoop up mouthfuls of lotus biscoff cake we decide to share.
Before NIIX, there was LUNA. Softer in sound and presence LUNA saw adventures across multiple venues in Liverpool as well as a debut EP release, HELLO EARTH. Like a lot of things born at the start of 2020, lockdown stopped it it’s in tracks.
“I was like… what will I do now? After a couple of months I realised what I was doing as LUNA I didn’t feel like me anymore.”
Eventually, LUNA evolved into NIIX. Swallowing the sky NIIX envelops the world in night.
In her new EP we leave the moon behind and let ourselves slip into the new world of the stars.
I is heavier in its sound, inspired by a city frozen by night and the darker sounds of the club music NIIX began exploring. “I was doing more DJing, teaching myself how to mix, doing radio shows and guest mixes” NIIX tells me. Working as the studio producer for melodic distraction it is no wonder the music surrounding her eventually found it’s way into her own sound, “Being around club music so much made it feel more accessible. So naturally the music I was making became more club focused.”
I hosts elements of hyper pop, synth pop and nu wave all encased in the metallic shell of electronica. “I feel like it’s extroverted music for introverts,” she explains, “I want it to resonate with people as individuals, whether they’re out in a club dancing or sat alone, awake at 2am.”
It’s a conscious effort for me to work with more women and gender minorities, and not just for the sake of it
NIIX cloaks herself with the goddess’ reputation boldly, “Nyx [the Greek goddess] is so empowering,” she shares, “all these other gods are scared of her and she’s just owning it.” Channelling this energy, NIIX continues to empower and amplify the voices of those around her while she unfolds herself as a new artist in the North West. “It’s a conscious effort for me to work with more women and gender minorities, and not just for the sake of it,” she explains speaking of her recent collaborative work with various artists across Liverpool and Manchester, “these people are all amazing in their own right and I want others to recognise that.”
Empowerment to underrepresented genders within the music industry is clearly a flame fuelling NIIX’s work. Within her EP there are moments where this confidence shines as NIIX unapologetically stretches out into new spaces. Her work is not burdened with expectation or reputation, with each track slapping down a fresh take of a night life city safari. Moments in tracks such as LST&FND echo a euphoria only garage can summon, whilst DRV slinks into the compilation with a sleek certainty of coolness. “Each song was really different to write,” she explains, “I never thought of it all as a body of work, I just focused on each track. Mostly I write from emotion, my music is an outlet for whatever I’m feeling at that time.”
It’s a version of me where I can be a bit more fearless
This music not only empowers others, but also releases the confidence within NIIX’s day-to-day, introverted realms, “It’s a version of me where I can be a bit more fearless,” she shares. This fearlessness enables NIIX to take risks within her music, creating a sound which cannot be easily compartmentalised into neat genre boxes. Her work is currently influenced by music released under NUXXE Records, a space created for a new sound of electronica. “I like it because of the story behind the label. They couldn’t find a space their music could fit into, so they just said, ‘fuck it we’ll make our own record label’”, she explains with a laugh, “It’s unapologetically hard electronic music. I like the idea of just saying ‘we’ll make our own space for ourselves.’”
NIIX may be echoing the formidable power of an ancient goddess, yet she does so with a futuristic twist. Her music moves like light, streaming through the air in rapid vibrations, filling the space it exists in. It sits somewhere in between moments of human experiences, technology and old magic. It ripples like it’s living.
If you were to struggle to place where this EP sits genre-wise you wouldn’t be alone. It is not music made to be boxed in. It is not boarded by preconceived ideas of electronic sound, especially the anticipated gentleness female artists are nearly always greeted with. The only way to describe this sound is that it is like the night sky, dark, expansive and cluttered with glowing beams of light.
I is available now on all streaming platforms.
Words Mary Olive
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