Niyi
Encyclopedia
Adeniyi Adeyemi Adelakun, better known as Niyi, is a British MC and singer from Crouch End
North London, known for his flamboyant dress sense and unique mixing style. He is a producer and DJ commonly associated with the East London fashion scene. A picture of him, M.I.A.
, and Jammer for a Jean-Charles de Castelbajac
exhibition hung outside of the Musée de la Mode et du Textile
in Paris for a year.
Said to have inspired "a generation of London fashion designers"
, he began his career as a muse for Carri Mundane
for her fashion label CassettePlaya in 2005, "until she got another one".
He moved into doing clubs and DJing when he found the clubbing scene "too exclusive [..] it wasnt very inclusive at all". At this point Niyi started promoting illegal warehouse rave
s, but stopped when his biggest promotion was shut down by the police and 4,500 young people were on the street on New Years Eve. When his mixing style became more well known he had guest slots on BBC Radio 1
, XFM
, and German On3-radio, and DJed at bigger clubs such as Fabric
. Niyi has since stated he now mixes in a more traditional style, but still enjoys "perfectly beat matching surf rock with hardcore-gabba".
Niyi plays the guitar, the trumpet and the clarinet; and began singing and rapping over his own remixes when he moved out of London and started producing music in his parents shed in Chelmsford
[*qx]. He has since collaborated with Adamski
under the alias of "Adam Sky".
After touring in Europe with Adamski, Niyi performed at his club for Lady Gaga
's first UK show, and has since gone on to perform and DJ with Little Boots
and the Golden Silvers
. He also performed on influential television show TRAXX on ARTE
around this time, too.
Niyi's first single "808 Klap" sold out within a week, and he has since tried to release "one or two singles a year, in between touring". He is currently in the studio working on his debut record.
He is also an occasional contributor to the UK's Big Brother's Big Mouth, this is despite him "not owning a television for more than eight years".
Crouch End
Crouch End is an area of north London, in the London Borough of Haringey.- Location :Crouch End is in a valley between Harringay to the east, Hornsey, Muswell Hill and Wood Green to the north, Finsbury Park and Archway to the south and Highgate to the west...
North London, known for his flamboyant dress sense and unique mixing style. He is a producer and DJ commonly associated with the East London fashion scene. A picture of him, M.I.A.
M.I.A. (artist)
Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam , better known by her stage name M.I.A. , is an English singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, painter and director of Sri Lankan Tamil descent. Her compositions combine elements of hip hop, electronica, dance, alternative and world music. M.I.A...
, and Jammer for a Jean-Charles de Castelbajac
Jean-Charles de Castelbajac
1949: Born on November 28th in Casablanca, son of Louis and Jeanne-Blanche de Castelbajac1968: First collection for Ko and Co, company created at Limoges by his mother Jeanne-Blanche de Castelbajac1969: First show...
exhibition hung outside of the Musée de la Mode et du Textile
Musée de la Mode et du Textile
The Musée de la Mode et du Textile is a museum of fashion and textiles located in the Louvre in the Ier arrondissement, 107, rue de Rivoli, Paris, France...
in Paris for a year.
Career
Niyi moved to London to study at art university Central Saint Martins, where he subsequently dropped out twice.Said to have inspired "a generation of London fashion designers"
, he began his career as a muse for Carri Mundane
Carri Mundane
Carri Mundane is an English fashion designer. Born as Carri Munden, she is also credited as Carri Mundane and CassettePlaya, her fashion label. She currently works and lives in London.-Career:...
for her fashion label CassettePlaya in 2005, "until she got another one".
He moved into doing clubs and DJing when he found the clubbing scene "too exclusive [..] it wasnt very inclusive at all". At this point Niyi started promoting illegal warehouse rave
Rave
Rave, rave dance, and rave party are parties that originated mostly from acid house parties, which featured fast-paced electronic music and light shows. At these parties people dance and socialize to dance music played by disc jockeys and occasionally live performers...
s, but stopped when his biggest promotion was shut down by the police and 4,500 young people were on the street on New Years Eve. When his mixing style became more well known he had guest slots on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
, XFM
Xfm
Xfm is a brand of two commercial radio stations focused on alternative music, primarily indie pop, and owned by Global Radio.-History:Xfm was created in London in 1992 by Sammy Jacob, who later co-founded NME Radio in 2008. Xfm subsequently expanded to a network of four stations; there are...
, and German On3-radio, and DJed at bigger clubs such as Fabric
Fabric
A fabric is a textile material, short for "textile fabric".Fabric may also refer to:*Fabric , the spatial and geometric configuration of elements within a rock*Fabric , a nightclub in London, England...
. Niyi has since stated he now mixes in a more traditional style, but still enjoys "perfectly beat matching surf rock with hardcore-gabba".
Niyi plays the guitar, the trumpet and the clarinet; and began singing and rapping over his own remixes when he moved out of London and started producing music in his parents shed in Chelmsford
Chelmsford
Chelmsford is the county town of Essex, England and the principal settlement of the borough of Chelmsford. It is located in the London commuter belt, approximately northeast of Charing Cross, London, and approximately the same distance from the once provincial Roman capital at Colchester...
[*qx]. He has since collaborated with Adamski
Adamski
Adamski is an English dance music producer, prominent at the time of acid house for his tracks "N-R-G" and "Killer" .-Career:...
under the alias of "Adam Sky".
After touring in Europe with Adamski, Niyi performed at his club for Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
's first UK show, and has since gone on to perform and DJ with Little Boots
Little Boots
Victoria Christina Hesketh, also known by her stage name/pseudonym Little Boots, is an English electropop singer-songwriter. Her stage name comes from a nickname given to her by a friend, a reference to her unusually small feet...
and the Golden Silvers
Golden Silvers
Golden Silvers are a band from London signed to independent record label XL. The line-up consists of vocalist and keyboardist Gwilym Gold, Ben Moorhouse on bass guitar, and Robden Alexis Nunez on drums.-Early stages:...
. He also performed on influential television show TRAXX on ARTE
Arte
Arte is a Franco-German TV network. It is a European culture channel and aims to promote quality programming especially in areas of culture and the arts...
around this time, too.
Niyi's first single "808 Klap" sold out within a week, and he has since tried to release "one or two singles a year, in between touring". He is currently in the studio working on his debut record.
He is also an occasional contributor to the UK's Big Brother's Big Mouth, this is despite him "not owning a television for more than eight years".