Following on from the first episode in Dazed’s new podcast series with Neneh Cherry, the latest instalment of Open House introduces multi-disciplinary artist, GAIKA. In collaboration with Sonos and presented by Dazed’s digital editor, Thomas Gorton, the series explores the sounds that fill the space of musicians homes, both past and present.
GAIKA, known for his captivating live show, as well as his mixtapes and EP’s, including Machine, Spaghetto, and most recently The Spectacular Empire, is a Brixton-born beatmaker and vocalist that has a need to feel what’s going on around him. Living in solitude in the metropolis, he believes that a person’s surroundings impact on their passions and that “music is driven by a desire to emulate something you already love.”
“Music is driven by a desire to emulate something you already love” – GAIKA
With a sound that’s comprised of an array of different influences – everything from rap to dancehall – in this episode GAIKA discusses wonky R&B club nights, pirate radio, and how, as a teenager, he’d wash cars to buy a Walkman.
Elsewhere, GAIKA, who is also Dazed’s political editor-at-large, talks us through his days as a “pre-pubescent junglist” at underage raves in Purley and the neo-noir trap scene in Manchester that helped shape the city’s underground.
Listen to Open House below, along with a Spotify playlist of all mentioned tracks.