NAIRAA AND CHILL: THE MUSIC EXPERIENCE FOR YOU
University isn’t just for studying and clinching that degree after a few years. For DJ Nairaa, it was also the perfect time to experiment, discover, and develop his talents and interests. A creative with multiple niches, DJ Nairaa has made a name for himself in the Black British events space. With a smooth, baritone voice - fitting to lead in a romantic comedy - DJ Nairaa sat down with WNDRLST to chat about his creative journey so far, his appreciation for RnB and slow jams, and his passion project Nairaa and Chill.
Nairaa starts the conversation by championing DIY culture, “Get as many skills as possible and just try a ting… if it’s something that you’re passionate about and it’s your project, the touch you’ll have on it will come across differently just because you care about it so much.” In 2018, DJ Nairaa started a Soundcloud mix series called ‘Nairaa and Chill’, the title of which is a play on the DJ’s name and the popular colloquial phrase ‘Netflix and chill’, focusing on 90s and early 2000s RnB. On establishing his lane, Nairaa says, “I was looking at my own interests and what music I always gravitated towards, and for me, RnB, for a long time, has been that.”
Naira and Chill (Streatham Space Project, August 2022) - Photograph By NJ
Nairaa muses, “Throwbacks are full of nostalgia, a feeling that’s hard to replicate. You can just see it in people’s faces. In the songs, from beginning to end, a lot of people can relate to what they’re hearing; and can remember where they were when they first heard it. So, as a genre, RnB is timeless. I never normally like to get involved in the whole discourse about like ‘is RnB dead?’ because RnB is very much alive.”
A rebranding venture occurred during lockdown, when DJ Nairaa decided, “I wanted to make the mix more like an audiobook… What if I was to find film scenes from classic Black cinema, and put those film scenes as interludes?” Melding his passion for music, graphic design, and community prompted the inception of Nairaa’s first event. “At first, I was thinking just to do an RnB party. Then I was like, one of the things that people love the most about Nairaa and Chill is how different it is, and a lot of that is down to even the whole audio experience of having the movie scenes. So, I’ve not seen it be done before, why not an RnB movie night?”
DJ Nairaa successfully transitioned his mixtape series from the airwaves to the streets and held the first in-person Nairaa and Chill event in May 2022. Nairaa and Chill had a home at Streatham Space Project for a year before moving to Boxpark Croydon following increased demand and consecutive sold-out events. DJ Nairaa always envisioned scaling up with Nairaa and Chill, divulging that he had boldly contacted the Boxpark team before he had thrown his first event. He chuckles as he exclaims, “I just love taking risks! It’s my delusion: it fuels me. It’s, like, why not? I’m always saying try a ting and see what happens.”
The vibes at a Nairaa and Chill are truly wholesome. The event is an immersive cinema experience that is adapted for a primarily RnB, alternative, soul crowd, setting itself apart by using film to connect its audience. The first hour of the night is dedicated to mingling, grabbing food and drink, and getting comfortable with the sounds of a DJ set, which takes people back to the 90s/2000s. Then, a classic Black film is shown. The 90s and 2000s were a formative time for Black music and the films which were made during the time were a snapshot of that. Screenings have included ‘‘The Best Man’ and ‘Dream Girls’ (“You can imagine how it just turned into a full-on musical choir in the crowd!”). The night ends with lively karaoke and soulful sing-alongs.
Black Twitter has affectionately dubbed 2024 as the year of the yearners, encouraging the resurgence of intense eye contact, lipsing in the club, and front-faced slow whining. Nairaa says that this has only helped the branding for Nairaa and Chill. He declares, “We’re bringing real love back, we’re bringing back that boom box love outside of your window.” It’s an energy reminiscent of the soft romance and unapologetic love present in 90s and 2000s RnB music videos, where it was standard to witness men dancing earnestly in the rain as they begged for their ladies back through song. On cultivating a recognisable brand and alternative spaces within the Black British event circuit, Nairaa notes, “As a people, we have so many different interests, different hobbies, and I feel like that should be reflected not only in media but also in your ability to go and have a good time… It’s called Nairaa and Chill: it’s an opportunity to come down with your friends, on a date, maybe, on a solo date, even. And it’s a space, or at least the community that’s coming, what I love the most is how welcoming everyone is.”
On the flip side, for those looking to shake a leg, look no further than Nairaa, Chill and RnB. DJ Nairaa likes to view Nairaa, Chill and RnB as a “spinoff”, or an “after party” to Nairaa and Chill. When it comes to distinguishing between the party and the film night, he explains, “The main thing with the party is championing the new sounds, as there are tons of artists. I love nostalgia, I love a throwback, but we also have to usher in the new-gen as well.”
Regarding the future of Nairaa and Chill, Nairaa says that what’s most important is to “keep momentum, keep growing. It’s also staying as innovative as possible… I deffo want to take Nairaa and Chill outside of London… We’re touching Manchester this month, which should be really fun...”
Life as a DJ is only becoming more exciting for Nairaa. He recently returned from SL’s (best known for song ‘Tropical’) month-long tour of Australia and New Zealand, an experience that made him realise “how far UK culture has come.” When it comes to his long-term goals, Nairaa is running the race at his own pace and knows exactly what he’s aiming towards. He wants to continue hitting career milestones, such as performing at the Mixtape Madness Takeover at the Royal Albert Hall this April, and “to bring back real music with a ‘K’.”
The smile and determination are evident in Nairaa’s voice as he declares, “I want to make memories, man, I want to make moments! I want it to be a thing where you know going to a Nairaa set is something special; it’s different, you know that you’re going to end up hearing songs that you haven't heard in years, or songs you wish you would hear more often in the clubs. I want to be the DJ that you see on a line-up and you’re like, ‘I’m there, I can’t miss that.’”
