NTS Don't Assume with Zakia

Oct 17 2024 15 ep. 33 mins 25

NTS Don't Assume with Zakia Podcast artwork

Don’t Assume is a long-form interview series from NTS, presented by Zakia. In this podcast Zakia will be talking to pioneers, disruptors and innovators about their lives and music.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Obongjayar

Oct 17 2024 36 mins

If you don’t yet know the name Obongjayar, you will. Since emerging in 2016 he’s made a series of gradual but intentional moves, launching his debut album in 2022 and collaborating with some big hitters like Little Simz, Pa Salieu, Danny Brown and Fred Again. Growing up in Nigeria where power cuts were a regular occurrence, he would often only catch half a song on the

RP Boo

Oct 10 2024 29 mins

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 rhyt

Susan Cadogan

Oct 03 2024 36 mins

A short-sighted librarian who prides herself on being responsible, reliable and getting home early, Anne ‘Susan’ Cadogan might have been a surprising match for the legendary producer Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry. But it was her version of Hurt So Good, produced by Scratch in 1975, that saw Susan catapult to fame. As the song rose up the UK charts, Susan found herself on a flig

Hieroglyphic Being

Sep 26 2024 30 mins

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 hi

Vashti Bunyan

Sep 19 2024 30 mins

In the 1960s Vashti Bunyan burned all her possessions, saddled up a horse and cart and set off for Donovan’s Scottish island with her boyfriend. So far, so pastoral. But Vashti’s story is not a counter cultural fantasy, and Vashti is not the folksy heroine people assume she is.Vashti was born in 1945 in Newcastle, named after a rebel queen from Persia and she lives up to her na

Yaeji

Sep 12 2024 29 mins

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

Thundercat

Sep 05 2024 26 mins

Thundercat doesn’t follow the rules. From his tattoo of the word NO, to his genre-bending playing and extensive collection of cat hair, he's an artist who keeps us guessing and is the perfect guest for Don’t Assume. The bassist, singer, and producer has become a key figure in the West Coast jazz, funk, and R&B scene alongside the likes of Kamasi Washington and Flying L

Diamanda Galás

Sep 03 2024 35 mins

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 a

Don't Assume - Season 2

Sep 02 2024 1 mins

Zakia Sewell is back with another season of Don't Assume, brought to you by NTS. This is an interview podcast where avant-garde composer, vocalist, and performance artist Diamanda Galás shared the same feed as Korean-American electronic music producer, DJ, and singer Yaeji alongside Thundercat, Vashti Bunyan and many more... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mor

Lisa Maffia (So Solid Crew)

Aug 30 2023 41 mins

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 j