Juba ties together sounds and rhythms from the African diaspora and beyond in a mix that mirrors her ideal club night.
British-Nigerian artist Juba has built a strong reputation as one of Europe’s most thrilling DJs, particularly in Berlin where she has been based since 2018. Juba’s sets and mixes draw on her Nigerian heritage, combining dance music from Africa and the African diaspora with genres including techno and UK funky, bringing together music from different corners of the globe through her own unique perspective.
A regular host on Berlin’s Cashmere Radio and member of London’s Boko! Boko! collective, Juba is also the creator of Assurance, a 2020 documentary and subsequent podcast series that interviewed women DJs in Nigeria and the global south about their experiences. In September 2022, Juba launched her own club night in Tresor’s newly refurbished Globus space called BPM aka Beats Power Movement, a venture with Saevi Agency’s Sara Avitabile that aims to bring new energy to one of Berlin’s oldest techno institutions.
This spirit is present throughout her 90-minute Fact Mix, which plays out like Juba’s ideal club set, moving through melancholic and yearning vibes to joyous party heaters at the end, packing in music from DJ Lag, Ploy, Roska, Anz, Sansibar and many more. “The mix is coming off the back of a busy summer and I feel like it encapsulates the fun, free and energetic spirt of festivals and events that I’ve played at this year like Fusion Festival, Balance Festival, Glastonbury, Reverse Engineering, BPM of course and more,” Juba says. “When I was putting the mix together, I imagined it being a kind of sonic journey through the different rooms and DJ sets at my ideal club night. It eases in, reaches an intense peak and then ends on a rhythmic high, which is how I like my sets to flow.
“The mix contains snatches of sounds and rhythms that are diverse and from totally different musical ecosystems, but they still somehow fit really well together,” she continues. “The core of my music is electronic music from African countries, but I feel like a spectrum of sounds, representing multiple influences are truly encapsulated in it, with a flow from Afrotech to gqom, global bass, Asokpor, drum and techno and flavours in between. I also added in my first production by the name of ‘Show Dem Fire’ and I was pretty chuffed that I could mix it into ‘Melodie Glaçe’ by Nídia, which is one of my favourite tracks right now.”
Follow Juba on Instagram and SoundCloud. Buy her track ‘Show Dem Fire’ at Bandcamp.
Tracklist:
Pablo Fierro – ‘Kalaa’
DJ Satellite – ‘Kemuda Siyeza’ (Demented Soul & Noxious DJ Afro Mix)
Fiyadread – ‘Log In’
Dlala Thukzin feat. Iso – ‘Nika Nika’ (Magical Remix)
Themba – ‘Who Is Themba?’
Dlala Thukzin – ‘Small Boys (feat. Kususa & Bongo)
DJ QUE – ‘Night Vision’ (feat. Nana Atta, Mampintsha & Karyendasoul)
STATE OFF – Into the Jungle (feat. Omagoqa)
Avicii x Dee Traits – Levels (Dee Traits Bootleg)
Zvri – ‘Kontrol’ (feat. Cue)
Surreal Sessions – ‘Danger, Gevaar, Ingozi’
Griffit Vigo – ‘Come To Durban’
Avernian – ‘She Dances In The Rain’
DJ Lag – ‘Shululu’ (feat. K.C Driller & Loki)
Worst Behaviour – ‘Abenzi Bezinto’ (feat. Okmalumkoolkat, Skillz & DJ Lag)
Tribal Brothers – ‘Tribal Drums’
PLOY – ‘Stinky’
Alex Index – ‘Four Point Five’ (Circuit Remix)
Murder He Wrote – ‘Future’
Gafacci – ‘Amazonto 2.0’
Roska – ‘Pree Me’ (feat. Nakamura Minami)
Noire x Lobby – ‘ClubS