Hailing from London, Nadia Ksaiba is best known for her residencies at 'Our Disco' and 'Go Bang'. With
regular DJ slots at 'Bugged Out!' and 'Fabric' , Ksaiba has
consistently shown her unique ear for the dance floor, know matter what
the latest fad may be.
We are eager to get down to her hotly tipped disco 'Say Yes' and
happy to have her up to spin at Naive Melody. Here's a little peek into
the past, present and future...
1. Nadia Ksaiba, who are you, where are you from, what do you do?
I DJ and put on a small party called Say Yes in London. I also
make/present radio shows for Diesel U Music and (this is so cliche)
i'm dabbaling in music production working with some great people.
2. You have recently started a new party ("Say Yes" with Rory
Phillips). How does this differ to your previous parties? (Our Disco /
Go Bang) Is it purely about showcasing different forms of music from
your other parties?
We are trying to create a night that celebrates that core locality,
moving away from "destination events" like Our Disco, No big name DJs and
most people who go can probably walk home at the end of the night. Our
current venue (The Star of Bethnal Green) is perfect for this.
3. You have always been supportive of a lot of the New York punk
funk stuff. Why do you think stuff like this, and more recently italo
and krautrock, have become much more widely popular in the last couple
of years?
It is exactly the same as it was 5 years ago with Output and DFA and five
years before that Mowax and Liquid Liquid. I don't think it has suddenly got
more popular, it's just reached another new audience. For example,
Nuphonic had a massive disco / italo influence and every electro(clash)
and techno night in 2000 had the word "italo" on the flyer.. now every
electro / nu rave club have the word "disco" on the flyer.
The point is, this stuff is the backbone of dance music - it doesn't
just "become big" The more people move away from the core values of
disco eg that big, warm, raw
sound to make shitty tinny techincal ableton dance music then
obviously, the more people will be into the raw analogue stuff to make
up the equilibrium.
4. We live in times where hyped djs, bands and genres seem to rise and
fall overnight. Do you think this is destructive to the scene or does
it help keep things fresh and interesting?
Not to sit on my laurels, but I've been doing this for a while and
I'm not currently sure whether I am qualified to talk for or about a
new scene / scenes. I seem to get lumped with a whole new, new disco
thing I think, probably because there is a lot of new recognition and
interest in some of the very classic records I play.
5. Which bands, artists, labels are doing it for you at the minute?
Andy Blake and Dissident, Henry Riton, Kitty, Daisy and Lewis, Marina
and the Diamonds, Rory Phillips, DJ Thomas Whitehead and his Cotton
Loft Parties
6. And what were you listening to growing up? Was there one record in particular that made you want to start DJing?
No one record in particular...It was having lots of records that made me want
to start DJing.
7. Whats been your most memorable gig over the last few years?
Ibiza. A few weeks ago. Epic. Silly. OTT.
8. Finally, whats the one record / album you would choose for the following situations....
a) Mates around for dinner...
Blues, Rock n Roll, Jazz. Old stuff, 50's or earlier
b) Getting ready to go out...
The New Sins, Human League
c) Just split up with someone...
Magic FM heels the heart.
d) Last record of the night at your best ever gig....
Stand on the World - Larry Levan
- 'Say Yes mix' [right click to save]
01 Vijay Benedict - I Am A Disco Dancer
02 Thelonious Monk - Rhythm-A-Ning
03 Art Ensemble of Chicago - Theme De Yo Yo
04 Andre Willaims - God Father Part 1
05 Man friday - Love Honey Love Heartache (Larry Levan Remix)
06 Hey Willpower - Uh-Uh-Uh (Strategy Remix)
07 Tomboy - Swan (Extended)
08 LCD Soundsystem - Freak out
09 Unkown - Love Cant Turn Around
10 Padded Cell - Faces of the Forest
11 Cerrone - Hooked On You
12 Orlando Riva Sound - Moonboots (A Tom Moulton Mix)
13 Giuseppe Manuele - Are You Down
14 Tomboy - Something
15 Wekan - Skid
16 Luke Eargoggle - Mind of a Moog
