London producer Nia Archives has built a name for herself by reviving jungle, the frantically jittery sound that thrives on the UK underground before she was born. Last year, she released her dizzily inventive full-length debut Silence Is Loud, and I love that record. She manages to bring back a style that I'll always associate with the '90s, but without making it sound like a throwback exercise. Instead, she charges that sound with energy and hooks, and she makes it pop all over again. That's what happens on "Maia Maia," her new single with the Bristol DJ and producer Clipz.
Clipz about 20 years older than Nia Archives, so he remembers when jungle music was new; his track "Lost In Your Love," released under the name Redlight, was a top-10 UK chart hit in 2012. Three years ago, Nia Archives and Clipz teamed up for "No Time," a single with features from Beenie Man, Cristale, and ShaSimone. "Maia Maia" combines explosive breakbeats and a slow, heavy bassline with sampled samba chants, and it sounds cool as hell. Here's what Nia Arhives says about it:
Clipz and I wanted to capture some Brazilian junglist energy with "Maia Maia," drawing inspiration from legends like DJ Patife and DJ Marky. When we hit the studio, our vision was to create a track that could feel like the soundtrack to the 2026 World Cup. I’d come across this incredible samba group sample, paired it with an old Juno-106 I’d just picked up, and from there, "Maia Maia" was born.
Here's the Lauzza-directed "Maia Maia" video, which looks like it takes place inside a beach-themed Super Nintendo game.
The "Maia Maia" single is out now on Up Ya Archives.
