In conversation with Niamh
Maeve de Bordóns Álvarez
February 2025
For February’s installment of our mix and interview series, we are delighted to welcome Niamh, an artist and broadcaster from the North East of England, whose music selections are unafraid to explore invigorating soundscapes melding between pulsating, hypnotic offerings to psychedelic, tripped-out affairs and beyond as well as a long-term friend and supporter of the label and one of the best selectors around.
Such musicality, built on the foundations of classical and theoretical musical training from young, is embodied through her Into The Deep concept. Existing in its current iteration as a multimedia project embracing audio, video, written and spoken word, even in its infancy Into The Deep offers a unique contribution to club culture.
Niamh is also a regular voice on radios like Crop Radio, with multiple shows on Rinse FM and other acclaimed stations - Niamh presents more widely and is founder of the highly-regarded Belta podcast. Across its two years, the podcast - singlehandedly produced, hosted and organised by herself - showcased a range of folk in club culture from the north. Its archives, featuring guests from across the electronic music spectrum, are available on all major streaming services.
Niamh’s finger is consistently on the pulse with an eagerness to share new music due to her extensive digital work, too. Currently Marketing Executive at The Warehouse Project, she spent 3 years as Weekend Editor at Mixmag, profiling DJs including Anetha and Anfisa Letyago regularly sharing new releases from cutting edge electronic artists. She has also worked on a freelance basis for Pioneer DJ, Resident Advisor, Beatport, DJ Mag, Universal Records and Defected Records’ Faith Fanzine.
Thank you so much for this fabulous mix, how are you feeling about this year?
Thank you for the invite! I’m excited. It’s a year where I’m prioritising myself, going with the flow and trusting the process.
You’re an artist, broadcaster and have recently graduated from your masters, do you feel your music practice and writing feed into each other?
It feels that way! They’re two distinct ways of articulating myself creatively, but I’ll give you a prime example of them intertwining: as I’m curating a mix, it’ll often be reflective of a particular mood or state of mind, which will in turn stimulate me to write down a passage or some words to really pinpoint my state of mind.
The processes of music (whether DJing or writing my own material) and words are both very cathartic for me – they’re my personal forms of self expression.
Niamh Ingram photographed by Annie Feng
Can you tell us a bit about where you grew up, and how you found your love for writing words and mixing music?
I grew up in the North of England, which is a place I always bang on about, because in music this area - particularly the North East region - is massively overlooked across all creative outlets, if you will. We’re ‘too far away’ from city ‘hubs’ and therefore often it’s a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’’ – and it’s a shame, because there’s so much flourishing and vibrant creative talent up here.
My love for both writing and music started when I was tiiiiny. As a child I used to sit and write mini books and stories (I always wanted to be Jacqueline Wilson) and make my own magazines, and I was brought up around my parents playing music at nearly every opportunity. I went along to all sorts of gigs and live music events with my parents across all sorts of genres, so everything just flourished from there. One lovely day, I had an epiphany that I could write about music and combine my two loves - there’s a couple of now defunct music blogs I used to have that have existed - and everything essentially bloomed from there.
I think the key thing is that writing offered a springboard and opened my eyes to the digital world more broadly, which I did two degrees and thesis in, and I just have a straight up obsession/fascination with digital environments, algorithms, and all of that fun stuff.
Jaguar recently played your track “the golden ratio” on BBC1, first of all, congratulations! How do you approach creating music and can we expect more of this in 2025?
Thank you! I’m classically and theoretically trained in music, so I definitely apply a lot from my violin days when it comes to production in terms of techniques I enjoyed when playing the violin, with regards to phrasing or how I’d express a track, for example. I think you probably can expect more to come – producing electronic material was something that was more of a hobby, but since Jag picked it up, I definitely feel more confident to play my own stuff when I’m DJing and share it with others. I’m just letting it all flow and I’m excited to see what comes out the other side.
For this mix you created, you noted that “expectation is the most crippling cognition, allow things to just be”, how would you say this philosophy transfers into your creativity?
I used to put a lot of pressure on myself to set super strict goals, and it got to a point where I felt like I was running a rat race. It swiftly became clear, though, that the most amazing opportunities that have come my way emerged when I least expected – they’re things you just can’t plan for. I’ve realised that if I do what I love, those who it resonates with and associated opportunities will just naturally emerge. There’s no point in trying to push for things; of course, work hard and be persistent, but don’t force it to the point of what you’re doing feels unnatural, you know?
Niamh’s words on her mix for La bonne musique
Your newsletter, “Into the Deep” features interviews with some really great DJs, what are some of your favourite ways of discovering new music and artists?
Radio! I LOVE radio. I also enjoy a good Bandcamp dig, or YouTube, Discogs… once I find a producer or label I love, I will trawl through their archives. Instagram has even been great recently – my explore page is a goldmine for forthcoming tracks.
What are some of the key labels, songs or artists that have shaped your taste and vision?
So many, so I’m going to give you a list!
Artists: La La, HAAi, Mabel, Luke Slater, GiGi FM, IMOGEN, DJ Mell G, Donato Dozzy, DVS1, Dr Rubinstein, Nite Fleit, Effy, Ellen Allien, Massive Attack, The Prodigy… off the top of my head!
Labels / collectives: Juicy Gang Records, Mala Junta, Mama Told Ya, Tresor, Fuse Brussels’ imprint.
What is something you would love to see more of when you go out to parties?
More lineups that aren’t all-male, please! My biggest pet hate. And that’s inclusive of no more token one woman on warmup duties, thank you…
And to finish, what would you like to see more of in music journalism?
I think this is applicable to all creative disciplines within music: less London-centricity (sorry to break it to you, not everyone knows where or what Dalston is!), genuine interest and investment into talent from across the UK and more opportunities for working class people that aren’t just a tokenistic unpaid internship.
Tracklist
Angel - RONI
HAVOC - Conntext, SloMo
Drink The Juice (Extended Mix) - Juicy Romance
I WANT YOU - DJ BLUSH
Wolf Bat - Mabel
DeFol (Hyperaktivist remix) - BASHKKA
Divorce - ESSENCE
Detector - Noah Tauber
Duetto - Donato Dozzy
NINETEEN - DJ MELL G
Work - dogheadsurgeri
Subconscious - Stonk
Chromo - Alarico
студ - Celli G Hustle
red carpet - cerrot
Alice in a K-Hole - vanya velin
Keep up with Niamh on Instagram, Soundcloud, listen to her Belta podcast, and read her newsletter Into the Deep.