Nire is a Queens-born, feminist bass producer and DJ whose debut album, Radika, features only women collaborators, many of them New York natives like herself. She already lit the city afire with “Commie Mommie,” the tough sneer of a call to arms featuring Maluca (Washington Heights) and Nani Castle (Staten Island); here she returns with “Hopscotch,” a track with Castle and Nini Rey rapping over bass so hulking it approaches the aggressive whorl of industrial music.
The visuals are about an symbolic exchange of power, with certain fetish-wear costume choices and literal orchid-sharing alluding to a lite BDSM vibe. But that’s not necessarily meant to be taken quite so literally; “Hopscotch” is a “break-up, break-free song,” says Nire. “At times we need our armor to protect us, but if left on, it becomes our cage. It’s about listening to your blood, tapping into the flow of inner strength and light during dark times, and not allowing pain to make us weak by closing our hearts.” So it’s a love song, of sorts, even if the chorus goes “hopscotch all over your face.” Radika, which showcases Nire’s breadth for bass from UK-inspired sounds to those closer to homegrown, grittier hip-hop, is out now on Nature Sounds.
