Cassie Kinoshi, seed., NikNak, London Contemporary Orchestra
Biography Cassie Kinoshi, seed., NikNak, London Contemporary Orchestra
Cassie Kinoshi
is a Mercury Prize-nominated (2019) and Ivors Academy Award-winning (2018) Berlin/London-based composer, arranger and alto-saxophonist with a focus on creating multi-disciplinarily and genre-blending performance work in various audio-visual contexts. As a bandleader, she writes for and performs with her ten-piece ensemble seed. which features many top London-based improvising musicians. She is a composition graduate of the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, where she studied with Andrew Poppy and Stephen Montague.
An in-demand composer for contemporary dance, film, visual-art and theatre, her production credits including the Park Avenue Armory NYC (Euphoria), National Theatre (Top Girls), the Globe Theatre (The Tempest), BalletBoyz (England on Fire and Bradley 4:18) and the Southbank Centre (Drew McConie's The Nutcracker). She has been commissioned by orchestras and ensembles such as London Symphony Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, London Contemporary Orchestra, Manchester Camerata and initiatives such as Renaud Capuçon’s Festival Nouveaux Horizons in Aix-en-Provence, France.
With a keen interest in audio-visual, installation and combined-genre ensemble performance, in 2021, Cassie was Artist-in-Resident for London Unwrapped festival at King’s Place. Her residency included the world premiere of Three Suns Suite for Aurora Orchestra featuring members of seed. Synthesis a night curated by Cassie of forward-reaching artists from London and echo an immersive installation created in collaboration with visual artist Anne Verheij with score featuring electronic soundscapes, field recordings and members of Chineke! Orchestra.
Premiered to a sold-out Purcell Room at the Southbank Centre, her 2023 commission gratitude was written for members the London Contemporary Orchestra in combination with seed. and award-winning turntablist NikNak, accompanied by visuals by Birmingham/Belgrade-based artist GURIBOSH.
Cassie is also very passionate about working as an educator and workshop leader with outreach being an integral part of her performance work. In 2020 and 2021, she arranged and conducted a community ensemble for EFG London Jazz Festival’s She is Jazz: Womxn Make Music performance at the Southbank Centre and King’s Place and as part of her 2023 Southbank Centre commission, led a series of workshops and invited students to attend the premiere of gratitude.
NikNak
A woman with a highly impressive array of talents and skills, and a dynamic music creative with experimental albums and tracks/remixes on Come Play With Me, Kynant Records, OTONO, Reel Long Overdub under her belt, NikNak regularly redefines and expands upon her role as a ground-breaking multidisciplinary artist. Her debut album Bashi received acclaim from Resident Advisor, listed as one of their Best Albums in January 2021 as well as airplay on BBC Radio 3, Worldwide FM and Threads Radio. Previously mentored by Shiva Feshareki, Anna Meredith and Supriya Nagaranjan, NikNak became the first Black Turntablist in history to win the illustrious Oram Award in 2020, has been featured in well renowned publications such as Mixmag, Resident Advisor, Yorkshire Evening Post, Electronic Sound Mag, and DJ Mag, and received support from Arts Council, Brighter Sound, Launchpad, Sound UK, Sound and Music, and PRS Foundation.
A member of the Eve's Drop DJ Collective and listed as one of DJ-Mag’s “Ones To Watch in 2022”, NikNak continues to build upon her vast DJ-ing experience having blown audiences away with her eclectic DJ sets at festivals like Wilderness, We Out Here, Leeds International Festival, Bestival and more, as well as running the "Dub Sirens" and "Melanin" events in Leeds. NikNak also is dedicated to expanding her unique Turntablism practice within immersive surround-sound compositions and improvised performances, working tirelessly to develop her sounds to show audiences just how robust and experimental her music can be with her outspoken, passionate, bubbly and comic book-nerd personality.
NikNak has also played with/supported iconic artists/DJs such as Mr Scruff, Madlib, Awesome Tapes From Africa, Akala, Grandmaster Flash, Bradley Zero, Dan Kye, Princess Nokia, Commodo, MJ Cole, Chynna, CocoMarie and more, as well as appearing on the popular Telekom Electronic Beats youtube video alongside Mala, Caspa, Joker, Ila Brugel and Martyn 3024, showcasing her ever-expanding knowledge of early 2000s Dubstep history. Within the realm of radio, NikNak is well-versed as both a presenter and producer with her monthly show "Melanin" on Worldwide FM, showcasing many interpretations of Black music. Previously, she's also cut her teeth on popular stations such as BBC Radio Leeds, BBC Radio 1, Refuge Worldwide with her ambient/experimental show "Dystopia", Subtle FM, Swu.FM, Threads Radio, Narr Radio, Jazz FM and Demon FM.
NikNak has also ventured into the world of podcasting via "The Narrative" podcast, a safe space for Black non-male creatives to express openly about their worlds. NikNak also has been rapidly increasing her experience in theatre music production, composition and sound design, and has worked on productions such as "Dracula", "The Shit", and "The Princess and the Pea" at Leeds Playhouse. And if all that wasn’t enough, as the resident Turntablist/in-house producer of the group, NikNak is also a member of TC And The Groove Family, the bold and energetic UK-based 11-piece collective that thrives on exploring grooves and genres from around the world within their dynamic music.
With such a varied and deep wealth of experience and knowledge, time and time again NikNak regularly proves that she is one of the most productive music creatives working in the industry today, and continues to surprise everyone no matter the setting.
