#10 Karen Nyame KG
On ceviche in Ibiza, Nigerian food in Dalston, and hot drinks in the club
If there’s anyone who knows about rhythm, it’s Karen Nyame KG. The London-based DJ, producer and label owner is all for low-end, percussive drum patterns and addictive bounce. Traversing sounds between amapiano, afro house and UK funky in her own music as well as DJing, she captures the thrill of the club in motion as well as the sounds from London’s diaspora communities.
Coming up via releases on Goon Club Allstars and Hyperdub, KG has always drilled down into that sense of movement, while weaving warm melodies into her productions. Along her journey, she’s worked closely with the likes of Scratcha DVA and UNIIQU3, and has remixed Kelela and PinkPantheress, among others. Her own imprint, Rhythm In The City, debuted with her own three-part mover, the RED EP. The label began life as an event, “a party for the grown and sexy,” in its own words, which had its most recent run in August with Benji B.
When I catch her over video call, she’s just put out Rhythm Vol.1, a compilation of her productions alongside longtime friends and collaborators. Turns out, she really does it all. “It’s been hard work, running the label,” she says. “I do have a distributor that I work alongside, but pretty much I was in charge of the A&Ring, the budgeting, artwork, design and the creation and production of the project, too. But to see it all come together and have the reception that it has… yeah, I feel great.”
As well as being a beloved musical talent, Karen is also very funny. Below, we spoke about her Strongman training regime, East London’s finest eateries, and why more green rooms need to be providing hot chocolate.
Do you do much cooking at home?
I go through phases when I have the time, but I have to be in the mood for it. Like, I would rather be cooked for, el-oh-els. That’s my ideal situation. My friends are always laughing at me, ‘God, you’re so the type to get a chef.’ Because I’m such a woman of convenience. But at times, when I feel like it, absolutely, I’ll get in the kitchen, but it has to be an innate feeling. I have to plan in advance. I’m not really an impulsive cook, I have to gear myself up for it. I’m good at making a carbonara, chilli con carne, curries, yellow rice. I have my go-tos, and I rarely step outside the box. Baking – that’s not my strength. The most I can do is a good apple crumble, but cakes, not my forte. I’m so scared of putting in too much flour, so I’ll leave that to the experts.
What would you get your hypothetical chef to cook for you?
A good breakfast meal – some protein pancakes, eggs, spinach, mushrooms… I like to train a lot, so if they help me achieve my gym goals that’s good for me. A chef who’s really good with salads, so a good Greek salad with olives, feta cheese, tomatoes. Wow. Getting hungry already! Balanced meals, so not too much carbs but maybe some lamb, some seasoned veg.
I’m obsessed with watching videos of private chefs in the Hamptons on TikTok, they make incredible stuff.
The goals, the dream! To train I’ve gotta eat more, so if I had a chef they’d cook at certain times. Food is so stressful! What am I gonna eat today, what am I gonna eat tomorrow?
What kind of training do you do?
At present, it’s Strongman training. You’re gonna be like, wow, you’re actually crazy… it’s like sled pulls, farmer’s carries, where you’re carrying weights back and forth, sometimes you’re flipping tyres. It’s everything outside of the norm! But it keeps me coming back ‘cos I find the gym so boring. I like working out in various ways. Sometimes I box. I really don’t like running. In between touring and music you’re always at capacity so I’m only just now getting back into a routine in terms of training.
Speaking of touring, where have you tried local cuisines or great restaurants?
Recently I joined Honey Dijon at her residency in Ibiza, a venue called Playa Soleil, really gorgeous. I went to the restaurant to have a meal and, oh my God. It was amazing. It’s between that trip and when I went to Colombia with the British Council, I went to do a music exchange project – I travelled with Hagan, who’s another British-Ghanaian producer here, and we went to work with Afro-Colombian artists. The food was just so amazing, like fresh exotic fruit and sea bass ceviche – which I’m now hooked on. There was a cream-based tequila that the waiter made for me, which was absolutely gorgeous. I’m becoming more of a seafood person now. All my training went out the window.
You’re based in North London, do you have any favourite spots around where you are?
I live around Stoke Newington and Stamford Hill – I’ve pretty much lived here all my life. I was born in Tottenham, and I've gone back and forth between Tottenham and Hackney pretty much throughout my childhood years. There was this Caribbean hotspot – it’s so upsetting ‘cos I believe they shut down post-pandemic – called Bring Back Love, in Manor House, and indeed that food was cooked with love.
As for my favourites, there’s Abla in Dalston, which is Mediterranean-Turkish cuisine. Love a mixed grill! It’s my go-to after every event in the Dalston area. The hot bread and baba ghanoush… give it to me! Şömine is another good Turkish restaurant as well. Another nice restaurant in Homerton is a Nigerian place called Eko, it’s your traditional Nigerian cuisine… if my friends fancy some really hearty food on a Sunday we’d probably go over there and fill our bellies to the brim! Quite a few hotspots in East, I keep going back to the same places over and over.
You played the Deviation Carnival afterparty… do you have any go-tos when it comes to food there?
I’m doing Carnival regularly now that I’m playing quite a bit with Deviation, it's looking like a yearly thing. When I’m at Carnival, I tend to do the Sunday, so I just look at the stalls that smell the best. I let my nostrils pull me in and then decide from there! I'll probably go to a good jerk chicken spot. Grab a box. They’ve got good mac and cheese and rice and peas, maybe some curry goat. I tend to grab some food before I go on stage, or maybe after the performances, when the crowd starts to disperse a bit.
Is there anything edible on your rider?
So I have two edible additions. I clearly need to update my rider, because I realise, in comparison to my musical peers, it’s quite a humble rider! [laughs] I've got... I do love a packet of Haribos – it’s my addiction, I can’t help it. A good packet of Starmix, and some grapes for balance. For health. That’s pretty much it. I might need to add something because I do tend to get peckish. The older I get, the more I want a hot drink. I’m changing, Felicity, I really am. Just like, God, I could do with an oat milk latte at 2am before a set. It would feel so good! Depending on what country I’m in… like if I am in Berlin I can definitely get a coffee in the early hours. I think Berlin’s the only time I can have a good hot drink, to be honest! It’s actually fascinating. I’m trying to think of any other countries where I’ve had one, potentially Switzerland?
Hopefully other places will catch on to the hot drink vibe…
They need to get into it! Not everyone wants to have a drink, sometimes I’ve got to be in the mood for alcohol. It's not an essential for me to have alcohol, sometimes I just want a good old hot chocolate, like, let’s get it cracking!
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