To Celebrate the Launch of Record Label ‘Up Ya Archives’ Nia Archives Drops ‘Get Loose’ with Cheetah

Nia Archives is always a step ahead. So starting her own label just made sense. Up Ya Archives name says it all — a home for everything new gen junglism. 150 to 170 bpm, no tidy categories – just good jungle. Next to the launch, she dropped a track that says everything about what this label stands for.

‘Get Loose’ is a jungle and soca link-up. Not something one would initially marry together but it really works.

Produced by Bristol’s own Cheetah, it shows how easily music can cross over. Even if we don’t speak the same language or eat the same breakfast, we can still meet in the middle through sound.

Cheetah being from Bristol makes sense too. It’s a home for jungle music. If you grew up there, you’ve probably raved at Lakota or Motion, maybe ended up at Black Swan if things got weird. If you’ve been around longer, it was spots like Blue Mountain or Clockwork Orange. These weren’t just clubs — they were part of the blueprint. Some still are, the ones still standing.

‘Get Loose’ takes you between rave and carnival — from the sound of multi-coloured whistles and percussion to the weight of the bassline, Nia and Cheetah go back and forth on the track. You can hear how much fun they had recording it.

They first connected through Bandcamp. Nia came across Cheetah’s Sike! EP, dropped ‘Spin Sugar’ in her debut BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix, and from there, the collabs started flowing naturally. So did their friendship.

The visuals for ‘Get Loose’? Warehouse raves. Shot in East London, directed by Jay-D, produced by Mia Henderson and styled by Jessica Skeete-Cross — it captures ravers of all ages, side by side. One minute you’re in the mix with your friends the next you’re side by side with someone’s 56-year-old uncle, moving like he’s been doing this for years.

Nia’s been showing range off the dancefloor too. She recently featured in a short film with CP Company, spotted in  the denim capsule from their SS025 collection. The piece focuses on her story and the connection she shares with the Italian brand, built on culture and curiosity.

She’s also just launched the Up Ya Archives x NTS Residency — airing 5–6pm every month. And with 8–12 releases a year lined up, you’ll definitely be hearing a lot more from Up Ya Archives.

‘Get Loose’ is great. Curious to see where Nia takes this next.

Words by Valentina Reynolds