Garden Nights: Anja Ngozi, Goya Gumbani, and La Bonita

Quietly redrawing the lines between genre and style, Anja Ngozi is a producer, DJ, composer and visual artist. Operating away from the centre, the outh east Londoner has built a reputation with her own productions and DJ sets. Following a catalogue of praised independent releases, she has brought her uniquely eclectic and intuitive sonics to soundtracks for Tate Modern, ICA, The Couch (Het Hem), V&A and more.

Her sought-after DJ sets move at her own freethinking pace, whether she’s exploring noise, ambient or high-tempo footwork. The same is true, doubled, for her club nights and collaborations through the label / collective she leads, Síbín.

Over the past few years, she’s made a notable impression with her work and aesthetic, (often including elements of youth or community work) and establishing herself artistically with a list of collaborators. These include creatives such as Tirzah, Puma Blue, Fatima, OKI & Maiya Blaney.

La Bonita, one of the most exciting Latin bands and collectives in the United Kingdom, made up of some of the best musicians on the current London jazz scene; both immigrant and first and second generation Latinos mixing up with the cultural melting pot of the capital. Bonita represents a new generation that understands tradition not as a static place, but as a living territory from which to create, dialogue, and reinvent. Their approach seeks to rescue and project the excellence and diversity of Colombian and Latin music to new audiences in the United Kingdom, Europe, and around the world. Having worked with the likes of Fruko and different staples of Latin Music in the UK and South America, Bonita is the living representation of a sound and culture beaming with experimentation, creativity and excellence.

Born in Brooklyn, Goya Gumbani’s relocation to South London in his teens opened a new world of possibilities. His free-flowing style and sensibilities — innate realness and an impeccable eye for detail — reflect his transatlantic upbringing. Goya crossfades his craft between London’s new generation of neo-soul and jazz artists and New York City’s hip-hop storytelling legacy.

Operating within various collectives throughout London, Goya is known both as a selector with his NTS show Chicken Foot Soup and a dynamic performer. His decade-long development as an artist and producer reached a breakthrough when he released his debut self-produced EP Morta & More Doves, a dedication to his sister, who passed away in 2018. His prolific output continued with various mixtapes, loosies, and EPs, including collaborative projects with producers Subculture (2021) and Kiina (2022), and 2023’s When The Past Bloomed featuring contributions from Pink Siifu, John Glacier, Lex Amor, Lord Apex, and others.

Following a much-loved COLORS session and profiles from Crack Magazine (“Gumbani is helping to revive and reimagine the city’s boom-bap legacy”) and the NME 100 list (“spoken word reminiscent of ’90s hip-hop greats and South London’s vibrant music scene”), Goya has gained further recognition from industry makers at the intersection of music and fashion, working with the likes of the late designer Virgil Abloh for Louis Vuitton, i-D Magazine, The Face, Metal Magazine, Nicholas Daley, British Vogue, and Bianca Saunders.