iona
DJ | Producer
iona’s bio on RA reads as dj / round earth believer and in the age of conspiracy theories running rife, it doesn’t seem odd to see the latter. Listening to her mixes on Foundation FM, Dummy, Groove Podcast and Rinse though, the caption could also include purveyor of 90s house nostalgia, Shoom smileys, UK jungle and anti-algorithm bangers dj / round earth believer. And that doesn’t even scratch the surface of iona’s collection.
Having worked her way through the most underground of offerings on London's club circuit, iona has come a long way from manning the door of Dalston’s now deceased Dance Tunnel to making her Panorama Bar debut at the end of 2019 — a memory that’s still fresh when gigs have been non-existent for almost a year now.
Sharing her sound at Field Maneuvers (both at the festival itself and FM nights in London), at home in the capital at Corsica Studios, Rye Wax, Tola, Venue MOT and many more, iona's name has also cropped up in Albania’s Kala festival, Amsterdam’s Claire club and of course, Berlin’s Panorama Bar. With a well-travelled ear and eye that adapts to different audiences and vibes, it’s clear that playing a plethora of DIY to big-room raves has contributed to iona’s genre-defying library and dexterous mixing.
Below, iona shares a memory from one of the many Field Maneuvers she has played and worked at over the last number of years. She also talks about her collaborative project with the City Lit students as part of an instalment on NTS Radio, the productions she has on the horizon and more…
Fruity loops 🍑 Photo: Henry the Accountant
Where was this photo taken and why did you choose it?
This was taken at the 2019 Field Maneuvers staff party after the festival, which had been so much fun.
The whole weekend was really inspiring and I was buzzing in the afterglow of dancing hard for 3 nights and being a part of such a good line-up. A few of us (including Gout aka DJ Hecktick pictured here next to me) gathered around the fruit machine and played on it for ages, soundtracked by lots of happy hardcore on the mini-rig courtesy of Henry the FM accountant. We also had Power-Pill — Pac-Man on heavy rotation conjuring the spirit of the Pac Man fruity from the year before. A couple of weeks later I played a dream gig at Panorama Bar from 9am-12pm and loads of amazing mates flew to Berlin for the party, I closed the room with Pac-Man before the party moved outside into the garden for the afternoon. I have really good associations with the tune and this photo brings them all back.
How have you been over the last while and what is life like in London?
I’ve been mostly fine on a personal level, I have a comfortable set up at home so I feel lucky in that sense. I grew up in Hackney, so my family and friends are all nearby so I have still been able to see people throughout the past year. I’ve been doing a lot of walking and through that found new forms of appreciation for my locality, which has been a silver lining.
You recently released a track 'Snacc Attacc' under the moniker ‘Midnight Snacc’ on Don't Be Afraid recordings. Is this a new project you're working on?
Yes, it’s a new collaboration project from myself and Semtek. We’ve also remixed ‘Your Body’ by Ikonika which is coming out next month (also on DBA) and there’ll be more stuff on the way soon.
You also worked with the Soundscapes students at the City Lit, tell us how that project came about and what you enjoyed about putting the mix together for NTS?
My dad teaches the course there which is for adults with learning disabilities. I had long been interested in their work, and the reflective nature of the pandemic consciousness coupled with the shutdown of dance events made it feel apt to put across something different musically. None of the music had been broadcast before so I was really excited at the prospect of a new audience of NTS listeners hearing this wonderfully unique material for the first time. Working with these recordings was a really engaging process; the earnest and uncontrived nature of the material created for me a powerful sense of authenticity which I felt able to connect with emotionally at a time when I felt detached from music and other people.
As an artist, how are you currently feeling about the future?
Excited but uncertain, I really hope the government doesn't set us back (again) by relaxing measures too soon (again) but the thought of dancing with others obviously has a very strong allure. I’m interested to see if the party scene will have a more local focus - I’d like to see a landscape where people feel stronger connections and responsibility towards to one another and the physical space we share, as the hardships of living in isolation have shone a light on the ugly imbalances in society and the apathy of the tories towards vulnerable members of the public and the environment. It’d be nice to move forwards with more of a socially conscious, united, community vibe within nightlife in London - not that those sentiments haven’t existed within pockets of the underground scene before.
Back to the present moment. Tell us how the photo below is something that brings you happiness or comfort in your day-to-day life right now?
This is my dog Thali. We’ve been together for 10 years and she has always been a joy to have around, but the past year has seen our day to day plans in alignment much more in the form of long walks on the marshes and movie nights on the sofa.
Thali 🐾 Photo: iona