Shy One – DJ, producer, curator and self-confessed hat person – has spent years building spaces where Black electronic music is centred, from her roots in BBZ to Private World, the back-to-back partnership she runs with Ruby Savage. Her album Mali opens with her mum, Dianne, flicking through a tape collection, and that inheritance – radio, records, raving – runs through everything she does.
Now she’s curating Queer Frequencies – a free queer takeover of East Bank at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on 22-23 August 2026, part of the Music is Black Festival series – and we caught up with her about what a genuinely safe dancefloor needs in 2026, the legacy she wants young Black and queer listeners to seek out, and the 30-plus hats she still can’t part with.
You’ve spoken about BBZ as a space nothing has quite filled since. How much of that ethos – brave spaces, a strict door, music first – are you carrying into East Bank, and what does a genuinely safe dancefloor need in 2026?
To an extent, the standard of music is the only thing that I’ll bring to the event via curation. The needs of a dancefloor are something that will be ever-changing and is based on the needs of the individuals attending; you can’t ensure people’s safety but being in conversation and listening to their concerns is vital to making it as comfortable as possible.
Mali opens with your mum, Dianne, going through her tape collection. What did you want people to understand about where you come from by starting the album there?
My mum introduced me to a lot of the music that influenced me and makes up much of my taste and record collection today. I have definitely inherited her love for radio, record collecting and raving. Most of my music is instrumental yet communicates some of my identity and roots. This was a nice way of sharing some of my story in a less abstract way.
You’ve called the record “a celebration of Black electronic artists” and a nod to a legacy that’s often erased from the story of dance music. What do you most want listeners – especially young Black and queer ones – to take from it?
For those unaware of the roots of this music I’d love for them to be more curious, seek it out and feel more confident going into spaces where it’s played, despite being a minority in them.
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We have to talk about the hats. You’re a self-confessed hat person and stepped into this era in a fur-horned headpiece – what’s the story behind your collection, and is there one you’ll never part with?
I got rid of a few this summer but I’ve still got 30+ hats. I’ll go through phases where I’ll be into a type of hat and then buy a few, for instance last 2 years it’s been Kangols. My head gets cold and I like to accessorize!
Nonchalant sits where queer culture and fashion meet. How much is style part of how you tell your story?
Style isn’t just clothes and how you wear them, it can be how you go about things. I’d like to think that my own style of DJing and producing has helped draw people in along my journey. I may be playing much of what they’ve already heard and can hear from others but how I do it makes it different (I hope lol).
You and Ruby Savage run Private World. What does playing back-to-back all night with someone you’re that in sync with give you that a solo set can’t?
You can be surprised, caught off guard, educated, it’s like the difference between talking to yourself and having a conversation with someone. I especially enjoy being kept on my toes and having to come with a response to a track she plays.
See you there,
Nonchalant x
Your next read: Queer Frequencies 2026: everything you need to know
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This article was written by one of our creative team writers here at Nonchalant Magazine.
