Slikback, Lord Spikeheart, Aho Ssan, Blood of Aza

Syphen x Baba Yaga's Hut presents Slikback, Lord Spikeheart, Aho Ssan, Blood of Aza and MVCOKO at ICA Bookstore, London, on May 22, 6:30 pm to 11:00 pm.

Diasporic explorations

A celebration of the Black diaspora through sonic dualities. Syphen, Baba Yaga's Hut and the ICA team up to bring artists from the Black diaspora together for a deep dive into experimentalism.

Slikback

Slikback (real name: Fredrick M. Njau) is an electronic producer from Nairobi, Kenya, focusing on experimental music, noise, bass and high-intensity rhythms. His sound has taken various forms as an expression of different ideas and emotions, and can be found across multiple releases. Attrition (July 18, 2025) is his first full-length album for Planet Mu, melding cinema and game sound design with dance music, drawing on elements of gqom, dubstep, techstep and hardcore techno.

Lord Spikeheart

Over the past decade, Kenyan vocalist, songwriter and producer Martin Kanja, better known as Lord Spikeheart, has emerged in African metal. His music blends death metal growls, sharp‑edged screams and rap with heavy, high‑energy instrumentals. His debut album, The Adept, released on his label HAEKALU. In September 2025, Lord Spikeheart returned with Reign, an EP that weaves industrial elements, death metal, grindcore, African rhythmic traditions and club‑driven energy, featuring collaborations with Iggor Cavalera, Brodinski and Togolese band Arka’n Asrafakor. He is known for high‑energy live performances.

Aho Ssan

Aho Ssan is the artist name of Paris-based Niamké Désiré. After studying graphic design and cinema, he began to compose electronic music and create his own digital instruments. His debut LP, Simulacrum, was released via Subtext Recordings. Based on the concept of Jean Baudrillard, it contrasts society’s presentation of inclusivity and equality with his experience of growing up Black in France.

Blood of Aza

Blood of Aza is a London-based artist, producer and DJ whose sonic palette ranges from soothing MIDI lullabies and club edits to ambient soundscapes. Gaining prominence on SoundCloud with remixes of pop and rap artists, she released her debut EP, Beneath Wings, on Berlin-based label Soulfeeder in late 2022, followed by the self-released album I Heard Your Calls in 2024. Her work spans dissonant noise and delicate atmospherics.

MVCOKO

MVCOKO is a London-based DJ, producer and founder of Syphen. Their work engages with intense emotions, using layered, narrative-driven sets to trace arcs that shift between chaos and calm. Their sets blend noise, punk, industrial, hardcore, film scores and ambient for a form of sonic storytelling.