Gaika (musician)

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Gaika Tavares, known as Gaika, is a British singer, songwriter and rapper from South London. His first album, Basic Volume, came out in July 2018 on Warp Records. Warp describes it as "gothic dancehall and industrial electronics."

Gaika was born in Brixton, London. His parents are from Grenada and Jamaica, and they moved to the UK in the 1960s. He used to be part of the Manchester rap group Murkage. Before his album, he released the mixtapes Machine and Security and an EP called Spaghetto in 2016. The Guardian said his music blends Caribbean dancehall with London grime and also nods to R&B, trip-hop, grunge and Prince. Dazed called him "electronic music's answer to Basquiat," and Interview described his sound as "experimental R&B." He often describes his music as "Ghettofuturism."

Basic Volume received strong reviews. The Guardian praised it as a "terrific and populist debut," and it also got positive notes from the Financial Times, The Independent, Noisey and Music OMH.

In 2018 Gaika worked on System, an art project with Boiler Room and Somerset House Studios. It was a sculpture-style piece in the Lancaster Room at Somerset House. He said carnival and sound system culture are about space and staying visible.

In 2019 he released a mixtape called Heaters 4 the 2 Seaters on Warp. In 2020 he released the Seguridad EP on the Mexican label N.A.A.F.I. That year he also collaborated with Liberato and 3D on the song "We Come from Napoli" for the Ultras soundtrack by Francesco Lettieri.

In February 2024 he released Pretty Hands, an experimental art rock project with classical composer Paloma León, and the Dogtown EP. They performed it live at Rich Mix in Shoreditch as part of Not Crowded, a contemporary and experimental event series.

Gaika has spoken about social issues, including criticizing the police crackdown on drill music and discussing how Notting Hill Carnival is portrayed in the press. He has also written fiction for Dazed.