Each month in the magazine we play an artist or group a series of tracks which they are asked to comment on – with no prior knowledge of what they are about to hear.

In The Wire 503/4 it is the turn of Sara Chen, aka Hyperdub mainstay Ikonika.

Here you can listen to a mix of the tracks our correspondent April Clare Welsh played to Ikonika during the interview, which is published in full in The Wire 503/4. To find out what they said about them, subscribers can read the interview in our online magazine library here. Or you can buy a copy of the magazine in our online shop.

But first, a brief biography of our subject:

Born in West London, Ikonika began learning the drums aged 11 and played in metal and hardcore bands during their teens before making the leap to electronic production in the mid-2000s. With two older sisters, they grew up surrounded by garage, R&B and pirate radio, and eventually began making beats on Fruity Loops/FL Studio in their bedroom before finding a home at Hyperdub with their debut 12", Please/Simulacrum, in 2008, just as dubstep was beginning to splinter.

Their first album for Hyperdub, Contact, Love, Want, Have, followed two years later, serving up a melange of post-dubstep and electronic sounds – from chiptune to UK funky – that would come to define their hybrid club productions. Over the years, they have continued to innovate, adding bumps of grime, drill and amapiano, and working with MCs, producers and vocalists such as fellow Hyperdub artist Jessy Lanza, Karen KG Nyame, Hackney grime MC Jammz, dancehall artist 45DiBoss, and many more.

Recent years have seen Ikonika increasingly bring their own vocals into their productions, and this creative shift is at the heart of their new record SAD. They take inspiration on the album from South African dance music, particularly gqom and bacardi, and the disc features contributions from interdisciplinary artist and writer Tice Cin, as well as Zambian producer SHE Spells Doom and Dutch grime artist JLSXND7RS. Ikonika describes the LP “as close to my final form as I've known” and said that in reckoning with being queer and trans in public life, they set out on a journey of “finding my voice without fear speaking first”.

The Jukebox was carried out over a video call, with Ikonika calling in from the Waterloo studio they share with producer and Night Slugs director Bok Bok.

Tracklist (with time stamps)

Introspekt (00:00)
“Dilation”
From Moving The Centre
(Tempa) 2025

Jessy Lanza (05:01)
“You Never Show Your Love” (Teklife Mix)
From You Never Show Your Love
(Hyperdub) 2015

Unique 3 (09:05)
“The Theme”
TEN 12" 1989

Martyn (13:40)
“Mega Drive Generation”
From Five Years Of Hyperdub
(Hyperdub) 2009

Loraine James (19:55)
“Glitch The System (Glitch Bitch 2)”
From Gentle Confrontation
(Hyperdub) 2023

Girl Unit (23:30)
“Wut”
Night Slugs 12"
2010

Scratcha DVA featuring Lady Lykez (30:31)
“Muhammad Ali”
From DRMTRK II
(Hyperdub) 2018

DJ Lag & Djknator featuring Thobeka (32:42)
“WaWaWa”
From Southside Mixtape
(Black Major X Ice Drop) 2025

Tshetsha Boys (36:58)
“Nwampfundla”
From Shangaan Electro: New Wave Dance Music From South Africa
(Honest Jon's) 2010

Peter Gabriel (41:35)
“Zaar”
From Passion: Music For The Last Temptation Of Christ
(Real World) 1989