Acclaimed multi-faceted favourite and Rinse FM resident Arthi Nachiappan discusses her crate-digging collaboration with Monkey Shoulder Records, her time as Beyoncé’s backing dancer and the role of radio and record stores in today’s music industry. 

Streaming platforms may have taken hold of many of our listening habits, but there’s nothing quite like vinyl still. Yes, it’s kind of cringy when that one friend breaks into a minutes long monologue about frequencies, but behind the countless Aphex Twin references there is a core point of authenticity and importance. 

Monkey Shoulder read the brief. Teaming up with KEF audio to celebrate World Music Day, the whisky House have enlisted a trio of industry favourites — Katy B, DJ Target and DJ Arthi — to curate a ‘vibe-only’ vinyl collection for KEF listening rooms in seven iconic record stores across the UK. 

Arthi Nachiappan nestles neatly within the incentive, bringing a polymathic lens to the curation. She’s long been an industry mainstay; ex-Beyoncé dancer, choreographer, acclaimed genre-criss-cross DJ who has played sets at the likes of Glastonbury and All Points East, Rinse FM radio resident… she can do it all. 

With her live notoriety ever growing and a debut EP on the way, the multi-talented Arthi stops by Wonderland to reflect on her pathway to this point, dissect the importance of radio and record stores, and discuss her involvement in the Monkey Shoulder activation. Keep scrolling…

Hey Arthi! What have you been up to this year?

Hii! This year I’ve been working on new songs and travelling to perform in new places for the first time! I’ve just got back from touring North America and Southeast Asia, which has been incredible! I love seeing what different crowds respond to in different parts of the world.

You’ve had a colourful journey so far in your career. How do you reflect on your path to date?

I always wonder how I got here. I picked up DJing as a hobby, because I loved dancing and we used to have DJs who would mix our tunes for performances. I never expected it would lead to work, let alone gather momentum and became my main job! I just went with wherever the inspiration was taking me and I feel very grateful to be able to do this. 

Amongst other accolades, you were a dancer for Beyoncé. How was that experience? What did you learn?

This was one of the maddest experiences! I actually didn’t know what we were shooting for until I got to set and saw her name on the contract. I just said yes because an amazing choreographer – Ivan Blackstock – had hit me up about it. I learned that it’s important to keep expressing who I am and what I care about, because you never know who is watching and what opportunities might come up that align with everything you’ve been putting out. 

How did you first become involved with Rinse FM? What is the role of radio in music culture today?

Jyoty kindly let me do a guest mix for her legendary Rinse show in 2020, and I loved being part of that so kept an eye out for opportunities with the station, did a few more covers and guest slots and I got my own show the following year. I think radio is special for both the hosts and the listeners because it offers you companionship in an intimate way and allows you to share music without having to worry about instant crowd reactions. It’s important to preserve it because it’s one of the few places left where you can go deep into music and not worry about if the algorithms will tank your work. 

Talk us through how you first became involved with the Monkey Shoulder Records World Music Day incentive? 

I got involved with the project a couple of months ago, I really liked the idea of curating for a space that is different to the club and getting the chance to think about what moods people would be in at a listening bar and what tracks would elevate their experience.

You handpicked 10 tracks for the vinyl collection for the KEF listening rooms. How did you go about narrowing down the selections?

I wanted songs that would go well together and match the cosy environment, but also put that killer sound system to work!! 

Is there one specific pick that resonates the most with you? What’s the story behind it?

One pick that I’m so happy to have in my crate is Str8 Outta Mumbai by Jai Paul. It’s a sad story how it came out because it was originally leaked in its demo form, and later released by Paul, but the influences he blended together were different to anything I had heard before at the time. He had brought together sounds from my childhood with sounds that I was exploring as I got into electronic music and I found that so uplifting. It was a song that I heard for the first time at exactly the right moment. 

What do record stores mean to you?

I have been thinking a lot about curation lately, and how algorithms employed by streaming services and music download platforms can narrow our tastes. Crate digging at a record store is a beautiful way to find music outside of the algorithm (to some extent) in an environment where you can be present and enjoy listening to and speaking to people about music. 

What’s your own relationship with vinyl? Have you always been a collector yourself?

I actually only became a collector after being part of this project! I have always been a digital girl, but holding the records I love in my hands, seeing the artwork and being able to present it as a part of me felt really special and inspired me to start my own collection. I’ve even picked out a record player!

What else do you personally have on the cards in 2025 and beyond?

I’ve been in the studio! I’ve got lots of new music and mixes coming that I can’t wait to share with you all.

Sessions kick off on 17th June – book here.

Find out more here.