Manuka Honey
In just a few short years, she's cultivated an idiosyncratic sound that's shuttled her from continent to continent, assembling a tight catalog of EPs, remixes and singles that harness the energy of Latin-American and Caribbean dance sounds, infusing it into radical new structures. A DJ, producer, multi-disciplinary artist and professional astrologer, Marissa Malik was born and raised in the US before she relocated to London, bringing her hot, humid aura to rainy England. She's animated by the complex alchemy of the dancefloor, and as likely to reference experimental sounds as she is cumbia or dembow.
Her debut solo release 'Industrial Princess' was released in 2021 and immediately established Malik as a force to be reckoned with, balancing unhinged futurism with heady nostalgia. Following that, the well-received 'Machete / 777' took her sound even further. But Malik's '3Eternities Beneath You' EP from 2024 is the most magical example of her mode so far, a syrupy set of hybrid bangers led by the cheekily titled 'Sinner's Dirge'. Low, slow and sultry, it's a moonlit introduction to Manuka Honey's dreamworld, brimming with psychedelic, serrated synths, bouncy bass and rattling percussion.
2025 sees Manuka Honey widen her perspective on 'Road Rage', reaching across the global club continuum to link with shapeshifting Egyptian producer ABADIR and Dutch bubbling pioneer De Schuurman. Descending on Black Acre after vital deployments on Mexico City's Naafi imprint and Florentino's own Club Romantico, Marissa Malik slows things down to a sensual crawl on opener 'Soum Bat', winding an electroid bassline through neon-lit alleyways inhabited by half-heard voices and anxious, chattering rhythms. And De Shuurman's patented woodblock cracks - best heard on his two acclaimed Nyege Nyege-released anthologies - vibrate through Malik's chorus of mutant calls on '999!', stitching Den Haag's idiosyncratic club sound into vividly colored material.
On the title track, Malik harnesses her selector's knowhow to figure out a grimy mid-point between hard trance, dembow and ballroom, suspending her sawtooth synths and collapsing beats in eerie, industrial ambience. ABADIR meanwhile augments the breathless peak-time banger 'Faramanch' with celebratory instrumental punctuations and percussive flourishes, letting Malik control the direction with earsplitting kicks and ritualistic choral echoes. After last year's dreamy '3Eternities Beneath You', 'Road Rage' loops Manuka Honey into the material world once more, with all its grit, guts and glamor.
Malik's skill as a DJ netted her a residency on the prestigious BBC Radio 1, and she's already maintained a four-year residency on London's Rinse FM, inviting artists like Riobamba, Joey LaBeija, Mun Sing and Chippy Nonstop to dive headfirst into the unknown. But her spirited, passionate performances have to be experienced in person. Performing everywhere from the Netherlands' Rewire Festival to OIL in Shenzhen China, she spritzes kinetic sounds from the diaspora - like Venezuelan turreo and shatta from Martinique - with stormy, industrial pressure. As a live performer, Malik has developed the ambitious 'Desenterrada del fuego', a sonic ritual in collaboration with Safety Trance that invokes the work of Palestinian-American academic Edward Said, decolonizing the art of divination with lectures, soundscapes and tarot readings.
Since 2022 Manuka Honey & Baby Cocada’s SUZIO (slang for ‘Dirty’ in Spanish) event series in London has created line-ups that push the boundaries of people’s conceptions of Latin American music. The party has hosted London debuts to Latin American heavyweights such as viral Puerto Rican pop-star Villano Antillano and Latincore legend Toccororo. Featured in Metal Magazine and Vogue, the party has curated line-ups at Colour Factory, FRIEZE Art week & Maiden Voyage festival. The SUZIO atmosphere was captured in the 2024 Short film ‘EROS’ which invites viewers into Manuka Honey’s inner landscape, exploring her relationship to time and the inherent erotic energy that flows through her work.
Manuka Honey
In just a few short years, she's cultivated an idiosyncratic sound that's shuttled her from continent to continent, assembling a tight catalog of EPs, remixes and singles that harness the energy of Latin-American and Caribbean dance sounds, infusing it into radical new structures. A DJ, producer, multi-disciplinary artist and professional astrologer, Marissa Malik was born and raised in the US before she relocated to London, bringing her hot, humid aura to rainy England. She's animated by the complex alchemy of the dancefloor, and as likely to reference experimental sounds as she is cumbia or dembow.
Her debut solo release 'Industrial Princess' was released in 2021 and immediately established Malik as a force to be reckoned with, balancing unhinged futurism with heady nostalgia. Following that, the well-received 'Machete / 777' took her sound even further. But Malik's '3Eternities Beneath You' EP from 2024 is the most magical example of her mode so far, a syrupy set of hybrid bangers led by the cheekily titled 'Sinner's Dirge'. Low, slow and sultry, it's a moonlit introduction to Manuka Honey's dreamworld, brimming with psychedelic, serrated synths, bouncy bass and rattling percussion.
2025 sees Manuka Honey widen her perspective on 'Road Rage', reaching across the global club continuum to link with shapeshifting Egyptian producer ABADIR and Dutch bubbling pioneer De Schuurman. Descending on Black Acre after vital deployments on Mexico City's Naafi imprint and Florentino's own Club Romantico, Marissa Malik slows things down to a sensual crawl on opener 'Soum Bat', winding an electroid bassline through neon-lit alleyways inhabited by half-heard voices and anxious, chattering rhythms. And De Shuurman's patented woodblock cracks - best heard on his two acclaimed Nyege Nyege-released anthologies - vibrate through Malik's chorus of mutant calls on '999!', stitching Den Haag's idiosyncratic club sound into vividly colored material.
On the title track, Malik harnesses her selector's knowhow to figure out a grimy mid-point between hard trance, dembow and ballroom, suspending her sawtooth synths and collapsing beats in eerie, industrial ambience. ABADIR meanwhile augments the breathless peak-time banger 'Faramanch' with celebratory instrumental punctuations and percussive flourishes, letting Malik control the direction with earsplitting kicks and ritualistic choral echoes. After last year's dreamy '3Eternities Beneath You', 'Road Rage' loops Manuka Honey into the material world once more, with all its grit, guts and glamor.
Malik's skill as a DJ netted her a residency on the prestigious BBC Radio 1, and she's already maintained a four-year residency on London's Rinse FM, inviting artists like Riobamba, Joey LaBeija, Mun Sing and Chippy Nonstop to dive headfirst into the unknown. But her spirited, passionate performances have to be experienced in person. Performing everywhere from the Netherlands' Rewire Festival to OIL in Shenzhen China, she spritzes kinetic sounds from the diaspora - like Venezuelan turreo and shatta from Martinique - with stormy, industrial pressure. As a live performer, Malik has developed the ambitious 'Desenterrada del fuego', a sonic ritual in collaboration with Safety Trance that invokes the work of Palestinian-American academic Edward Said, decolonizing the art of divination with lectures, soundscapes and tarot readings.
Since 2022 Manuka Honey & Baby Cocada’s SUZIO (slang for ‘Dirty’ in Spanish) event series in London has created line-ups that push the boundaries of people’s conceptions of Latin American music. The party has hosted London debuts to Latin American heavyweights such as viral Puerto Rican pop-star Villano Antillano and Latincore legend Toccororo. Featured in Metal Magazine and Vogue, the party has curated line-ups at Colour Factory, FRIEZE Art week & Maiden Voyage festival. The SUZIO atmosphere was captured in the 2024 Short film ‘EROS’ which invites viewers into Manuka Honey’s inner landscape, exploring her relationship to time and the inherent erotic energy that flows through her work.