// Courtesy of Whilk and Misky

In the bustling realm of contemporary music, few bands embody the spirit of fusion and eclectic ingenuity quite like Whilk and Misky. Carving out their niche where the blues meets electronica, this London-based duo weaves narratives that reverberate with the fervor of folklore and the pulse of modern techno.

Charlie Dickens and Nima Khaste embarked on their musical odyssey in 2013. Their union culminated in a sound that is both refreshingly novel and rooted in longstanding musical traditions. Nima’s production skills, married to Charlie’s vocal prowess and guitar expertise, craft soundscapes that invite listeners into a world of emotion and rhythm.

This interview has been edited for conciseness and clarity.

In your own words, what is the story behind the name of the band?

Charlie Dickens: I was always into blues and I came across milk and whiskey, a drink that the old fellas used to drink around the fire. You know, they couldn’t afford Coca-Cola and stuff like that. Oh, also it was mainly used as a hangover cure, you know, they’d have moonshine whiskey with fresh cow’s milk from the farm. We thought well, it has a ring to it, Whilk and Misky.

What are your earliest memories of your musicality? What first got you into music and what inspirations led to your chosen careers?

Nima Khaste: I started playing keyboard when I was eight, I think. My parents sent me to a teacher that my mum knew. I didn’t enjoy it at all. It was hard and I didn’t want to go — I would cry on the way and stuff. But then I ended up playing at every event in school. That was my way of being part of the community, because I’ve always been an introverted guy. Any event or a birthday that would come up, I would play keyboard. So yeah, it was something to kind of get me involved in a group and subconsciously maybe it also gave me some sort of identity. Then I studied music, got into bands, all the struggling musicians kind of romance, and met Charlie and started Whilk and Misky in 2013. Boom.

CD: I remember hearing “Johnny B. Goode.” I was four or five years old being like, “Whoa, what’s that?” I was just drawn to it, man. I got a guitar when I was a teenager. I think I liked the idea of being a rock star more than actually playing, but I stuck with it. I’ve always liked poetry and words and so it was really an outlet for my poetry, to be honest. Then, I went to London as a singer-songwriter, and not long afterwards, I met Nima.

I know the story of you guys meeting is pretty interesting.

CD: It was just a night. I was working at the diner. Burger joint, kind of like an American diner. Nima came in with his other band members and this beautiful, beautiful singer. We were making eyes and then I came over to serve the table and they were really nice. They were super friendly and they said to me, “Oh, you’re not just a waiter. What else do you do?” I said music, and they said “Oh, we’ve got a gig on the weekends. Do you want to come?”

So you know, my ears pricked because I thought, I’m in with a chance here with this beautiful woman. We got there and her husband was there too, so, alas! There was another beautiful long-haired partner and that was Nima – we just went out, had a cracking night, and just bonded like that.

I’m also curious to hear more about your creative process and how that’s evolved over time.

NK: Keeps changing, to be honest. As we were talking about the early days, let’s just stick to that for now. We would start with jams — start with a very simple kind of beat, and then Charlie would start a riff and then we would run different sections and just see what the vibe was. Just jamming really and having a good time.

CD: Yeah, then there’s this period in the middle where we became a bit more thought-out rather than spontaneous, but then in that last album, Nima had this great idea of pulling out these old promotion tracks and it was just so hypnotic. That was just all of a sudden and it sparked some spontaneity again for us.

To me, your music is a very cool fusion of seemingly different styles. Electronic music, blues, and folk — how do you fuse them together?

NK: I’m really into blues and I love techno as well. Charlie’s kind of the same. We went to Berlin and totally loved the electronic music scene there as well. We didn’t want to just do blues or techno and we like breaking the rules in a way as well. At the same time many other bands such as Milky Chance started to experiment with that as well.

CD: Also a lot of music is rooted in that kind of blues and what came before it. Strip back house tracks, and you have the baseline of pentatonic blues – not all the time of course but generally.

It’d be great to hear about how your backgrounds have influenced your music too. Charlie growing up in Kent and Nima in both Iran and Dubai?

NK: I guess Iranian music is just something I grew up with, playing it in the car with my family. As a teenager I studied in Dubai and really got into kind of darker Gulf music. I was really obsessed with the band Bauhaus.

CD: My mum’s always been into music, but more classical stuff, so there was always a piano around when we grew up, thankfully. Dad liked country music. So there was a lot of country music I used to like. I had like this early hip-hop phase when I was 11 when Eminem came out with the Slim Shady LP and everyone was just on this ridiculous little hip-hop phase. But then, man, I found punk music and got really into that. I was skating and listening to American punk like NOFX, Bad Religion. Then you start digging a little and you find the Sex Pistols, the Clash and Stiff Little Fingers. I was always kind of cool with the older kids and I’ve got an older sister. She was like six years older and always just kind of filtering stuff my way. And it generally was cool stuff you know, like Fleetwood Mac and Blur and Ocean Colour Scene.

Going back to your careers as musicians, what are your least favorite and favorite parts of the job?

NK: Least favorite is when you struggle to pay the rent. Favorite is when you can. No, I’m just joking. Least favorite thing is struggling to make something good as I kind of take it really personally. My whole kind of identity is so connected to it that it really affects my everything — mental health and social interactions. It’s the same when it goes well, I just feel like I’m on top of the world and I just feel incredible when I’m making something good.

CD: I agree with Nima. The best thing, you know, is when you’ve written something good. I mean, also, there’s also this kind of catharsis when writing something meaningful, it’s almost like a diary; you’ve just cast off some of the negativity in you. Worst thing, I’d probably say, is the industry. Art and commerce; you know, you’re at home, you’re listening to radio one or whatever, you name it and there’s just so much trash out there and it just gets so much attention. There’s so much good stuff that’s just hidden. Anyways, rant over!

What have been your favorite performances and are there any songs you like to perform together?

CD: Favorite gig, I don’t know. We played at this club in New York called Baby’s All Right which was a really cool milestone. We’ve done lots of fun festivals too. Favorite songs are probably “Darklands” or maybe “Rain Dance.” “Rain Dance” is such a lifter.

NK: All of them! Every show and every moment of it has been a pleasure really. We’ve had bad shows maybe here and there but even those are really unique experiences.

What are you currently listening to? Any song recommendations?

CD: Fela Kuti. Rodrigo Amarante is really nice — he did the opening song for Narcos.

NK: Definitely check out “Soheyloo” by Whilk and Misky.

// Umar Azad ’25 is a DJ and staff writer for The Darker Side.