Werkha (aka Tom Leah) is a multi-instrumentalist, producer & DJ hailing from Manchester & Cumbria. He has been consistently releasing music and creating live experiences for over a decade. 

His debut album landed in 2015 on the acclaimed Brighton imprint Tru Thoughts, while he’s currently signed to Worldwide Award-winning London label First Word Records, who released his self-produced sophomore album ‘All Werk Is Play’ in early 2022. This featured collabs with MC Chunky (Eglo Records / Swamp 81), Ellen Beth Abdi (A Certain Ratio), Kemani Anderson (Secret Night Gang), Nick Blacka (GoGo Penguin) and Tom Driessler (Tom Misch / Jordan Rakei) amongst others, whilst he’s also collaborated and remixed artists such as Quantic, Bryony Jarman-Pinto, Marcos Valles and Andrew Ashong.

His music has had support across BBC 6 Music & 1Xtra courtesy of Jamz Supernova, Tom Ravenscroft, Huey Morgan & Afrodeutsche, as well as love from the likes of DJ Paulette, Scratch DVA, Zakia Sewell (NTS), Jyoty (Rinse FM), LeFto & Gilles Peterson.

 

Werkha’s music fuses analogue jazz-funk vibes with the UK’s electronic, resulting in a number of uptempo releases nestled between the sounds of broken beat and cinematic moments. Deep synths & delectable drums ride alongside live horns and a wealth of string textures. His vibrant energetic live shows include a selection of instruments, looped and fused with a mix of tightly packed samples that set the moment alight, blending beauty and dance. 

 

An incredible innovator in the studio, and one of the most refreshingly eclectic live acts in the UK, 2025 will see the release of a new body of work from one of our most consistent northern musical exports, Werkha.