Slowspin, Sijya, SIDD & More Feature On Ninja Tunes' Remix EP for Nabihah Iqbal's 'DREAMER'

Nabihah Iqbal has just released a collection of remixes via the prominent British label Ninja Tune, bringing together South Asian acts, namely Pakistan's Haider Uppal, Slowspin, Zak Khan and SIDD as well as India's Sijya, to reimagine tracks off her 2023 EP 'DREAMER'. As a bonus, the release also features Berlin's Innervision's label-owner and one-half of Âme, Frank Wiedemann, who remixes 'Zone 1 to 6000' from Nabihah's 2017 debut album 'Weighing of the Heart'.

All the South Asian artists on the package have shared the stage with the London-based Pakistani-descent artist, who DJ-ed alongside Haider Uppal and SIDD on her first-ever gig in Pakistan, invited Slowspin and Zak Khan to support her during her US tour and discovered Sijya at London's Tate Modern, when the New Delhi artist toured the UK in 2023 before being asked to open for Nabihah at Yes Manchester.

Both Haider Uppal and Sijya take a textural approach to their remixes with the former suffusing a techno beat with deep pads out of which harmonic melodies and string lines emerge and diffuse. Meanwhile, Sijya offers the grittiest outing with 'Sunflower' as synths fizzle and distort over a visceral thump and Nabihah's near-spoken singing places itself as a transcendent chant.

Frank Wiedemann and SIDD, one of Karachi's most prominent DJ-producers, present two flipsides of techno with their remixes. There is a clear edge of experience with Frank's innovative and effective structuring and Berlin-associated spaciousness as acid house synth squelching plays against Nabihah's singing, highlighting its singular qualities, while SIDD offers a more Detroit-influenced take on the genre with atmospheric spoken voice deepening the minimal nature of the production.

The remixes play off of Nabihah's unique vocal style, an element that takes centre stage on Slowspin's sparse remix of the title track from 'DREAMER' alongside Zak Khan's gentle piano-playing, recontextualising the song with a simple arrangement to bring notice to the meaning behind the songwriting.

Listen to 'DREAMER (Remixes)' below and follow Nabihah Iqbal for more information.

Image by Joseph Hayes