Nabihah Iqbal is incredibly difficult to pin down.
Whether studying at Cambridge or hosting a regular show on NTS, the producer seems to apply the same exacting process to every passion in her life.
Music, of course, is central to everything she does. Previously working as Throwing Shade, a change of name underpins a change of style, a change of process.
Using her birth name, Nabihah Iqbal will release new album 'Weighing Of The Heart' next month through Ninja Tune.
Stylistically it's a marked departure, tapping into that uniquely English gloom-pop tradition – think Pet Shop Boys, New Order, and more.
Clash is able to premiere two new songs from the electronic musician, with 'Eternal Passion' representing one of Nabihah's most direct pop statements yet.
'Zone 1 – 6000' is a dystopian synth jammer, her deadpan vocal driving through an arena of sub-zero synths and cold wave bass lines.
"Both of these tracks were inspired by poetry, William Blake and Matthew Arnold," comments Nabihah. "'Zone 1 To 6000' is about London, and the different feelings and experiences of living in a big city. It's also about figuring out a pathway – whether that's pursuing what you want, or being stuck in a rut and compensating for routine and monotony by acts of escapism…"
"'Eternal Passion' is about what makes people want to live," Nabihah goes on to explain. "It's about how struggle and pleasure are simultaneous forces that push us through mortality".
Tune in below.
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