Nabihah Iqbal has today shared a remix package of her acclaimed album, ‘DREAMER’, featuring some of her favourite musical peers and collaborators.
The remix EP, out via Ninja Tune, features tracks by Haider Uppal, Slowspin (ft. Zak Khan), SIDD and Sijya, all of whom Nabihah has performed alongside. In addition to the four remixes of tracks from ‘DREAMER’, the EP also features a bonus track from Berlin-based producer Frank Wiedemann, who reworks ‘Zone 1 to 6000′, the centrepiece from Nabihah’s 2017 album ‘Weighing of the Heart’.
Each remix is a personal and culturally-specific affair. Created by South-Asian artists, these re-imaginings are there own distinct entities: The EP opens with a remix of ‘Sky River’ by Haider Uppal, a multidisciplinary electronic artist from Lahore, Pakistan. On remixing ‘Sky River’, Haider remarks: “A dream house addition to a dreamer, this was the track I resonated most with when asked to remix; my goal was not to break Nabihah’s vision but rather to build upon the feeling of the original.”
Elsewhere, Pakistani musicians Slowspin (aka Zeerak Ahmed) and Zak Khan fashion an austere, stripped-to-the-bone remix of the title track, fledgling DJ/producer SIDD produces a fiery rework of ‘This World Couldn’t See Us’, and Indian ambient and experimental musician Sijya follows with her take on ‘Sunflower’.
Reflecting on the remixes, Nabihah says: “I wanted to use the opportunity of putting together remixes for ‘DREAMER’ to highlight some of the musicians that I’ve crossed paths with, whose work I really admire, and whose artistry is an inspiration for me. I’ve been lucky enough to share the stage with Slowspin and Zak Khan, who supported me on some of my live shows in the USA, Sijya who supported me on my UK tour, and I got the opportunity to DJ alongside Haider Uppal and SIDD for my first ever gig in Pakistan, which I’ll never forget. Being able to travel the world and play music is an absolute blessing in itself, and on top of that I’m so thankful for the chance to be able to connect with different musicians along the way. These are just a handful of those musicians, people whose creations and performances have struck a chord with me, and so it’s an honour to be able to present a body of work in this way, after making those musical connections. All the remix artists also happen to be South Asian, and so it feels extra special to be able to highlight some of the amazing musical talent that is coming out of our community. And as for the bonus remix of ‘Zone 1 to 6000’ by Frank Wiedemann, this has been in the works for a while and I’m just so happy that it’s finally getting an official release! Frank is a legend of the electronic music world and when I heard that he wanted to make a remix of my song, I was utterly flattered. Thank you so much to everyone who features on this release.”
Last year Nabihah Iqbal honoured her ‘DREAMER’ album and journey at large in an episode of the CLASH x Pioneer DJ series ‘For The Love Of It’.
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Photo Credit: Joseph Hayes
