Musician & DJ Nabihah Iqbal Shares What She’s Listening To Right Now

Having released her debut album earlier this month, London-based Nabihah Iqbal leaves her old moniker behind and embraces the name she was born with. Formerly known as Throwing Shade, Nabihah’s Weighing of the Heart is a big statement in two ways: first, because she’s taken her real name to stand proudly as a female British Asian artist and secondly, because she’s moved her music in a bolder, more expansive direction.

As well as being a resident DJ at NTS, she has received several commissions from other corners of the arts, where she has collaborated with Chinese artist Zhang Ding, been commissioned by Tate to compose music for the Turner Prize, collaborated with Wolfgang Tillmans as part of his Tate Modern exhibition and was recently involved in a group performance at the Barbican as part of its major Basquiat retrospective. Given her extensive knowledge and fine-tuned ear, we asked Nabihah to share with us some of her current favourite music acts.

 

Juuichi

Reika Torii and Takayuki Yamashita, the Japanese duo hailing from Kyoto, have honed their unique blend of musical instruments, predominantly led by the quena, the traditional flute of the Andes, and serene vocals to create their distinctive sound.

 

Manara

Merging Bollywood film music with dancefloor beats, Manara is a south London DJ and producer with ties to two of club music’s most innovative labels, Night Slugs and Fade To Mind. Back in 2015, she established the BBC AZN Network radio show on UK station Radar Radio with fellow London artists 2shin and Sweyn Jupiter.

 

Sage

Dubbed as one of Ireland’s most promising rising musical talents, Dublin-based Lee Kelly, best known as Sage, is a young producer affiliated with the prolific local All City Records.

 

Yussef Dayes, Mansur Brown & Charlie Stacey

Though jazz is often overlooked as a mainstream genre in the UK, there’s been a surge in interest of late thanks partly to the innovations and creativity of a select few. Drummer Yussef Dayes, guitarist Mansur Brown and pianist Charlie Stacey are the best jazz musicians in London right now according to Nabihah.

 

Thurston Moore

Thurston Moore has been a major figure in alternative music since co-founding the band Sonic Youth in 1981. Now based in London, he runs the Ecstatic Peace! record label and library, publishes poetry and records as a solo artist with bassist Debbie Googe from My Bloody Valentine, guitarist James Sedwards and Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley in his band.

 

King Krule

Archy Ivan Marshall, known by his stage name King Krule, is an English singer, rapper, songwriter, record producer and musician. He began recording music in 2010 under the moniker Zoo Kid. He released his second album, The OOZ, on 13 October 2017, blending elements of punk jazz with hip hop, darkwave and trip hop.

 

James Maloney

James Maloney is a composer and producer based in London. In his solo work, he experiments with uniting old instruments and electronics. He’s the Music Associate at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, where he composed the score to Much Ado About Nothing earlier this year. His work in film includes music for Open Palm FIlms, Shape History, Major Tom Productions, and others.

 

Feature image: Nabihah Iqbal (Courtesy Nabihah Iqbal)