Weighing of the Heart (LP)

Many musicians like to speak of versatility, but Nabihah Iqbal has better grounds than most. She boasts an MPhil (focused on African history) from Cambridge, experience working in human rights law and a black belt in Karate. Formerly known as Throwing Shade, she's ditched that moniker to embrace the name she was born with. Readying her debut album for Ninja Tune, '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 artists making music and, secondly, because she's moved her music in a bolder, more expansive direction.

The title alludes to ancient Egyptian beliefs about the judgment of someone who has passed away - upon death, one's heart would be weighed against a feather to determine whether it was in balance with the universe, and only then could a person proceed into the afterlife. Making her first long-player with this concept in mind, she's taken her sound in a different direction, with more focus on live instruments. Charting the waters where dance music and pop meet, she melds moody, propulsive basslines with shimmering synth atmospheres.

Recorded in her studio space (hired with support from the PRS Foundation), it's the product of self-directed, freely-evolving recording sessions; with a more confident, inclusive approach to her influences, it's a complete picture of where Nabihah stands as an artist.