ZAINAB Explores Global Sounds on Debut EP, ‘Canal View’

ZAINAB has officially unveiled her debut EP, Canal View, which is available now via Ninja Tune’s Technicolour imprint. The six-track project serves as a deeply personal exploration of the artist’s roots and her current creative environment, drawing inspiration from the Lahore neighbourhood where she grew up and the vibrant energy of her current home in New York City.

The record is a masterclass in cultural synthesis, blending the rhythmic foundations of New York house with diverse musical traditions from the Global South, South Asia, and the Arab world. Reflecting on the project, ZAINAB—born Zainab Anwar—described the EP as a bridge between her past and present. “It’s locally influenced, but globally oriented,” she noted. “I see the EP as an amalgamation of Lahore and New York: looking back and forth between both places and asking what those sounds become when they come together.”

A standout moment on the EP is the single ‘Banglahore’, a collaboration with British-Bengali producer and rapper Surya Sen. The track is framed by Anwar as a symbolic partnership between Pakistan and Bangladesh. “There’s a difficult history there, and a lot of animosity, so the song is symbolic in that way too. It’s about saying: we can get along. I love my Bangladeshi brothers and sisters, and vice versa,” she explained.

The EP also features the previously released single ‘Jadoo’, which highlights Anwar’s linguistic versatility as it is written and performed in her native Urdu. The tracklist is rounded out by ‘Her Eyes’ and ‘Ayewah!’, the latter of which features a collaboration with Los Angeles-based artist Tony Quattro. With Canal View, ZAINAB establishes herself as a compelling new voice in electronic music, successfully weaving disparate global threads into a cohesive, dance-floor-ready narrative.