ZAINAB RELEASES DEBUT EP ‘CANAL VIEW’ VIA TECHNICOLOUR

Lahore-born, Brooklyn-based DJ and producer ZAINAB unveils her six-track debut EP, alongside the official video for “Azadi”, as she prepares to take her boundary-pushing sound on tour across North America.

ZAINAB has officially arrived with Canal View, her debut EP released today via Ninja Tune’s Technicolour imprint. A bold meeting point between Lahore and New York, the six-track project draws on South Asian, Global South and Arab influences before filtering them through the high-energy pulse of New York house and dance music.

Alongside the EP, ZAINAB has also unveiled the official video for “Azadi”, bringing the project to a close with a track whose title translates to “freedom” in Urdu — a word that has become central to her wider artistic vision.

For ZAINAB, Canal View is deeply personal. Named after the Lahore neighbourhood where she was born and raised, the EP reflects her experience of growing up between Lahore and New York, and the contrasting musical worlds that shaped her. South Asian music, Bollywood, qawwali and ghazals sit alongside hip-hop, punk, emo, indie and electronic music, creating a sound that refuses to settle comfortably into one category.

“It’s locally influenced, but globally oriented,” ZAINAB explains, describing the project as “an amalgamation of Lahore and New York.”

That cultural collision runs throughout the EP. Previous single “Jadoo” is written and sung in Urdu, while “Her Eyes” delivers a euphoric slice of dancefloor energy built around a jubilant sample of Libyan-Egyptian singer-songwriter Hamid Al Shaeri. Elsewhere, “Ayewah!” — created with Tony Quattro — draws inspiration from ZAINAB’s time touring with Palestinian-Chilean artist Elyanna, while “Banglahore” features British-Bengali producer and rapper Surya Sen.

The EP's title track may not be present, but its spirit is embedded across all six songs: a reflection of place, migration, identity and the sounds absorbed along the way.

ZAINAB's journey to Canal View has been years in the making. Formerly known as ZEEMUFFIN, she established herself as one of New York's most in-demand DJs before turning her attention towards original music. Her productions have already earned support from artists including Nina Sky, Conducta, Taylah Elaine, Pussy Palace and CHAMOS, alongside radio support from BBC Radio 1, Rinse, NTS and The Lot Radio.

Her live reputation has grown just as rapidly. This year alone, ZAINAB has played London's EartH for Dialled In Festival and delivered a standout B2B set with DJ Habibeats at Coachella, drawing one of the DoLab's biggest crowds of the weekend. She has also built a loyal following through her Azadi party series and label project, which she uses as a platform to champion South Asian culture, community and freedom on the dancefloor.

Her approach is rooted firmly in those ideas of community and connection.

“Beauty, community, freedom, liberty — these are all values I carry day to day, and they showed up in the process of making this EP.”

With Canal View now out in the world, ZAINAB is taking that vision further with a run of North American dates supporting Channel Tres, alongside her own shows.