It all began with a little nugget of wisdom that I heard in a yoga class, around three years ago. It was an online, yin yoga class with Corina Benner, and she was talking about winter and the associated water element. She said something along the lines of:
water goes through all these changes in form – from liquid to solid, back to liquid, to gas…. but despite all these changes, it still retains its essence – H20. How can we as humans, do the same thing – adapt, but still keep our essence?
That stuck with me. Massively.
It was around this time that I decided it was time to start work on a follow up to my album, “Awake Within the Dream (Sound Meditations vol. 1)”, and decided that this concept of different states of water would be my starting point. I spent weeks trawling through my (stupidly large) volume of field recordings, collected over the years. From Uluru to Mallacoota, Marengo to Fitzroy Island. I even enlisted some dear friends to contribute.
The idea of the album was a one hour, continuous sound bath albeit with electronic elements. More on that in coming weeks.
Anyway, it was a huge undertaking and took me close to a year to make it. But all good things take time…
“in all her forms (sound meditations vol. 2)” will be out in full on 6 October. But for now, I am so proud to finally share the first single – lake shore.
It all began with a recording I took on the shore of Mallacoota Inlet, at Gipsy Point (which in hindsight, I just realised isn’t even a lake. lol). While you can’t hear the water itself, you can hear the vivid characteristics of its inhabitants – the birds and insects who rely on this waterway. You can also hear the gentle rustling of the reeds on the shore. This area was devastated by the 2019/20 bushfires which ravaged the area, killing so much of its wildlife. This was recorded only a couple of years after the fires, when everything was still regenerating.
instruments: himalayan and Alchemy crystal bowls, vocals + pedals, guitar, Teenage Engineering OP1 Field synth and Moog Mother32
meditation/purpose: This is the starting point of the journey. The beginning. Where I begin to entrain the listener’s brainwaves, beginning to slow them down. It’s very harmonising and focuses on the singing bowls and field recordings more than anything else.
location inc traditional country: Gipsy Point, Victoria, Australia. Gunaikurnai and Bidawal country.
So put on some headphones, and enjoy the start of the journey.
Massive shoutout to James Bernard, Ambient Mountain House for the incredible work he did on the mixing and mastering of this track, and the whole album. By the time I got to mixing this release, I knew I needed a second pair of ears and his are second to none. There’s no way it would sound as good as it does without his input.
I will be launching the album with a string of shows, beginning with the Naarm/Melbourne launch at Tender, Brunswick on Saturday 10 October – it’s an afternoon show, and will feature immersive lighting by Raconteur Melbourne, and my dear friends My lovely haunting on support duties. I hope you can be there.
Thankyou as always for listening – and reading
xx Phoebe
