Among the musical genres you’ve experienced via Vehlinggo over the past almost eight years is that extraordinary realm of contemplative music that relies on a harmony of ambient synthscapes, acoustic and sometimes unconventional instruments, hypnotic themes, and even deftly deployed field recordings. Lo Recordings is a label with a roster that has provided a wealth of artists in this area and their latest offering to the world comes from Melbourne, Australia-based Phoebe Dubar’s IKSRE (I Keep Seeing Rainbows Everywhere) project.
“Woodlands,” the lead single from IKSRE’s forthcoming LP Awake Within The Dream – Sound Meditations Vol. 1, is a deeply meaningful foray into the contemplative realm. Her compositional focus centers on bells, bowls, synths, and percussion, along with sounds recorded on “the lands of the Gadubanud, Dja Dja Wurrung, Bunurong, and Bidawal people,” according to Lo.
Have a listen to “Woodlands,” which Vehlinggo premieres today and is officially released tomorrow, Sept. 23, via Lo Recordings. The single and the album as a whole are part of Lo’s Spaciousness series. Head over to Lo’s Bandcamp after midnight UK time (7 pm Eastern) and buy the single, btw.
More About IKSRE (I Keep Seeing Rainbows Everywhere)
Although Awake Within The Dream – Sound Meditations Vol. 1 is IKSRE’s first proper full-length album for Lo Recordings, Dubar has been creating music for the project for a few years. She self-released Unfurl in 2019 and followed that up with Intermission in 2020. Last year, via Seattle’s Hush Hush Records, she released remix album Transmission and III.
Her signature recipe examines the dynamics of the human mind, soul, and body through the deft use of verdant strings, undulating synths, and vocals, blended with ambient droning and binaural beats. In some instances it evokes the transcendence of a sound bath and in others a delightful comedown from a long and fun night out.
Keep your ears on the future, because the brilliant Awake is coming.
