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Above & Beyond to release yoga and mindfulness-inspired ambient LP – ‘Flow State’
Daybreaker partnership creates a global series of ‘Flow State’ morning yoga events
Words: Kevin Kang
Above & Beyond are pleased to announce ‘Flow State’, a 49-minute panoramic journey of ambient compositions and warm, neo-classical soundscapes that offer moments of meditative calm in these busy and often overwhelming times.
‘Flow State’ will be released on the band’s Anjunabeats imprint on July the 19th. As a precursor to the release, a three-track EP – featuring new track ‘Believer’ plus classics ‘Small Moments’ and ‘Sun In Your Eyes’ – dropped on International Yoga Day (June 21) and offers a small window into the full ‘Flow State’ experience.
A best-selling author and renowned yogi with over twenty years’ experience, Elena Brower joins Above & Beyond to lead an exclusive ‘Flow State’ practice in New York (location to be revealed) in partnership with Daybreaker (July 17), as well as festival yoga sessions with Above & Beyond at Wanderlust SoCal (July 19) and the band’s own Group Therapy Weekender Festival, taking place at The Gorge Amphitheater (July 27-28).
In addition to these live Flow State sets, Above & Beyond is partnering with global morning dance phenomenon, Daybreaker, on a worldwide series of Flow State album listening parties, where fans can participate in a yoga practice to a playback of the album. Daybreaker is a dance and yoga community of 500,000+ members in 26 cities around the world and their experiences inspire self-expression, wellness, dance, and mindfulness. For more dates and to reserve your spot (limited tickets), head here.
About ‘Flow State’
A break from the anthemic dance sound that swept Above & Beyond’s ‘Common Ground’ LP to #3 in the Billboard Album Charts in 2018, ‘Flow State’ is the culmination of a journey which began at Burning Man in 2014.
A chance encounter on the Playa led to a spontaneous sunset yoga set on the infamous Robot Heart stage, guided by renowned yogi Elena Brower. A magical and spiritual experience for those present, it inspired Above & Beyond to begin opening their biggest global gigs with yoga sets, creating transformative experiences for 25,000 strong crowds at The Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington and Huntington Beach, California. The original Burning Man yoga set has subsequently gone on to amass over 2 million streams on Soundcloud.
As the band began writing more original music for these yoga sessions, the seed for “Flow State” was sown.
“Our music has always been about getting in touch with, and understanding and accepting our emotions. After those amazing yoga sets, we realized that there is a bigger place for this more reflective music within our little universe,” explains Above & Beyond’s Paavo Siljamaki. “With the Flow State project, we want to help bring people’s attention and focus towards helping themselves find better mental fitness and overall happiness in life,” adds Siljamaki. “Through raised awareness, being more present, one can reach a state of flow: a creative and free state of mind where time, fear and stress dissipate.”
To long-time fans of Above & Beyond, this new album will come as no surprise; quieter moments have always been essential components of their chart-topping electronic albums. Alongside 14 new compositions, 3 of the band’s classic ambient works are remastered for ‘Flow State’, including the iconic ‘Sun In Your Eyes’, a track currently given a new lease of life via DJ support from tastemakers such as Jamie XX.
Designed to be experienced in its entirety, the LP rewards complete, focussed listening and encourages a headspace where the journey becomes the destination – extending a canon that includes Brian Eno’s ‘Music For Airports’, KLF’s ‘Chill Out’ and The Orb’s ‘Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld’.
In addition to the 49-minute album journey, Elena Brower leads a 13-minute talk on self-acceptance, set to the music from Flow State. Brower commented: “Flow State is about the subtlest, innermost conversation, trusting ourselves, and looking inward for acceptance. That acceptance of our own humanity is an experience of Flow State. It’s a profoundly peaceful space for listening and healing.”
For more information about Above & Beyond x Daybreaker events, head here.
About DAYBREAKER
Daybreaker is a dance movement and yoga community of 500,000+ members in 26 cities around the world that inspires humans to start their day unlike any other — by waking up and dancing with reckless abandon, completely sober, first thing in the morning. Daybreaker began in New York City as a social experiment, meeting at the crossroads of wellness and nightlife. However, instead of mean bouncers, Daybreaker greets its community with a hugging committee. Instead of alcohol, Daybreaker offers green juice, coffee, and tea. The community is founded on the core values of camaraderie, self-expression, wellness, mindfulness, and mischief. Every Daybreaker event kicks off with one hour of yoga from a top yoga expert, followed by a two-hour wow-inspired dance party with music from a roster of epic international DJs, fire spinners, a horn section and a host of surprises.
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July 18th, 2019
