Above & Beyond have always gone, well, above and beyond any musical limitations associated with dance music. From recording an acoustic album to releasing a single in 2018 called "Red Rocks" inspired by the Colorado amplitheatre of the same name, they pull inspiration from anywhere and channel it any way they please, always with their signature upbeat spin. Today, the English trio announced a new album inspired by yoga and mindfulness, Flow State, due out band’s Anjunabeats imprint on July 19.
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According to a statement from the group, "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."
The new album follow's 2018's highly acclaimed Common Ground., which earned the group their second GRAMMY nomination for Best Dance Recording for "Northern Soul."
“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,” said A&B'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. 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.”
Flow State is a 49-minute experience the statement calls a "panoramic journey of ambient compositions and warm, neo-classical soundscapes that offer moments of meditative calm in these busy and often overwhelming times." A three-song sampler EP of Flow State drops today and coincides with International Yoga Day, and the album will be accompanied by a 13-minute talk on self-acceptance from Brower. The album is available now for pre-order.
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