Publicado
Tue, Mar 22, 2022, 18:20
- Swell will create bespoke compositions, field recordings and natural soundscapes for spas, wellness centres and other hospitality businesses.
DJ, producer and sound therapist Brian d'Souza, AKA Auntie Flo, has started a sound wellness business called Swell.
Before launching to the public as an app, Swell will focus on creating bespoke compositions, field recordings and natural soundscapes for spas, wellness centres and other hospitality businesses. Current clients include Browns Fashion, rural getaway Coworth Park and organic skincare brand Ishga.
The app, which uses a new, machine-learning algorithm dubbed Flo AI, will allow users to tailor music to certain situations, such as massages or treatments. The app is still being developed in partnership with the University of Arts London's Creative Computing Institute.
"Alongside my DJ career, I've always been interested in the psychology of music—how music affects our conscious and unconscious brain and body," d'Souza told Resident Advisor. "During lockdown, I trained in sound therapy, launched Ambient Flo radio and learned the art of field recording with Chris Watson. Swell is a combination of all these endeavours: we've set up a studio in London that can turn field recordings into augmented reality soundscapes that trigger various states of consciousness, with the aim of looking at ways music and sound can be utilised for better health and well-being."
Swell is also currently working with Imperial College London to deliver curated playlists as part of ongoing psilocybin trials for chronic pain sufferers. We'll report more on this project as it unfolds.
Broadcasting since 2020, Ambient Flo is a 24-hour radio station combining birdsong with curated playlists. Previous guest curators include KMRU, Azu Tiwaline and JD Twitch. d'Souza also runs Open Ear Music, a playlist curation and music strategy company founded in 2007.
Find out more about Swell, including how to try the beta app, via the website.