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Oakland (USA) based artist Leila Abdul-Rauf will release her fourth full-length solo album, Phantasiai, on the 16th of July through Cyclic Law, with a vinyl release to follow in September as a co-release with Cloister Recordings. The cover art, track listing, preorders, two tracks from the album, and more have been issued.
Between her duties as a primary member of Vastum, Ionophore, Cardinal Wyrm, Fyrhtu, and many other acts prior, Leila Abdul-Rauf is well-known for her immersive solo work which showcases her talents as a multi-instrumentalist. She offers of the new solo opus: "In Hellenistic philosophy, phantasiai are our impressions, the ways in which the world is represented through our senses, preceding actual thoughts. This is where music-making lies for me: in the space between senses and thoughts, having the power to express where words fall short. What I believe to be the coldest and most sinister album I’ve released under my name to date, Phantasiai is comprised of two suites, each containing four movements, composed almost entirely from modulated live trumpet, glockenspiel, and vocal performances.”
She continues, “I encourage listeners to create their own stories about Phantasiai, but here is my own. The first suite, "Distortions In Phantasy", describes a character being seduced and consumed by a powerfully addictive phantasy, one so destructive, the body, mind and spirit are annihilated beyond recognition. As the album moves between tracks I through IV, listeners may experience a gradual sensation of seeking deeper into an abyss. In the second suite, "The I Emerges", the character experiences a renewal in which what little is left of the former self is vaporized through a crucible of sorts, then re-organized into a new physical and spiritual existence. The pain of the loss experienced by the former self is gone, but adjusting to the new self is an uncomfortable and disorienting experience, with reality perpetually coming into question."
Weaving layered textures into drifting cinematic compositions, Phantasiai conjures dreamlike ambient hymns while channelling ethereal melancholy. Fully composed, recorded, and produced by Leila Abdul-Rauf, Phantasiai was mastered by Cyclic Law, the cover artwork was created by Matthew Jaffe, and graphic design was handled by Heresie Studio. Link
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