Listen: 'gardens in us' By gardens in us

Time moves and we stay - a profound, ponderous thought at any time of the day, it is also the title of a track from gardens in us' self-titled debut album, and an acute summary of the experience it offers.

gardens in us is a new collaborative project by Omer Asim – one-half of experimental Karachi duo 6LA8 – and Pakistani experimental musician and producer Ramsha Shakeel aka ramsha. Taking cue from their primary (respective) musical avenues, the duo explore drone and ambient sounds on their debut release, synergising sonic textures and field recordings to recreate entrancing soundscapes.

The pair describe the project with a few poetic lines, claiming: “Sound enables us to walk through hazy corridors of our minds; / Where nooks and corners of unnoticed memories float, / We wish to reside there, and welcome you to daydream with us.”

Daydreaming comes easy while listening to the album, as with most drone output. The rhythmic stillness of the album seems to suspend time and motion; the sustained sounds and the ever-so-subliminal harmonic fluctuation carry you, like undulating waves, through crevices and creches of the mind, mapping a journey tailored not by you, but by their ghostly spectrum of biophonic and geophonic sounds. Time seems to come to a complete standstill with the diaphanous layers of this experiment, and momentarily, nothing exists beyond the 'Whispering Gardens' and 'Mystic Whales'. But again, 'Time Moves and We Stay'.

'gardens in us' isn't as much about listening as it is about feeling. The primary motive, it seems, is to create an ethereal other-world (or inner-world), rather than draw attention to specific elements, techniques or sonic skills, and Omer and ramsha absolutely nail the job.

Head here for further information on gardens in us, and listen to 'gardens in us' below:

Words: Satvika Kundu

Artwork: humbledaydreams (Omer Asim) & ramsha