Can You Move Towards Yourself Without Flinching?

For this rare solo audio release, multi-disciplinary artist Phoebe Collings-James lays out, overlaps and tangles a curious and often contradictory selection of material over a bed of slowly tumbling electronics. Like picking up someone's phone and briefly eavesdropping on their photos, diary notes, recordings & what they've been watching or listening to ‘Can You Move Towards Yourself Without Flinching?' renders an aural tapestry with a bracing question .

Like her compelling collaborative work 'Sound as Weapon, Sounds 4 Survival' with SERAFINE1369, Phoebe's placement and arrangement of audio is masterful in its sleight of hand, inviting numerous interpretations, without losing its ability to beguile.

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In a diary entry for 2019 I found this question which I struggle to answer. I creep toward it, in a wish to catch a glimpse of myself - without hesitation. If I do catch it, to find an unbearable balm, a suckling connection of love without dread - what would I hear?

I invited friends to answer the question with their own sounds. They did so in myriad ways, all of which were woven into the piece. For my production i work in a collaging style, using sound libraries, adhoc recordings from my daily journeys, alongside live recording with musicians and poets.

When sharing the track this week, I encouraged it to be listened to while laying down, comfortable. Ideally on good speakers or headphones. Allowing the scene to unfold into the space like an elaborate, sonic pop-up book.

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Phoebe Collings-James - music, arrangement & cover artwork

Contributors (& Cameos): Ain Bailey, percussion. Rox Devlin Horton, drums. Sandeep Salter, song. Serefina 1369, lyrics. Zezi Ifore, lyrics. Secrets & Lies. Beau. Lancaut echo. Naeem Dxvis. Mario. Lynette Nylander. Adam Bainbridge.