London-based, Somali-born singer-songwriter Faisal Salah works at the intersection of soul, R&B and ambient music.
He frames his music as medicine: soulful vocal writing built on field recordings, live instrumentation and immersive sound design.
‘Meditations: Bali’ marks a new exploration of sound. During an immersive trip, the artist walked rice fields with farmers, sat with local communities and collaborated with artists to make a record that feels like an oasis of calm in a noisy world.
Spiritual Soundscapes
Gratitude Ambient
Soothing Meditation
- Silence 1:56
- Enter 5:38
- Rahayu 5:14
- The Search 8:03
- Longing 5:59
- Suksuma 1:24
- Astungkara 4:58
- Awal 2:52
- Tengah 3:06
- Akhir 4:05
Spiritual
Offerings
Sources artists
on influences, creative roots, inspirations, rituals and their releases on the
label.
Words by: Jamie Collins-Adams
Currency Of Kindness
“I’m not trying to top the charts.
I’m trying to really give something back, to give people a sense
of this place.” Facesoul is full of humour, sincerity and
warmth when he talks, but the message is serious. It’s about the
impact the culture of Bali had on him, and how the music industry often
focuses on the wrong things. “In the West, kindness can be a rare
currency amid the hustle. The act of giving is woven into Balinese life,
and that’s what I wanted to bring into the music and share.”
⬤
“Bali hit differently. There is a beauty
of kindness there, a place where you can truly tune into the
energy around you and give back to people.”
Rhythms Of Existence
Fed-up with the speed of “always-on” culture, Facesoul (real name Faisal Salah) has been seeking out slower ways
of creating and sharing. “We need spaces of stillness more
than ever; places where our inner-selves can go on journeys that
restore balance.” The new album for Sources marks the start
of a series of explorations, searching for an antidote
to the “Doom scrolling and the chaos of modern life…
making us dissatisfied with the long, quiet rhythms
of existence.” In Bali this took the artist into fields with
rice farmers, improvised jams with musicians and prayers with the local
community. ⬤
“The way I think about music, energy waves rather than
dopamine hits, connects directly to the Balinese idea
of giving. I wanted to shine a light on that
beauty.”
Open Process
‘Meditations: Bali’ sees powerful vocal performances, lush
textures and field recordings combine into a sensory offering. Collaboration makes Facesoul happy, and he gushes about the people he worked
with on this record (“Some of the best musicians I’ve ever come
across are on that island.”) The process evoked a child-like, free
approach to making music, with an openness that led to some unusual
guest features. “There was a ceremony outside the studio… one of the
priests the following morning was still around, and we were like, ‘hey
brother, could you do the Balinese prayer of opening, please, for this record?’
And he walked in and just did it with love.” ⬤
“It’s rooted more in faith than geography. There’s
a hadith in Islam: actions come by intention, and everyone
gets as they intend. That feels like the truest description
of this record.”
Location Isn’t Fixed
As Facesoul talks, he notes that a lot of modern
music is about “dopamine hits”, something that doesn’t sit easily when you know there
is a lot of joy to be found in the present,
gratitude and reaching out to other people without ulterior motives.
What would Facesoul’s insights be from his time making this
record? “Share what you have, share your insights, benefit others
so they can benefit others in turn.” There
is a joy to be found in a culture of giving
generosity. In addition “if you live in the city and
you’re feeling unhappy or stuck: get out. See the world.
It is beautiful and diverse and it will surprise you. Your
location isn’t fixed.” Sage words. ⬤
“Music pre-dates the industry. There were no negotiations between the
musicians. Just giving.”
Faisal Salah, known by his stage name ‘Facesoul’ is a London-based artist born in East Africa. At 19 he began travelling the world, performing for different communities while sharing his story and voice.
These travels proved to be a formative step for his development as an artist, in which he discovered that people, even with apparent differences in race, language and environment, shared the same common internal emotions and feelings.
The new record with Sources is the first of a series that explores meditation and community around the world.
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