Human beings are always chasing a state of transcendence. There are many names for this feeling; getting in the zone, being in the moment, The Flow, flowstate, Zen - the list continues for miles throughout every language and religious practice. You've probably felt it before, when you suddenly feel as if time has moved really quickly. This is why people do drugs, this is why they meditate. This is why we skate and surf and hurl ourselves into the moshpit. You feel it when you play music live, you feel it when you spit some bars, you feel it when you have crazy sex. Any time you are perfectly anchored in the moment, not thinking at all, you're feeling it. Eminem said it best; "Lose yourself in the music / The moment."
Enter Dream Dali.
Their gigs combine black and white Dada imagery of the 1930's with surreal & enchanting lighting and visuals. Their live shows look like if The Horrors song 'Sea Within a Sea' became sentient, lurched out of our headphones, marched over to TAFE and took a course in interior design. It's a spectacle you have to experience first-hand.
Dream Dali were kind enough to share their pre-show rituals with us and explain how they get in the zone and feel the flow for their live gigs:
Dream Dali's Pre-Gig Rituals
1. Set up, slight anxiety, and then focus!
We have a bit to set up with the visuals and lights, so there's always a little bit of anxiety as I want the show and the vibe to be right for the concept we have built. After it's all set up, we can then focus on the set itself and putting ourselves into the now.
2. Group Mantra Session
We practice a technique called "the sea of oms", where we all make the sound of OM which helps to connect and focus us for the show.
3. Shamanic Entering
I have had the opportunity to study Peruvian shamanism, where you take on the energy of a spirit guide to help emulate a positive energy for the show.
Photo Credit: India Raine, Charlie Hardy
I particularly appreciate how they tailor each visual/lighting experience uniquely to each venue so that each different audience has their own individual experience. No Dream Dali gig is ever perfectly the same.
After their debut release, Hurt Me, enthralled listeners with a fusion of surrealism & Dadaism, combined with dark influences like Joy Division, The Doors & The Velvet Underground; Dream Dali are back with a brand new single, 'Let Her Be.'
The song was recorded in the Australian Outback, and Guitarist / Vocalist Aaron Shanahan opened up about the meaning behind the song:
“The song is about the challenges of being in love with someone you can’t be with. Although there are very personal references about the spiritual battle and acceptance, it can broadly be said it’s about letting someone be who they are, as you can’t change them, and you need to choose when to walk away.”
'Let Her Be' combines reverberating guitars, hypnotic synths and the fattest bass on this side of the planet to weave a captivating & confounding journey for the listener. To support the release of their new song, Dream Dali have announced a Single Launch in Brisbane later this week:
‘LET HER BE’ SINGLE LAUNCH
Tickets here
Thursday 16th September - O’Skulligans - Brisbane, QLD
‘LET HER BE’
OUT NOW
'Let Her Be' offers a tantalizing taste of what their upcoming EP could sound like, which will drop later this year.
What do you do to get in the zone?
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