{"title":"A State of Flo","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"birds-of-paradise","title":"Birds of Paradise","description":"\u003cp\u003eCelebrated DJ, producer, and sonic explorer Auntie Flo (aka Brian d’Souza) returns with \u003cem\u003eBirds of Paradise:\u003c\/em\u003e a rhythmically rich, emotionally resonant, and ecologically grounded new album, via his A State of Flo imprint. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBirds of Paradise\u003c\/em\u003e draws on d’Souza’s global club experience while deepening his connection with the natural world. Built around classic Roland drum machines and iconic vintage synths, the record is a joyful, body-driven celebration of rhythm and movement, but one grounded in ecology and place. The album’s spiritual centre lies in Saligao, Goa, near d’Souza’s maternal homeland where his Auntie Florie (where the name is derived from) is buried. Where he found his ‘paradise’ nearby, staying in a converted fisherman’s hut and recorded dawn choruses from a riverside studio overlooking mangrove-lined waters. Environmental textures from Japan also make their way into the music, creating a sonic map rooted in lived experience.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Birds of Paradise is about finding beauty and rhythm in a chaotic world. It’s about listening, to nature, to our bodies, to what’s real. It’s a reminder that dance music can be both joyful and grounded.” The album blends Afro-Latin polyrhythms with Western 4\/4 patterns, fusing instinctive, dancefloor energy with field recordings that anchor the music in the earth. Described by d’Souza as “tropical with a few deeper edges, a balance of light and dark.”\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"A State of Flo","offers":[{"title":"12\" - Black","offer_id":53275009909067,"sku":"R5584-4452","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/BirdsOfParadise-600px.jpg?v=1756459935"},{"product_id":"extended-version","title":"Extended Version","description":"\u003cp\u003eAuntie Flo delivers two extended versions of Costa Rica based singer-songwriter Doe Paoro. If you liked Auntie Flo's 'Green City', check these...\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDoe Paoro approached Brian d’Souza aka Auntie Flo to do a remix for her album 'Living Through Collapse' last year. He loved the parts she sent so much he asked her if he could do two remixes, press onto vinyl and release via A State Of Flo.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"A State of Flo","offers":[{"title":"12\" - Orange","offer_id":56665944424779,"sku":"R9290-5961","price":21.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/44db091c-449c-5b66-7892-11573ceb7524.jpg?v=1772452091"},{"product_id":"havana-sessions","title":"Havana Sessions","description":"\u003cp\u003eBrand new tracks made from the Havana Sessions, recorded by Brian d'Souza aka Auntie Flo in downtown Havana around 2015.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e'Havana City' is a joyous, summer anthem in the making, featuring Andrew Ashong on vocals and a host of Cuban musicians. Think Nuyorican Soul's classic 'I Am the Black Gold Of The Sun' with a Tony Allen-inspired drum beat, luscious string arrangements, triumphant horns and addictive keys - all given the space they deserve and fully justifying the 11.5 minutes run time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 2026 version of 'Die Bailando' re-invents the original minimal electro beat to a latin rhumba-influenced groover. Grammy-nominated singer Eric Alejandro aka Cimafunk's vocals are a huge highlight, now fused with new guitars from Ziggy Funk and drums from Ibibio Sound Machine's Jose Joyette.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCompleting the package is a remastered version of 'Mother Theresa' - which has close to 2 million plays on Spotify but was never released on vinyl. Drift away to the sounds of the Malecon...\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"A State of Flo","offers":[{"title":"12\" - Black","offer_id":57282026373451,"sku":"R9097-5784","price":21.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/7f74a13a-78b9-cac0-d8cb-758b4375e37f.jpg?v=1778591139"},{"product_id":"plants-can-dance-curated-by-auntie-flo","title":"Plants Can Dance: Curated by Auntie Flo","description":"\u003cp\u003eCurated by Brian d'Souza (aka Auntie Flo), \u003cem\u003ePlants Can Dance\u003c\/em\u003e is a new compilation bringing together a global community of artists, exploring the creative possibilities of biosonification - transforming signals from plants, ecosystems and the natural world into sound. The project marks the culmination of several years of d'Souza’s work across music, ecology and technology.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe album arrives at a time when more artists are turning toward nature as both subject and collaborator, such as Brian Eno’s Earth Percent, which formally recognises “Nature” as an artist. Plants Can Dance sits within a wider cultural shift, which is redefining the relationship between sound and the living world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe project builds on several years of work by d'Souza, whose Plants Can Dance events have taken place across the UK, Europe, India and Africa, appearing in institutions including the V\u0026amp;A, Tate and the Design Museum. What began as a series of intimate gatherings has since evolved into a global platform, reflecting a growing appetite for work that reconnects music with the natural world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe compilation features contributions from leading practitioners including Modern Biology (Tarun Nayar) in collaboration with saxophonist Zekarias Musele Thompson, OMMA (Olga Maximovam founder of Playtronica), Jason Singh, Dr Helen Anahita Wilson, Justin Wiggan in collaboration with celebrated Norwegian jazz musician Arve Henriksen, Lamine Touré, Bit Marten and Balam, alongside new work from d'Souza himself. Using a range of tools - from commercially available devices to bespoke modular systems - artists translate electrical activity, environmental data and organic processes into musical material.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe processes behind each piece differ - from interpreting plant biodata to translating wind patterns into compositional structures - and the results are as varied as they are compelling. The record spans ambient, jazz, electronica and modern classical, yet all pieces are unified by a shared intent: to reimagine music as a space of collaboration between human and more-than-human worlds.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt the core of Plants Can Dance is a question about how we define music, and how we choose to listen. Traditional musical forms, with their fixed tempos and predictable structures, give way here to something more fluid and less easily controlled. The listener is invited to surrender expectation and engage with sound as an evolving environment rather than a linear narrative. In this context, the compositions function as what d'Souza describes as “acoustic ecologies” - sonic systems shaped by biological, environmental and elemental forces unfolding in real time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAccompanying the release is a printed zine offering reflections from each artist, and deeper insight into the ideas and debates surrounding this practice. Rather than presenting definitive answers, \u003cem\u003ePlants Can Dance\u003c\/em\u003e positions itself as an artistic exploration grounded in curiosity, experimentation and critical thought.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUltimately,\u003cem\u003e Plants Can Dance\u003c\/em\u003e is less concerned with proving whether plants “make music” than with changing how we listen. By inviting audiences to engage with sound shaped by non-humans, it opens up new ways of perceiving the environments we inhabit - not as passive backdrops, but as active, dynamic participants in a shared ecological network. In doing so, it offers a quietly radical proposition: that by listening differently, we might begin to relate to the natural world differently too.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSide 1\u003cbr\u003e1. Brian d'Souza - Hector's Sunflower (Edit)\u003cbr\u003e2. Jason Singh - Tsubaki\u003cbr\u003e3. Modern Biology \u0026amp; Zekarias Musele Thompson - Growing Roots\u003cbr\u003e4. Justin Wiggan \u0026amp; Arve Henriksen - A Spectral Wind\u003cbr\u003e5. Helen Anahita Wilson - Porcupine and the Outdoor Girls (Dr Who Mix)\u003cbr\u003eSide 2\u003cbr\u003e1. OMMA - voices\u003cbr\u003e2. Lamine - Bougainvillea\u003cbr\u003e3. Bit Marten - Sansevieria\u003cbr\u003e4. Balam - Ixora Coccinea\u003cbr\u003e5. Brian d'Souza \u0026amp; Lamine - Monstera Vs SnakePlant\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"A State of Flo","offers":[{"title":"LP - White","offer_id":57386983915851,"sku":"R8733-8260","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/ASOF014V-MOCKUP-FRONT-1024x1024.jpg?v=1779278583"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/fr\/collections\/a-state-of-flo.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}