I really hope I get to watch her perform in person one day, from what I’ve seen and read online, it seems to be quite an experience.
I’ve been subscribed to Kimbra’s mailing list since around the time Primal Heart was released and the way she wrote and shared her thoughts in her newsletters definitely inspired me to start my own. Here are two stanzas from her poem Traveller, which she shared in one of those older newsletters, that really stuck with me.
Sometimes I am a lighthouse Calm, placid and stoic Sometimes I have a hunger for the profound and the euphoric Days like this I feel, I am not sinking nor afloat The dissonance of longing Like a song I never wrote
{ 3 drops of golden sound }
In my last drop, I shared 3 of my favourite live performances by Kimbra so far and a playlist of my favourite songs. In today’s drop, I’ll be sharing a couple of Singapore-based musicians whose artistry and mastery over their technology remind me of her.
Loop 2016 Improvised Liveset by Kimbra, Daedalus, Lars Horntveth and Jeremy Toy
I always find improvised performances by musicians who haven’t worked together previously, fascinating. The way initial hesitations morph into a locked-in groove and vibe, without anyone saying a word to each other and just feeling their way into it, is nothing short of magical.
“Mystical Gathering” by Namie
The criminally underrated Namie Rasman was one of my seniors in college, I’m a big fan of her warm personality and her constant experimentation in music and technology. She has also released music with the jazz band NAMIE & The WAVES and the electronic quartet Canvas Conversations. During the pandemic, she performed her EP launch on a metaverse-like platform and despite the occasional jerkiness of the live stream, the power of her music still came through, a true testament to her talent and skill.
“tick tick” by weish
My first time watching Weish perform was at an Ableton event; her tone, vocal control and use of live-looping reminded me a lot of Kimbra. She has also served as the frontwoman of Singaporean bands .gif and sub:shaman.
If you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading and I hope you’ll be here again at the end of the month! Also, check out
if you haven’t already.LoL (Lots of Love),
rae