Sound Bath Sessions 173: Noel Chan

After completing another project in March, I was anxious to get back out there and record another session. It had been so long since I had a sound bath, and my mind and body really needed it. I recorded Noel about a year ago and still needed to record her last track for the project, so I contacted her and set it up.

We met in the heart of Central HK on a Sunday afternoon at a small yoga studio where she sometimes holds her sessions. The room had a softer Hong Kong din that coincidentally featured in her previous recordings. The hushed static of distant traffic and passersby below contrasts with the calmness in the room. You belong.

The second recording begins with chimes and a rain stick while the hums waft in from the few windows of the space. I love how Noel uses two hands to transition between instruments, creating this gentle crossfade of textures and layering. In her calm style, she varies the length of time between strikes, letting the bowls sing either alone or with friends.