There are a LOT of meditation apps out there that are designed to wring out your stress and send you off to sleep with the sheep, or at least not have to count them. Most of these apps function the same; you hear some soothing voice whisper affirmations or soundscapes of rain forests and other relaxing sounds to help your mind unwind and bring about a state of presence.
Endel is a relatively new app that has hit the market with a bit more edge and thoughtful curation attached that will pique the interest of the electronic music fan. They kicked off with a soundscape collaboration that was done with Richie Hawtin's legendary Plastikman alias (see below).
From there on out, Endel set the bar and, without question, became the coolest and most forward-thinking mindfulness app out there. They have just commissioned a collection of incredible albums from forward-thinking artists to showcase the platform's overall vibe.
These five specially commissioned album-length creative explorations of dream states build on Endel's sleep-enhancing, science-backed soundscapes.
As a widely accessible companion experience to its new fully adaptive Wind Down soundscape featuring the new original sounds of James Blake, Endel has invited anaiis, ANNA, monte booker, Dmitri Evgrafov, and FACESOUL to create dream albums that will drop on popular music streaming services starting in March.
The good news is that these albums are available on music services as a way to share the feel of the fully personalized, sleep-enhancing soundscapes available in the Endel apps.
For the Dream Series, artists contributed signature sounds and used Endel's AI to make 90-minute sleep albums intended to inspire healthy sleep and keep listeners dreaming. A creative exploration in static album form, Dream Series expands on Endel's range of focus, sleep, and relaxation experiences, which include AI Lullaby by Grimes, Deeper Focus with Plastikman, Clarity Trip with Miguel, and the new Wind Down soundscape with James Blake, available exclusively in the Endel apps.
"The Dream Series albums are non-adaptive, unlike our signature soundscapes, but reflect the spirit and evidence-based approach to sleep and relaxation that powers all of Endel," explains Endel co-founder and CEO Oleg Stavitsky. "We see this Series as a celebration of sleep and dreaming that will serve as a gateway to the full adaptive sleep experiences in the Endel app."
"We carefully curated this lineup to represent the different genres, moods, and perspectives on dream states," Stavitsky says. "Each artist created a custom sound pack inspired by their lives, which were then processed by the Endel AI engine to create these beautiful, static soundscapes."
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French-Senegalese artist anaiis grew up between continents, moving from Toulouse to Dublin and Dakar before settling in Oakland, California. Now based in London, her album combines field recordings from Jamaica, textured vocal layers, wind chimes, harps and nature sounds, to spirit guide listeners to deep, restful sleep.
ANNA's success has been two decades in the making, playing shows age 14 at a countryside nightclub owned by her father in São Paulo. Now heralded by everyone from Mixmag to the BBC, her soundscape album "The Spring Of Dreams" embarks on a journey into the dream realm with binaural sounds, solfeggio frequencies and the intention of healing and connection.
The rise of Chicago's Monte Booker has seen him go from a member of the Zero Fatigue collective to having over 100,000 followers on Soundcloud alone. A multifaceted producer, his album "Reflection" is a selection of bedtime beats, helping the listener gently nod off with a background of light percussion and soothing melody.
Dmitri Evgrafov: This acclaimed music composer and entrepreneur has released 10 albums over a span of eight years on labels including the prestigious Fat Cat Records. His piano-led sleep album explores movement and repetition in dreams.
FACESOUL: This London-based Somali artist weaves into audience emotions with his moving, soulful compositions. Here he reworks his voice into a medicinal instrument for healing, offering a vocal-led meditation on the regenerative and creative purpose of dreams.
"To me dreams are important communications from the subconscious and can also connect you to your spirit guides," explains anaiis. "This soundscape is for healing, hopefully guiding people towards a place of inner stillness where held up emotions can begin to slowly break down."
Dreams are a big part of ANNA's life. "I have learned how to lucid dream, where I realize that I am dreaming and interact in a conscious way," she says. Her intention is for "The Spring Of Dreams" to induce a "trance-like state. Every night is an opportunity to gain more awareness."
"We carefully curated this lineup to represent the different genres, moods, and perspectives on dream states," Stavitsky says. "Each artist created a custom sound pack inspired by their lives, which were then processed by the Endel AI engine to create these beautiful, static soundscapes."
More About Endel
Endel is a sound wellness company headquartered in Berlin. Founded by a collective of imaginative developers and artists, Endel is democratizing wellness by making it accessible to all.
Endel runs a cross-platform ecosystem of AI-powered apps that create personalized, functional soundscapes to help people focus, relax, and sleep. Endel's patented technology takes inputs from the user's movement, time of day, weather, heart rate, location, and other factors. It then uses AI to generate personalized soundscapes that adapt to changes in real-time. Endel is available on iOS, Android, Mac, Amazon Alexa, album releases on DSPs, and now Apple TV. The ecosystem has over 1 million active users monthly, and they listen to a million and a half hours a month. Endel partnered with Mercedes-Benz Group Research, All Nippon Airways, Nura, Oura, and others.
In 2020, Endel became the Apple Watch App of the Year and recently received a Google Play Best of 2021 award.
