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Berlin-based Arborra returns to !7K for Mind Over Matter, a full-length that investigates the transformative power of breathing

The 12-track album was co-produced with David August and is a seamless fusion of instrumental improvisation and modular synthesis

Late April 2025

Arborra is a musician who travels between acoustic and electronic worlds, seeking the unseen threads that bind breath, sound and being. Years of playing saxophone eventually gave way to a restless curiosity to explore new realms. Modular synths became a labyrinth of possibilities and a mirror for his own metaphysical inquiries. The saxophone remains his oracle but its essence is now distilled to a single truth: breath.

Life begins and ends in its rhythm, shaping internal landscapes and external realms alike. It's an invisible but unbreakable force that shapes our state of mind and how we perceive the material world. Mind Over Matter explores the mystical world of duality that exists between the two.

This profound yet tranquil album emerged not as an answer but as a reflection on how frequencies bridge the tangible and the ephemeral. When human intention met machine unpredictability, an imperfect interactive system was formed. Synth wires tangled in his hands became conduits to unlock unseen harmonies.

Improvising on top of these raw currents, Arborra’s saxophone responded to subtle structural patterns of memory and harmony. Like ceremonial rituals and the towering architectures of vanished civilisations, his additional frequencies carve invisible pathways toward something beyond comprehension. Here, the boundaries blur between what is felt, imagined and real to reveal systems within systems. Each one unfolds new questions, further introspection and deeper internal responses. Extra layers of narrative come in the track titles. They reflect personal thoughts about human existence and offer clues about things that bind us all.

Saxophonist, composer and modular synth artist Arborra has played the saxophone both solo and as part of various collaborative projects all over the world. In recent years, he felt it was time to expand his sound and seek out new worlds. His interest turned towards the infinite possibilities opened up by modular synths. Working with Berlin-based musician David August, he developed a whole new language and set out on a mission to combine acoustic and electronic worlds. Following a self-titled EP on !7K in 2024, Mind Over Matter is a vibrant, uplifting snapshot of the journey so far. It's a spiritual and life-affirming work that roots you in the here and now but evokes the awe-inspiring feeling that anything is possible… if only we breathe.