Intense Records

Birds of Paradise (Repress)

A State of Flo
ASOF010V
House
12"

£16.66 (£19.99 incl. VAT)

Includes download code. Celebrated DJ, producer, and sonic explorer Auntie Flo (aka Brian dSouza) described by The Guardian as one of global club cultures most vital voices returns this autumn with Birds of Paradise: a rhythmically rich, emotionally resonant, and ecologically grounded new album, out 23 October via his A State of Flo imprint. The album will be launched with a special live show at Londons Jazz Cafon the same day.
Birds of Paradise draws on dSouzas 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 albums spiritual centre lies in Saligao, Goa, near dSouzas maternal homeland where his Auntie Florie (where the name is derived from) is buried. Where he found his paradise nearby, staying in a converted fishermans 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.
Birds of Paradise is about finding beauty and rhythm in a chaotic world. Its about listening, to nature, to our bodies, to whats real. Its 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 dSouza as tropical with a few deeper edges, a balance of light and dark.
The new record follows the acclaimed In My Dreams, Im A Bird and Im Free, which earned 4 stars and Global Album of the Month from The Guardian, featured in Disco Pogos Albums of the Year, and received support from Luke Una, Resident Advisor, Juno, Bandcamp, Mixmag, DJ Mag, Electronic Sound, The Skinny, Beatport, Ban Ban Ton Ton, and more. The albums launch show at Omeara London sold out. Other recent projects include the Outernational Dance EP on cult label Multi Culti, event series Plants Can Dance (and Mushrooms Sing) which explore plant and fungi bioelectricity as a means of live composition, and Black Beacon, a haunting cassette release and soundwalk series recorded on the abandoned military island of Orford Ness. There, dSouza explored the eerie intersection of nature, decay, and deep time, gaining special access to restricted buildings to capture long-form soundscape compositions.
Alongside his production work, dSouza has emerged as a leading voice at the intersection of sound and science. He curated music for Imperial Colleges groundbreaking psychedelic therapy trials, developing six-phase playlists to guide participants through psilocybin-assisted sessions treating conditions such as fibromyalgia and gambling addiction. His five-hour ambient set at Watching Trees Festival, selected as Resident Advisors Mix of the Day, continued this exploration into the therapeutic potential of sound in altered states. He also spent six months collaborating with BBC producer Tom Raine on a documentary for BBC World Service, centred on a two-week journey through Kenya and Goa. There, he performed live, led plant music workshops, and joined a deep listening retreat rooted in field recording. I realised my studio isnt just four soundproofed walls filled with instruments its the journey itself. Its the people I meet, the natural world I listen to, and the connections I feel.
This same commitment to deep listening fuels his live concept Plants Can Dance, a project that combines the biosonification of plants and fungi with modular synthesis. The next event, on 14 September at Hideout Hackney Wick, will feature performances by Stella Z and Lapalace, with dSouza and resident Lamine playing live alongside responsive plants in collaboration with Repot Hackney Wick and the label Music To Watch Seeds Grow By. Ive spent years exploring how electronic music can connect us, not just to each other, but to the natural world. Whether its translating mushroom data into melody or capturing birdsong at dawn, its about finding resonance across bodies, ecosystems, and machines.
Rooted in his Goan and Kenyan heritage and shaped by years of travel and collaboration, dSouzas creative mission is simple: to reconnect the electronic world with the natural one. Through A State of Flo, he continues to blur the boundaries between club culture, sound art, and ecological awareness.