about desire lines
launched in 2020, Desire Lines is a series of occasional multidisciplinary projects that centre community healing at the intersection of music, art and ecology — curated by El Hardwick. desire lines encompasses a little diy record label, events / gatherings and collaborations.
the name Desire Lines comes from the term desire paths: the alternate paths that are created through erosion by many individuals' repeated and mutual desires to walk an alternate route.
desire lines vol. 1
desire lines vol. 1 is a 10-track compilation featuring new compositions by YaYa Bones, Mabe Fratti, Arushi Jain, Flora Ocean Parkin, BORA, Dolphin Midwives, Nailah Hunter, Vida Vojić, Mìch Cota/Kìzis, and El Hardwick themselves.
All proceeds will go to QueerCare, which provides “transfeminist autonomous care, training, support and advocacy for queer people in the UK”. Its services include suicide intervention, helping queer people access medication and services that can help them, writing evidence-based protocols for mutual aid groups, giving first-aid training at protests, and much more.
El Hardwick says “Spending time in nature and listening to ambient-influenced songwriting has helped me considerably in healing my chronic pain. Desire Lines formed from a passion to create a collaborative, queer space, outside of nightlife, that heals through connecting with nature and music — which I hope in the future will expand into IRL hangouts in nature, and other creative projects.”
The tracks combine minimal harp melodies, layers of choral vocals infused with Indian classical music, pulsating synths and atmospheric strings — creating a blissful dialogue that celebrates collective healing in queer communities.
Desire Lines Vol. 1 is out digitally on 4 September 2020, exclusively on Bandcamp:
desire-lines.bandcamp.com
the compilation tracks were previewed on a special one hour radio show on dublab, played alongside past releases from the contributors —which can be listened back to here.
Mastered by Dominic Clare at Declared Sound. Artwork by Firpal Jawanda.
events
the first irl desire lines event took place 21 may 2022, curated in collaboration with fellow artist & dreamer opashona ghosh, at a private garden in South east london. activities included a foraging walk, sound bath, vocal embodiment workshop, poetry readings, supper club, fire ceremony, ambient dj sets and stick n poke tattoos.
this was followed with a second event on bank holiday monday 28 august 2023, curated with opashona ghosh for a second time, and held at glengall wharf garden in peckham. activities included a tour of the garden, movement workshop from studio lotusroot, sound bath from curve asc, poetry readings around the campfire by pansy bbes and a shared pot luck meal. poster below designed by opashona ghosh.
