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Lichens is a recording alias of multi-instrumentalist Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe, established in 2004 for his solo and collaborative studio recordings and live performances. Utilizing a modular synthesizer, Lichens loops, manipulates, and processes wordless vocals in real-time to create hypnotizing drone soundscapes. Inspired by a composer who developed a unique 43-note scale system within a conventional Western 12-tone octave, Lowe focuses on the synthesizer's ability to produce sounds "right in between the notes." In addition to his voice, Lichens incorporates unconventional sound sources, including the human body and plants, connected to a synthesizer via a MIDI Sprout, which reads bio-signals through EEG pads and converts them into MIDI signals. Lichens self-released his debut limited edition CD-R, R. Brown, in 2004 and performed at a venue in Chicago. His first official album, The Psychic Nature of Being, was released in the autumn of 2005, featuring three long tracks recorded during a single improvisation session without overdubbing. In 2008, Lichens toured extensively as an opening act for another band and played at a festival curated by them. Following this period, Lowe shifted to recording and performing primarily under his real name, leading to fewer Lichens releases. In 2012, the project released the Lítið Fólk LP on a Belgian label.

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