A soft passage to sleep

It is in this light that Wang Lu, singing bowl therapist Lu Qiming and guitarist Wang Wenwei recently unveiled Resonant Stillness, an album launched on Apple Music to help listeners ease into a night's rest and recharge.

Its Chinese title, Youxin Xinyou, stems from a line in the Taoist classic Chuang Tzu (The Book of Zhuangzi) that emphasizes mental freedom and harmony with external circumstances.

The album has two parts, one focusing on emotional regulation and the other on improving sleep, centered on a "dialogue" between guitar and singing bowls.

"The play of guitar is warm and lingering, like the flow of a river, while the sound of the singing bowls resembles the occasional bubbles in the water," says Wang Lu.

Originating from the Himalayan region and usually made of metal, singing bowls emit a harmonic sound when struck and are often used for meditation, relaxation and healing.

The sound of singing bowls forms the main thread of the album, around which the orchestration of other instruments and audio elements revolves, Wang Lu says.

For the album, Lu applied aged singing bowls to achieve a softer, more enveloping sound, with subtle fluctuations in texture delicately interwoven into the soundscape.

Nature sounds — chirping insects, bird calls, rustling leaves — were recorded in suburban Beijing and woven into the album. These non-referential ambient elements draw listeners into a wilderness-like atmosphere without overwhelming their attention.

This immersive experience is enhanced by Apple's Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos, which makes the sound multidirectional.

According to Ruan Xiangbo, the album's producer, with the technology they can now place sound precisely such as that of insects and the wind. They positioned the sound of rain above the listener and made the vibrations of singing bowls ripple out in all directions, enveloping the listener with surround sound.

For both chapters, an alternative version with guiding narration is available. As the music flows, the narration guides listeners into relaxation, beginning at the scalp, moving down the face, cervical spine, shoulders, and eventually enveloping the whole body.

Wang Lu says that the sound is crafted not just for the ears, but for the body to physically experience.