ARTIST OF THE MOMENT: Sarah Wreath
My first encounter with Sarah Wreath was likely through Instagram, where she sent me a beautiful ambient set featuring gongs. The decision to release it through “Sundays are for…” came quickly and naturally—it evoked a sense of calm, thoughtfulness, and emotional depth that mirrors her music as a whole.
Over time, we connected more deeply, and Sarah has become a unique source of inspiration for me. There’s nothing rushed or forced about her presence or her sound. She moves in her own rhythm, rooted in what I can only describe as a grounded strength.
Her 2024 album Integration became a steady companion in my life, and the theme of integration feels intimately tied to her artistic path. Following her contribution to Sandwell District’s End Beginnings, she now shares the beautifully narrated ambient techno EP Hikari to Kage, released on the Amsterdam-based label Wabi Sabi.
This isn’t a short read—but it’s a richly reflective conversation that integrates together all facets of Sarah’s work.
Hi Sarah, I can't believe it's finally happening. We’ve been talking about this interview so long and I'm very much looking forward to it. You recently returned from an extended trip to the US, Asia and Australia. How was it and what's the best memory of that trip?
Hello dear Theresa, indeed, it’s finally happening. Thank you for taking the time to have this exchange with me. I’m genuinely grateful to be connected with Delayed as a platform, and with every beautiful personality behind it. This interview feels like a natural continuation of our shared musical vision.
I returned from an extended trip through the US, Asia, and Australia earlier this spring. I had the opportunity to play several gigs that marked new beginnings in my artistic journey. Each one was special in its own way, but having my first gig in New York and getting to explore such an iconic city - simply because my music brought me there - was unforgettable. I’m so grateful to Bryan, who runs The Bunker; he made this incredible opportunity happen. Sharing the booth that night with DJ Nobu, Doltz, and Patrick Russell was super inspiring.
Another highlight of that trip was Tokyo. Initially just a stopover en route to Australia, it turned into something much more. I got to play my first set at Dommune - such an amazing and comforting place to stream DJ or live sets. They have a great Funktion-One system in there, and it was really fun to do something I usually shy away from. This was followed by a debut gig at Womb for the LA-based 6AM crew showcase.
I was deeply touched by how sweet and welcoming the people in Tokyo were.
It’s such a visually stunning, culturally rich city - I already miss it and can’t wait to return.
It’s wonderful how the music community feels like a global family sometimes. But out of experience, it also takes a while to find one’s place in it. Tell us a bit about your beginnings and what you connect most to in the music realm?
Yes, absolutely - it does feel like a global family at times, and I feel incredibly lucky to experience that sense of belonging today.
I’ve always felt a connection to people who are into music - that started in my childhood and teenage years. Both of my grandfathers were active musicians, and my father also worked as a DJ. So from early on, I experienced how music has the power to connect people. Through my dad, I started collecting music and developed a sensitivity for sound and audio gear.
Electronic music was hugely popular in Germany in the late ’90s and early 2000s, especially with the rise of the Love Parade. I absorbed the powerful energy of that music early on and developed a deep passion for it. I spent most of my teenage years surrounded by people who loved the same sounds. And through the ethos and the unique sense of freedom in that community, it became natural to meet others who shared that passion - because there was something unspoken that connected us. In society at large, you don’t often find that kind of openness and liberation.
I’ve always stayed curious and open to new things, and that spirit has guided me to where I am today. It still fascinates me to witness and be part of a community that shares such strong values and passion through music. On a deeper level, I believe this community holds real value for our existence in the world we live in.
I haven’t experienced this level of awareness and consciousness in any other social context.
I see it both as a gift and a mission to contribute to that.
As a DJ, Producer, Sound Engineer and also Sound Practitioner you touch the “world of sound” from several different angles - how is it interconnected for you or better - how do you tie it altogether?
For me, all these roles are simply different doorways into the same world: the world of the power of sound and all the physical and technical aspects behind it.
I’ve always been fascinated by sound not just as entertainment, but as something that moves through the body, shapes emotion, and alters perception and how all that works in acoustic and technology.
As a DJ, I’m focused on the communal and energetic exchange - feeling the room, guiding people through a story, and creating a shared emotional landscape. Producing gives me the space to slow down, explore textures, and articulate more personal, introspective ideas. Sound engineering has taught me the technical language of sound - how to shape it, clean it, respect it - and that precision helps me in everything I do. But it also taught me a lot about our auditory system and how signal flow works not only in music production but also in nature and acoustic spaces.
Then, there’s sound practice, which is perhaps the most intimate and spiritual aspect of my relationship with sound. Whether through deep listening, body-focused sounds, or therapeutic settings, it reinforces for me that sound is a tool for healing, grounding, and returning to presence. I truly believe it’s a powerful tool for meditation.
After fast-paced, high-energy club nights, I often feel the pull toward stillness. Giving sound baths or holding space in more quiet, intentional environments grounds me deeply - it’s healing for me too. From that grounded place, I feel recharged and ready to step back into the wildness again. That ongoing cycle keeps me inspired and in love with sound in all its forms.
My connection to techno and ambient reflects this same dynamic - two poles that nourish different but equally essential parts of me.
So in a way, they all feed into each other - the clarity I learn from engineering deepens my production; the awareness I cultivate in sound practice makes me a more sensitive DJ. It’s not always a straight line, but the thread running through all of it is the belief that sound has the power to shift something - internally or externally.
Can you share a bit about the tools, equipment, software and instruments that shape your sound?
I started producing music in a very hardware-based way. When I built my studio in 2017, I became completely obsessed with jamming on gear and constantly reshaping my setup until it matched the kind of sound I wanted to create.
I work with a few drum synths like the Syncussion and the Vermona DRM1, and also with some polyphonic and wavetable synths from Waldorf and the Virus Access. These give me a broad palette for creating immersive atmospheres and textured soundscapes. More recently, the modular system has become the centerpiece of my setup - especially when it comes to crafting rhythmically impactful elements or diving into more experimental territories.
A big part of it is also sequencing. I usually work with the Cirklon, which gives me a lot of power and control, but I also like to play sounds more intuitively on keys.
For my ambient work - I often enjoy using Omnisphere as a plugin. It allows me to create all kinds of obscure and beautiful atmospheres, and it’s super intuitive, which often helps tie everything together or start a new project.
For FX, I mostly use Eventide - both as a rack unit in the studio and as a pedal for live setups. I’ve always been fascinated by the richness and spatial depth of the Eventide sound.
Another element I often incorporate - both in the studio and in live sets - is my gong, paired with a contact mic. It adds an acoustic and very physical layer to the sound that I really love. There’s something incredibly rich and grounding about bringing that organic resonance into an otherwise electronic environment.
So overall, it’s become a pretty balanced mix of analog, digital, and acoustic sources. I really enjoy this hybrid way of working - it gives me a lot of freedom in how I shape and explore sound.
After these special releases and milestones for you, what are you working on at the moment?
At the moment, I’m working on new material that has a strong focus on dancefloor functionality - the sound that originally pulled me into electronic music. There isn’t a strict plan for the outcome; I’m letting the creative flow lead the way and seeing where it takes me.
I’ve also started some new collaborations with people I feel a strong musical connection to, and I’m really grateful for those shared spaces - they’ve been deeply inspiring.
Another exciting thing in the works is a new live set, which leans into a deep, half-time electronic direction. Working on live sets always sparks new ideas for me - there’s something so rewarding about shaping a full narrative in that format.
As I mentioned earlier, I love moving between slower and faster tempos. Over the past two years, I’ve been quite immersed in experimental and ambient music - a world I feel very drawn to. That phase really helped me reconnect with the club-focused side of my sound, and lately, I’ve felt a strong pull to return to that. It feels like a homecoming to the music that shaped my entire journey.
Right now, I’m working on a few tracks that reflect that - a mix of groove-driven and warm club sounds. Some of them also feature the 303 - the very first machine I bought, and the first sound I truly fell in love with. It feels really special to reconnect with that part of my musical journey and channel it into something new.
What is your favorite sound or frequency if you have one? Or maybe even the opposite?
That’s such a beautiful question - and honestly, it really depends on how I’m feeling emotionally or energetically. Frequencies affect our nervous system in such profound ways, so my preferences tend to shift with my state of being.
But if I had to choose, I’d say I’m especially drawn to low, warm frequencies - deep sub-bass or soft, rumbling tones that you feel more than you hear. There’s something incredibly grounding and comforting about them, almost like being held. They remind me of the body, of safety, of home.
I’ve always felt a strong connection to 110 Hz - a frequency that has been referenced in ancient traditions, including the acoustics of ancient temples and to powerful impacts on the human brain. I’ve read quite a bit about the mythology and power surrounding it, and it really resonates with me. I often incorporate it into my ambient live sets, especially when I play my gong. The harmonic spectrum of my gong is tied to that frequency, which makes it a beautiful synergy.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, I’m also fascinated by very high, delicate frequencies - those that shimmer just at the edge of perception. I use them often in my sound work because they can open up space, lift energy, and create a sense of clarity or lightness.
So I guess I don’t have one single favorite - it’s more about the relationship between frequencies. The tension and harmony that arise when opposites meet is what I find most compelling. That said, I do tend to struggle with overly sharp or harsh frequencies - especially if they feel disconnected from the body. But even those can serve a purpose when used with intention.
You’ve mentioned that your music is deeply connected to your spirituality. Can you elaborate on how sound becomes for you a medium for exploring higher states of being, mindfulness or even healing?
Yes, for me, sound has always been more than just a creative outlet - it’s a language that speaks directly to the body and the subconscious, beyond words. Over the years, I’ve come to see it as a bridge between the physical and the unseen - something that can shift awareness, open emotional spaces, and invite presence.
When I’m fully immersed in sound - whether in a club, a studio, or during a sound meditation - I often experience moments that feel like altered states. It’s as if time slows down, the sense of self softens, and something deeper comes through. It’s fascinating how sound dissolves boundaries, within ourselves and between people. What I really find most powerful is how sound brings people together - it creates a shared experience, an unspoken understanding. Whether it’s hundreds of people moving together in a club or a few lying down in stillness during a sound bath, there’s a collective energy that forms. That connection, that shared shift in state, feels like a kind of healing in itself.
You spent a very good amount of time solidifying your own sonic identity and released your debut LP “Integration” on The Bunker New York Label in 2024. Quite a great label for a first release. It is a wonderful record that bridges very earthly qualities with techno aspects. How was the process leading up to this release?
I was invited to play my first live set - something I had never really done before - and it was in a more seated and listening environment. That setup presented the perfect challenge to explore slower rhythms, which I find fascinating because they create so much space for immersive and half-time beats. These slower psychedelic rhythms always touch my soul so much. So, I ended up finishing an hour of music that eventually became Integration. It was such a profound and powerful experience that gave me a lot of confidence. For years, I struggled to finish music, but when I created that live set, I had to tell a story with an hour of my own music, and I realized that building tracks like that came much more easily for me.
Even after the set, though, the tracks just sat on my hard drive - some of them weren't even rendered. I began sharing them with friends, and it was actually my partner Carlos Garcia and my friend Dave Sumner (Function) who encouraged and pushed me to finish the pieces. Without me knowing, Dave sent the tracks to Bryan from The Bunker, and not long after, Bryan reached out with an invitation to plan the release. That moment really changed everything for me.
It’s such an honor to be part of The Bunker’s release series. The label has such a strong, thoughtful catalog, and I’ve always felt drawn to the sound, the vision, and the way they support artists. Having my debut LP released on The Bunker feels like a full-circle moment that I will always cherish.
Function also made a remix for this album and you were collaborating also with Sandwell District for their upcoming and long awaited release. How was that collaboration and what did you take away from it?
Yes, having Function do a remix for Integration meant a lot to me - not just because of his legacy, but also because of the trust and friendship we’ve built over time. He really understood the emotional core of the track and brought his own deep, hypnotic signature to it in a way that felt so aligned with the record.
The collaboration with Sandwell District was a surreal and deeply layered experience. One highlight of the production was the time Juan, Dave, and I spent together in the studio, talking through the vision for the album - it was a brief but incredibly inspiring exchange that really stayed with me.
The creative process took time to find its rhythm, but that openness and fluidity ultimately became part of the project’s character and emotional depth.
In the midst of it all, we were deeply affected by the tragic passing of Juan (Silent Servant), which inevitably shifted the emotional weight of the project and brought a profound sense of gravity and reflection.
But Karl (Regis) and Dave (Function) carried the spirit and the mission forward - there was a quiet determination to see it through, to honor what had been started, and to pay tribute to Juan’s role in it. Step by step, things began to take shape. Looking back, I believe the intensity of the process is part of what gives the work its emotional depth. It wasn’t easy, but I’m deeply grateful to have been part of something so meaningful.