Born in Kerala, raised in the UK, and now firmly embedded in the nexus of experimental music and neuroscience, the co-founder of Vasuki Sound Michael Diamond is as much a thinker as he is a creator. His latest EP, “Placid Wakefulness”, is both a serious dive into the mechanics of the mind and a feast for the ears.
For those aware of Diamond’s work, this new release feels like the natural next step. His previous project, “Third Culture”, was a raw exploration of identity. It cemented him as a voice to watch in the electronic underground. But where “Third Culture” was personal, “Placid Wakefulness” feels like a conversation with the universal, digging into the interplay between sound and psyche.
Diamond’s fascination with how music impacts sleep and wakefulness isn’t just theoretical; it’s baked into the tracks. From the hypnotic opener “A Way of Listening,” featuring Alex Wilson’s transcendent flute melodies, to the pulsing, euphoric release of “Reverse Entropy,” Diamond moves seamlessly between ambient introspection and dance-floor adrenaline.
It’s as if the EP is breathing—exhaling calm, inhaling rhythm. Diamond’s dual life as a musician and academic is central to his work. A former Oxford medical scholar, his days once oscillated between lectures on neuropsychology and DJ sets alongside UK underground titans like Ben UFO and Batu. That rare mix of the cerebral and the visceral defines his sound.
Speaking of collaborations, “Placid Wakefulness” wouldn’t be the same without them. Alex Wilson—who’s no stranger to Diamond’s work—brings his jazz sensibilities to life across the EP. The cello contributions from George Lloyd-Own elevate tracks with an organic richness that only live instrumentation can provide.
In conversation, Diamond is refreshingly unpretentious. “This EP was a byproduct of my studies and a growing awareness of how music impacts our brains,” he explains. “I started noticing how some of the ideas I’d been researching were showing up in my own tracks. The balance between energizing rhythms and calming atmospheres felt natural to me, almost like a mirror of my state of mind while making the music.”
“Placid Wakefulness” is a deeply human experience. Diamond doesn’t over-explain or claim to have cracked some grand musical code. Instead, he’s tapping into something we all feel: the way a song can energise us one moment and cradle us the next.
The closing track, the EP’s title piece, embodies this perfectly. A picked guitar loop dances with shimmering pads, guiding listeners into a liminal state where rest and motion coexist. It’s the kind of music that feels alive, vibrating with the potential to shift your mood, perspective, or maybe just your moment.
For Diamond, this interplay between music and well-being is more than a creative curiosity—it’s a calling. His work with the NHS hints at a future where music isn’t just entertainment but a legitimate therapeutic tool. “There’s growing evidence for the psychological and physical benefits of music therapy,” he says. “I want to understand why and how we can use it to help people.”