Love Spirals Downwards is a California-based recording project founded by multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer Ryan Lum. Originally emerging on Projekt Records in 1992, the project's early work featured Suzanne Perry, a psychology student whose fortuitous foray into ethereal vocals helped define the label’s early aesthetic. They quickly became one of the label's most popular acts, blending ethereal wave, dream pop, and atmospheric electronica into an emotionally rich and sonically immersive sound.
During their tenure with Projekt Records, Love Spirals Downwards released four studio albums—Idylls (1992), Ardor (1994), Ever (1996), and Flux (1998)—as well as the career retrospective, Temporal: A Collection Of Music Past & Present (2000). LSD appeared on dozens of international CD compilations, notably anchoring genre‑defining series like Hyperium’s Heavenly Voices and Projekt’s Beneath the Icy Floe. Their music was also featured on high‑profile samplers from Alternative Press, Zillo, and Caroline Records, and more recently on Cherry Red’s Cherry Stars Collide: Dream Pop, Shoegaze and Ethereal Rock 1986-1995 (2023).
Beyond the studio, Love Spirals Downwards was a pillar of the label’s live presence, performing at the inaugural Projekt Festival ’96 and ProjektFest ’97 in Chicago alongside the label founder's band Black Tape For A Blue Girl, fellow Projekt artists Soul Whirling Somewhere and Lycia, and ambient pioneers Steve Roach and Robert Rich --as well as the 1998 one-night event at The El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles with Black Tape and Faith and the Muse. LSD also anchored the 1997 Festival Etereo (dubbed "ProjektFest Mexico") in Mexico City, sharing the stage with label mates Lycia and Arcanta.
The project’s early sound drew frequent comparisons to the Cocteau Twins and Dead Can Dance. A 1995 review of Ardor in Alternative Press lauded the instrumental foundation of "droning, quivering layers of electric and acoustic guitars, minimal drums and just the right amount of synthetic keys as needed for texture." Central to this atmosphere was Perry's vocal delivery, which the magazine described as "soft with cathedral ambience" where her voice would "fade gently into the droning backdrop rather than soaring above them," eschewing the "theatrics" of Elizabeth Fraser. A 1992 feature in Ray Gun observed that Idylls "swims on waves of guitars and airy, otherworldly vocals," suggesting that "you’re meant to feel the lyrics, not understand them," noting her use of "sustained evocative vocalizations." Further praise from B-Side described the tracks as "soft-focus mood montages" that seem to "flow from a wellspring of divine inspiration."
Guest vocalists added new dimensions to the project. Jennifer Ryan Fuller (who now performs as Jennifer Wilde) contributed lyrics and vocals for the duet with Perry, Depression Glass, as well as wordless vocals to the track Sunset Bell on Ardor—vocals that were later reused for the Sunset Bell (Flux Mix) featured on Flux. Suzanne’s sister, Kristen Perry—who had actually pre-dated Suzanne's involvement in the project—penned and performed the Flux cuts Ring and Psyche. These collaborations extended Lum's reach into television, with Psyche appearing in Dawson’s Creek (Season 5, Episode 1) and the Sunset Bell (Flux Mix) featured in La Femme Nikita (Season 3, Episode 1).
Throughout the late 90s, Lum promoted frequently at KUCI 88.9 FM, doing on-air interviews, live performances, and DJ sets. It was here that he re-connected with former zinestress, singer/songwriter, and DJ, Anji Bee. The release of Flux marked a turning point for the project; during this period, Lum and Perry parted ways as she transitioned to a career in social policy research, leaving Lum to continue the project’s musical evolution. He began collaborating with saxophonist Doron Orenstein and Rhodes keyboardist Gabriel D. Vine—both of whom were also active in the local DJ scene—on jazz-inflected dance tracks, eventually inviting Bee to contribute vocals to the songs.
Simultaneously, Lum was becoming deeply immersed in the underground West Coast DJ scene, performing at iconic venues like La Belle Epoque, Spaceland, Sterile, and Virgin Megastore Hollywood. Here, he shared stages with acts like Halou, Sweet Trip, and Kid606, spinning cuts from Flux alongside new club-friendly atmospheric drum and bass remixes of Perry-fronted tracks I’ll Always Love You and Alicia, as well as unreleased Bee-fronted jazz-step tracks which Lum had pressed to acetate.
Lum and Bee began releasing their new music online in 2001, initially under the Love Spirals Downwards name. Original tracks like Ecstatic and Hand in Hand found a global audience online, while the Bittersweet (LSD Mix) of Claire Voyant—created for Time Again on Metropolis Records—became their first formal CD credit. As these tracks began appearing on electronic compilations like Chill Out Lounge, Vol. 2 (2001), Chill Out in the City (2001), and Mondisk: A Celeb
