Free.Wav 2.0 Ft. Nicolas Jaar: Attend A Week Long Electronic Music Residency In Kerala

For those who harbour dreams of learning the nuances of Electronic Music from one of the best that the world has to offer, Free.wav is a venture to stay tuned to. Featuring acclaimed electronic artist Nicolas Jaar, and Palestinian artist Bint Mbareh, the second iteration of this week-long sonic arts and electronic music residency is being hosted in Kerala in the upcoming month. Led by Nithin Shamsudheen, a Malayali electronic sound artist, it is being held at Bhoomi Farms — his family’s space in Attapadi, Wayanad. 

While the registration for this session ended on 25th February, the actual event is due to take place from March 14-20th. The team hopes to continue hosting continued versions of the residency in the future. This upcoming Free.wav 2.0 residency features sessions by returning experts such as producer Flux Vortex (Aditya Kapoor), bassist/producer Krishna Jhaveri of Skyharbor, Rana Ghose who is a filmmaker and photographer, and the founder of artist platform REProduce, and of course, Nithin Shams, the founder of the venture.

Nithin Shams had most recently performed a live improvised set in Bombay at the Reproduce St+Art Listening Room at Sassoon Docks. As a dedicated sound artist, he released his Sonic Liberation Front mixtape in June 2021. According to Rolling Stones India, owing to its support of the Palestinian people, his mixtape was picked up by Radio Al Hara based out of Bethlehem, which also featured Nicolas Jaar’s mixtapes. This intersection is what sparked their online interactions, which eventually led to this residency. 

Free.wav 1.0 was conducted in 2021 with 14 participants, facilitated by Aditya Kapoor and Nithin Shams, and instructed by Parimal Shais, Sanaya Ardeshir, and Krishna Jhaveri. For this edition, they have 15 participant slots, and the programme fees amount to Rs.25,000. But the residency does offer partial and full scholarships for applicants from marginalised communities to encourage more diverse artists in the field of electronic music. From sessions on music production, beat making, and sampling to field recording sessions and even creative strategising for music production, the residency is a deep dive into the art of electronic music production, even for those without prior experience in the field. It is also the founder’s attempt to build a community of eclectic sound artists through these residencies.

You can learn more about the residency on the farm’s Instagram.

If you liked reading this article, we suggest you also read: 

Apply For A United States-Sponsored Virtual Music Residency & Exchange This January

Learn Pottery At This Creative Art Residency In The Hills

Apply For This 4 Day Permaculture Residency & Learn How To Be Self-Reliant