Boiling Harmonies #3

We are excited to host the third gathering of Boiling Harmonies –  a concert series initiated by Boiling Head Media, our dear partners and colleagues for video streaming of all our events. With support by Syrphne Record, the series aims at contributing to cultural diversity and sound amalgamation through a series of events. The project creates a melting pot for various artistic mediums, where global art practitioners contribute to unique, collaborative creations. It provides an inclusive environment for musicians, visual artists, performers, and curators to explore uncharted creative realms. The initiative emphasises experimentation and innovation, producing live concerts together with audio and video recordings and documentation for archives and publications.

On this special night at SAVVY, we welcome some old and some new friends to the stage – Ali Ostovar, Ira Hadžić, Cedrik Fermont, Natalia Pschenitschnikova, ēāu, Nithin Shams/Maný Feets, Nischal Khadka!

[20:00–20:45]
Nithin shams/Manyfeet

Using acoustic and electronic instruments, Nithin Shams and Manyfeet have developed a practice of mutual listening. They improvise on the violin and accordion, incorporating drones, gestures, and rhythms.

Nithin Shams is a violinist and electronic artist who explores themes of slowness, improvisation, and attention, often collaborating with listeners. After migrating to Berlin in 2023, Shams, who has lived in Sharjah, Goa, New Delhi, and Cochin, is now focused on creating an archive of azans from the Indian subcontinent and conducting deep listening sessions. 

Manyfeet is a new media artist and musician from Cairo, collaborates with Shams, using an accordion to explore rhythmic qualities akin to a drum machine. Both artists study at the Sonic Arts program at the University of Arts in Berlin and share a passion for Indian classical music, particularly Raag Malhar.

[20:45–21:30]
Trio

Ira Hadžić, Cedrik Fermont, Natalia Pschenitschnikova will be performing as a trio of their composition/improvisation based on gongs. 

Ira Hadžić is a sound artist, writer, and cultural anthropologist. In her radiophonic works, she explores how the practice of listening can be perceived as an autonomous language and an instrument of expression. In 2022, her sound piece »Heimatgefühle« (DLF 2021) was awarded the Karl-Sczuka-Förderpreis for radio art. Ira Hadžić lives in Berlin.

Cedrik Fermont is an artist of Belgian, Congolese, and Greek descent, also known as C-drík, Kirdec, and Cdrk. Born in Lubumbashi in 1972 and now based in Berlin, he studied declamation, theatre improvisation, and electroacoustic music in Belgium. Active since 1989, Fermont is involved in noise, electronic, and experimental music as a composer, musician, mastering engineer, author, radio host, concert organiser, and independent researcher. He manages Syrphe, a label and platform he founded in 2002, focusing on electronic, experimental, and free improvised music from Asia and Africa, as well as his own projects.

Natalia Pschenitschnikova  a multifaceted music artist from Moscow, is a vocalist, performer, composer, and interpreter. She studied flute and classical ballet and has collaborated with avant-garde artists. Recently, she has focused on vocal performances, including contemporary opera and medieval monody. Pschenitschnikova has premiered numerous works and released CDs with various labels, including ECM Records. Her ECM production "As It Is," in collaboration with pianist Alexej Lubimov featuring John Cage's early compositions, won the "Diapason D'or" in November 2012. Since 2016, she has been the founder and artistic director of Theater of Voice La Gol (Moscow) and has worked with notable composers and conductors such as Gyia Kancheli, Sofia Gubaidulina, Berhard Lang, and Helmut Oehring.

[21:45–22:30]
Ali Ostovar

Ali(reza) Ostovar is a multifaceted artist based in Berlin, born in Tehran in 1987. He studied piano at the Conservatory of Tehran and later explored electronic music and composition. He studied under distinguished mentors at the Conservatory of Santa Cecilia in Rome from 2010 to 2013, focusing on electronic music composition and music informatics.

Ostovar's work emphasises real-time sound processing and live-electronic performance. In 2017, he earned a degree in Electroacoustic Music Interpretation from IRCAM. He completed his master's in Integrative Composition at Folkwang University of the Arts in 2018.

As a co-founder of TEMBER Ensemble, he serves as a producer, composer, and live-electronics performer. His compositions often blend Iranian tradition with electronic elements, addressing transcultural themes and social issues.

Ostovar has collaborated with renowned artists like Marina Abramovic and has participated in various prestigious events and festivals worldwide. His contributions span across multiple disciplines, including music, performance art, and sound design.

[22:45–23:00]
ēāu

The Clash of Elements – Horns, Drones, Strings, Membranes, Guts & Electronics

ēāu is an improvisational musical collective. Born from the diverse backgrounds of its members Jason Kuwar, Turi Agostino and Ranav Adhikari their sound blends South Asian musical heritage – from the plains to the Himalayas – with contemporary electronic and drone soundscapes.

Their performances traverse various songs, stories, and melodies, bringing together a variety of instruments such as singing bowls, Tibetan cymbals/Gongs, the woodwind instrument Radung, bamboo flutes, string instruments like the Nepalese Sarangi, and the Nepali drum Dhimay of the Newar people, along with electronic soundscapes.

ēāu in boiling harmonies #3 will be represented by Jason Kuwar and Ranav Adhikari.

Jason (Nepal) and Ranav (Berlin) will take you on an improvisational musical journey. They blend traditional instruments like singing bowls, Tibetan cymbals, Radung, bamboo flutes, Sarangi, and drums with electronic soundscapes. Rooted in South Asian heritage, their performance ranges from visceral and unsettling to meditative and soothing experience.

Jason Kunwar – Sarangi, Tungna, Radung, Cymbals and Bowls, Nya-Khin, Vocals, Electronics

Jason Kunwar based in Kathmandu, is a multidisciplinary artist focused on literature and music. Over 15 years, he has explored Nepalese and Himalayan folk traditions, contemporary philosophy, experimental text, and local politics, particularly highlighting village life, labourers, and migrant workers. His work has been showcased globally, including at OneBeat concerts (USA), WOMEX (Poland), and the Shambala Festival (UK). Kunwar has received multiple awards for film scoring, including Best Original Score for 'The Black Hen' at the Asian World Film Festival and SAARC Film Festival, and contributed to the album 'Peace Tracks' with A.R. Rahman.

Ranav Adhikari – Dilruba, Vocals, Electronic

Ranav Adhikari is a media technologist, anthropologist and multi-instrumentalist based in Berlin. 

[End]
DJ–SET

Nischal Khadka is a curator, cultural organiser, and DJ from Nepal. He founded the Transhimalaya Foundation, which highlights emerging artists from Bhutan, Nepal, and Tibet by blending traditional and contemporary sound art and music. His DJ sets traverse sound art and music from the Himalayan region and beyond, incorporating traditional and contemporary sounds, rhythms, and field recordings, as well as intermingling voices and chants across liminal spaces.