Music for Frequencies of Tradition film screenings at The Roxie
Wednesday, May 18, 6:15 - 6:45 pm (preceding 6:45pm screenings)
Location: Little Roxie Theatre, 3117 16th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
Each monthly screening of Frequencies of Tradition is preceded by original music and a sound mix curated by Topazu (Infinite Beat – San Francisco), with the participation of Annie Chen (Teaphile, Zhuang B – Oakland), Nihar (Left Hand Path, TVOD – San Francisco), and Aaron J (Sure Thing – Boston). The sonic environment anticipates five films, in conjunction with the exhibition Frequencies of Tradition, on view at KADIST San Francisco (April 2 - July 16, 2022).
Nihar Bhatt is a South-Asian American experimentalist, musician and sound designer based in San Francisco, CA. His work contributes to the modern re-invention of the "industrial music" category within a non-eurocentric and consistently anti-capitalist framework. Utilizing a combination of generative, interactive and linear sequencing methods executed through a hybrid digital-analogue setup with modular hardware at its center, Nihar often mixes the sounds and rhythms of the 21st century global supply chain with textures that evoke the dissociative, isolating and depressive effects of neo-liberal culture. The music also lingers on the romance and ecstasy of intimate connection, the virtue of rejecting professionalization and work, as well as the possibility of collective confrontation with power, forming counterpoints to a fundamentally bleak vision of our times.