Hisham Akira Bharoocha
Live at h0l0 01_31_2020

New York-based multidisciplinary artist Hisham Akira Bharoocha presents Live at h0l0 01_31_2020, a solo album of acoustic drums with electronic processing. The album consists of Bharoocha's in-concert performance for a festival entitled drumXdrum: a festival of polyrhtms; the event was curated by renowned percussionist Susie Ibarra and took place at Brooklyn venue h0l0 in January of 2020. Augmenting the acoustic drums are the electronic sounds generated from the hi-tech drum-triggered MIDI software of Sunhouse / Sensory percussion. This technology consists of hyper responsive drum sensors which activate highly programmable sounds in the corresponding software; the drumset thus gets transformed into a giant MIDI controller for a unique virtual 'orchestra.'

For his electronic sonic palette, Bharoocha chose sounds derived from his cultural background (Japanese / Indian / Myanmar decent) to create a set of semi-improvisational short pieces. These pieces reflect on his memories of growing up as commingled with the the influence of the western urban culture he has absorbed through living in The United States for most of his adult life.  Some sonic elements were chosen to channel memories of summer street festivals in Japan, the sound of fireworks heard at riverside parks, the noises from Pachinko parlors and other urban sounds he heard as a child in Tokyo. Bharoocha also wanted to honor his Indian / Myanmar side by incorporating sounds that reminded him of traditional Myanmar music as well as the aging pop music cassettes he found there on subsequent visits.  All these sonic memories were merged in this set of short musical pieces to bring about the conversation on the interplay of memory and sound - how visions from the past intersect and connect with present experiences through aural signifiers and vibrations. 

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As a highlight of this release, each cassette features a one-of-a-kind handmade artwork showcasing Bharoocha's distinctive collage-based style. In making these artworks, Bharoocha regarded the cassette-cover as a canvas for a fine-art piece; the source materials for each piece consists of original printed ephemera. Completing the overall multidimensional package, these artworks function as visual counterparts to the audio which generated the initial creative processes. As the electronic sounds of the audio convey impressions of Bharoocha's past, the visual imagery - both representational and abstract - suggests a panoply of associations based on tone, 'texture' and juxtaposition. A fluidity of ‘translation’ comes about through this dialogue. The series of Live at h0l0... consists of over 50 artworks; each artwork is signed and numbered by the artist.