Yakawrath – Life Is a Sine Wave

Podcast

Yakawrath, also known as Fira, is an experimental psytrance musician and a 2D/3D artist from the Maldives. In the debut episode of Long Take: Life as an Artist, he opens up about his journey as an underground artist in Malé City, describing how the quiet of the night fuels his creativity. He likens his life to a sine wave, filled with highs and lows, but through it all, he remains devoted to a constant phase of creation, continuously pushing boundaries in both his music and art. Listen to the first episode on Spotify or on YouTube.

As a co-founder of the band Wagon Park in Sri Lanka, Yakawrath has released a diverse catalog of tracks, signing with labels such as Voodoo Hoodoo Records, Lucy Forest Records, and Nightmare 420 Crew. His music, recognized for its fusion of psychedelic soundscapes and pulsating rhythms, takes listeners on an immersive journey into the depths of their own consciousness. Fira is also the founder of Valu Records, a Maldivian label dedicated to showcasing underground electronic music from the Maldives and beyond.

Credits

Host: Thomas Burkhalter
Sound: Daniel Jakob, Melodies In My Head
Mix and Mastering: Daniel Jakob
Graphic Design (Cover): Pamuditha Zen Anjana
Editorial support: The Norient team and Rebecca Favale

Further Explorations

For a more experimental listening experience, check out the highly produced podcast TIMEZONES on Norient. You can also explore Burkhalter’s latest project, Melodies In My Head, where interview excerpts are transformed into song lyrics.

Life Is A Sine Wave von Melodies In My Head

The podcast «Long Take: Life as an Artist» dives into deep conversations with artists from across the globe, focusing on musicians and sound creators. Hosted by Norient founder, anthropologist, writer and audiovisual artist Thomas Burkhalter, it explores the personal journeys of these artists – their aspirations, successes, challenges, creative processes, and perspectives on the world. The podcast is minimally edited, offering authentic portrayals of each artist, revealing the person behind the art. It serves as a valuable, freely accessible resource for anyone researching music, sound, culture, and politics.

The podcast is funded by

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Biography

Dr. Thomas Burkhalter is an anthropologist/ethnomusicologist, AV-artist, and writer from Bern (Switzerland). He is the founder and director of Norient and the Norient Festival (NF), co-directed AV-performances and documentary films (e.g. «Contradict», Berner Filmpreis 2020 + Al-Jazeera Witness), and is the author and co-editor of several books (e.g., «Local Music Scenes and Globalization: Transnational Platforms in Beirut», Routledge, «The Arab Avant Garde: Musical Innovation in the Middle East», Wesleyan University Press). He teaches regularly at universities, and runs workshops for arts institutions. Since 2022 he produces the Norient Mixtape for Swiss National Radio SRF3. Currently, he is working on his new music duo «Melodies In My Head», and on the podcast series «Long Take: Life as an Artist». Follow him on Instagram, Research Gate, Academia.edu, Bandcamp, Spotify, or Meta.

Published on October 09, 2024

Last updated on October 09, 2024

Topics

Alienation

Creativity

DIY

Loneliness

All Topics

Special

Long Take: Life as an Artist

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A Huge Reservoir of Life

Audio Essay

by Philipp Rhensius,

Juan José López

Ludwig Berger

The first form of communication was not language but vibration. Listen to an audio essay featuring the biologist Juan José López and sound artist Ludwig Berger who sonify species that soon threaten to become completely extinct – if we don’t listen.

Even with insects –
some can sing,
some can’t.
(Issa 1994)

List of References

Issa, Kobayashi. 1994. «[even with insects]». In The Essential Haiku: Versions of Basho, Buson, and Issa, edited by Robert Hass. Translated by Robert Hass. New York: Ecco Press.

This audio essay was created by the musician, writer, and Norient editor Philipp Rhensius aka Alienationist in autumn 2023 at Klang Moor Schopfe 2023. Each piece features conversations with (and sounds by) the artists and their installations, merged with Rhensius’ own compositions, field recordings, and poetry. To open a speculative realm, each piece is assigned to a poem.

Biography

Philipp Rhensius is an editor for Norient, writer, musician, sound artist, sociologist & musicologist, and curator from Berlin. His work investigates the connections between the micro- and macro-political and is driven by the idea that «feeling the chains» is the moment when emancipation begins. His music and sound art projects (Kl.ne, aphtc, Alienationst) merge sonic fiction with sardonic poetry and visceral sound. His texts are published in i.e. Taz, Spex, FAZ, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, WOZ and several book volumes. He runs the music label Arcane Patterns and hosts a monthly podcast on Noods Radio. Follow him on Instagram, his Website, or LinkedIn.

Biography

Juan José López (*1992) is researching how insects communicate through mechanical waves at the National Institute of Biology in Ljubljana. Among other things, biotremology investigates the extent to which the communication of arthropods allows conclusions to be drawn about the ecological context. The method can complement the study of different habitats and make a hidden world audible and tangible.

Biography

Ludwig Berger (1986), Zurich-based composer, artist and natural sound researcher, creates electro-acoustic compositions. In his works, landscapes become audible, be they cities, Japanese gardens, glaciers or a bee colony. Follow him on his Website.

Published on August 24, 2023

Last updated on April 02, 2024

Topics

Alienation

Listening

Nature

Soundscape

All Topics

Specials

Sonic Natureculture

When the Sound Listens Back

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