Singer-songwriter Angad Katari’s family vacation home, situated at a quaint Uttarakhand village named Sirori, will host the first edition of the Roohaniyat artist residency and the one-day music festival, Sounds in Silence, to be held on December 20. The line-up features some of the most prolific names in the independent music circuit today, like electronic music artiste Lifafa aka Suryakant Sawhney, post dance/ambient music producer Jamblu, Corridors - the solo electronic project of Delhi-based musician Rijul Victor, bassist Dhruv Bhola’s solo project Bowls, and other acts like Karan Sings and Ethnica. Katari, himself is of course, a part of the line-up as well.
Roohaniyat was conceived as a creative escape for artists to help them connect with their work. We caught up with Katari and his partner and event curator Aarzoo Choudhary to know more about the upcoming residency:
Tell us what the residency will entail
It’s a small village residence that was a holiday home for my family. I converted it into an artist space earlier this year, along with my partner Aarzoo, when we both decided to move out of our chaotic city lives and start something in the hills. More than what people conceive it to be, the residency, is a space in the middle of a forest that is ideal for any artist who is struggling with letting their thoughts out and wanting to create.
Tell us about the space
Out of the four rooms one is occupied by us, one is a fully equipped jam & recording room, and the other two rooms are given out as common accommodation. The space also consists of a nice reading/writing section overlooking a scenic view from the windows of the corridor, that would be a treat for any writer. Also, we are working on a new concept of having a disappearing wall at the residence that will be open to painters to come and add their feelings to it!
How and when was Sounds in Silence conceived?
Sounds in Silence the name itself was conceived recently but the idea of having an intimate show has been lurking around on our minds for a year, and we finally thought we might as well do it now!
How did you decide upon the line-up?
It wasn't very difficult to decide the line-up, it was primarily based on the vibe that we were looking at, which is intimate. We personally love all the acts on the line-up but would love to listen to them up in the hills, as a part of a small audience and not at a big gathering. It's more about a listening experience than a festival for us!
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Can you tell us anything about future plans?
Our future plans are mostly around organising workshops in the hills and working towards having more editions of Sounds in Silence in the most peaceful locations where people can come and take an experience back with them, in their hearts more so than on their social media. Apart from this, we look forward to having a wide range of workshops in 2020.
Tickets available at Townscript