Residency Programme at Erica Synths Studio

In 2023, Artes Liberales proudly funded the residency programme hosted at the Erica Synths Studio. This initiative welcomes musicians from around the globe for a week-long creative process within the inspiring environment of the studio.

During their stay, residents had access to Erica Synths’ extensive collection of instruments and resources, enabling them to bring their musical visions to life. Each residency culminated in a presentation of the artists’ projects, performed live in the studio’s performance hall. These performances were professionally recorded and later published on the Erica Synths Garage platform, extending the reach of their work to a global audience.

To further amplify the impact of the residency, interviews with the participating musicians were conducted, offering insights into their creative journeys. A dedicated photoshoot accompanied each residency, providing visually engaging material for media coverage. This comprehensive approach ensured that the programme not only supported the residents’ artistic growth but also produced a multifaceted end product showcasing their talents to a wider audience.

France Jobin is a sound and installation artist, composer and curator residing in Montreal, Canada.

France was the first artist to have a residency at Erica Synths new headquarters in Riga, Latvia. The 5 day process resulted in an unlikely artefact - a drone music composition, performed only with a drum machine, the Pērkons HD-01. You can read an interview with her HERE.

French-born LA-based musician, Hugo Paris started from modest beginnings in Provence and defied early challenges by excelling both artistically and academically. Just over the last 10 years, Hugo contributed to the Nobel-winning LIGO project, invented the Spherical Wavetable Navigator synthesizer with 4ms company and released four critically acclaimed albums. Today, Hugo dedicates his time to writing/touring, crafting wellness music under various monikers to help reduce stress related issues, while he strives to empower others through weekly Patreon calls and Grammy U mentorships.

Read an interview with Hugo and see more about his vision of blending arts and sciences HERE.

Matheus Souza, born in 1997 in Rio, Brazil, is a composer, improviser, and performer specializing in electroacoustic music. He combines live electronics, acousmatic, and mixed music, utilizing instruments like the Buchla Easel Command and laptops with Max or VCV Rack.

He performed with a custom Erica Synths modular system, Buchla Easel Command, Buchla Thunder Overlay and Fender Space delay pedal. You can read an interview with him HERE.

Eraldo Bernocchi is an Italian composer, producer, and guitarist, widely recognized as a versatile sonic architect. Beginning his career in the late 70s with punk bands, he co-founded the avant-garde audio project Sigillum-S in the mid-80s, which gained international acclaim. His collaborations span a variety of influential artists, including Bill Laswell and Harold Budd, and encompass diverse roles from scoring films for Academy Award winner Gabriele Salvatores to crafting soundtracks that have won national awards. In 2008, Bernocchi established RareNoise Records in London, promoting cutting-edge music and his own projects. Notable works include scoring 'Cy Dear', a documentary on artist Cy Twombly presented at prestigious venues such as MOMA and the Louvre.

Eraldo Bernocchi performed live at Erica Synths Garage with ES Pērkons HD-01, ES Nightverb, ES Zen Delay, IK Multimedia Uno Synth Pro, 1010 Music, Blackbox sampler and Moog Animoog Z (on the iPad).

As a multi disciplinary artist and a 95% blind individual, Oğuz Büyükberber aims to raise awareness to the wide spectrum of disabilities and their affect in people’s perception of reality.

Oğuz Büyükberber performed a live set in Erica Synths Garage accompanied by an interview on his process and time in Riga. Read the interview that was held by Ģirts Ozoliņš HERE.

Music producer and composer Andris Indans has been an active musician since the late 80s; his project Gas of Latvia is one of the most significant electronic music projects from Latvia. He performed his live improvisation with Erica Synths Black System III & 1010 music Lemondrop.

Leo Novus is an electronic music artist based in Riga, LV and part of team Erica Synths. He performed his live set in Erica Synths Garage.

Povel Olsson and Kaspars Roga’s musical journey began many years ago when Povel produced for Kaspars' band, BrainStorm. This collaboration marked the beginning of their partnership, but it wasn’t until recently that they decided to formalize their work together under the name LORO_DROP.

LORO_DROP held their first debut performance at the Erica Synths Garage. Read an interview with them HERE.