As it becomes increasingly difficult to claim to be “the first” of its kind in the NFT space, Pradeep Kumar has found a way: recording a new Async music piece across geographical boundaries — from India to New York — both in a studio and live in front of an audience.
It’s important to note that the audience here isn’t just any group of people, but those that attended Dreamverse at NFT.NYC 2021. Metapurse commissioned Kumar to create the unique, ethereal, traditional-meets-contemporary piece called பண் (translated directly as “Pann,” but described by the creator as meaning “flow”). Check out an exciting feature of the work by the Times of India here.
Kumar was born in a small town in India, exposed to music at an early age by his musician mother. He received classical training in music before moving to the capital — a “creative, artistic hub” where he discovered many different kinds of art and music. His artistry today, Kumar explains, is a culmination of many different musicians and artists that helped to develop and define his work.
The piece, championed and overseen by Kumar, was a “co-creation” of 43 collaborators (musicians and visual artists) creating nine stems in total — some traditional, some contemporary, all “flow.” (The nine stems make up 19,200 combinations and can be played for two years straight!)
While the majority of the piece was recorded prior to NFT.NYC, Kumar and his team decided to bring their collectors and community into the creation of பண் more deeply, by recording two of the nine stems in person. This decision itself speaks to the intention of the work — to “flow” — though Kumar and the team of artists are engaging continually about “Pann.” It doesn't have a direct meaning — it’s always evolving. The artists refer to it as a “flowing waterscape,” prompting creators and consumers alike to appreciate its organic, ethereal nature.
The piece is representative of the “5 geographies in the land,” explain its creators: “Kurunji” (“Mountain”), “Marudham” (“Fields”), “Mullai” (“Forest”), “Neidhal” (“Sea”), and “Paalai” (“Desert”).
Kumar kindly explains that “if it weren't for Metapurse and if it weren't for Async, we wouldn't be here,” sharing that he was “mind blown” when he discovered programmable art. “The blockchain offers so much to artists, and vice versa...by removing the need for the middle man. When all of this came together, I wanted to transfer this mind-blowing experience to everyone else involved, too — musicians and collectors.”
Kumar is as humble as he is brilliant, considering himself as “curator” rather than a composer, bringing together a wide array of talented creators, musicians and visual artists alike. From its recording, to its coordination, to its visual work, “flow” marks this piece from top to bottom. It’s no wonder, either, upon hearing from Kumar about its creative development. “Every artist wrote and contributed their own part. The whole piece was arranged to facilitate space for artists to create in their own lane.”
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. Welcome to the blockchain.
View the work (and place your bid) here. Note: The Master & Stem Layers won't be for sale, initially, as we have exciting plans for those. But, Blank Records will certainly be available for minting. Plus: Kumar will be creating new and novel mixes over the next month to allow for collectors to mint unique blanks.
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