Felisha Ledesma
This is Felisha’s bio.
Felisha Ledesma is a Berlin-based sound artist and musician. Ledesma co-founded and directed S1, a project space that hosted experimental music, performance and visual art as well as being the headquarters for the Synth Library – a lending library for electronic music equipment.
Most recently Felisha conceptualized a synthesizer, AMQR, together with instrument designer Ess Mattisson which was used on Ledesma’s releases for labels Ecstatic Recordings and Enmossed x Psychic Liberation. This collaboration led to the formation of Fors, a music technology project creating software instruments.
S1 SYNTH LIBRARY
Alongside Alissa Derubeis, Felisha Ledesma created a synth library within the S1 building. Felisha felt like synthesisers in general weren’t very accessible and had a high entry point in terms of cost when starting. S1 runs monthly introduction lessons on how to use the synthesisers one for everything and another for non-binary and women. Felisha felt that after seeing synthesisers in person and others using it she wanted to try them for herself and found it difficult to access the equipment. The synth library is meant to be a space for everyone to attempt to learn and use the synths. I find this sort of mentality really great for bringing people together and allowing others without the privilege to use these synthesisers.
Fors
Fors is a plugin company created by Felisha alongside Ess Mattisson. Felisha’s role is Concepts & Projects and Ess does Design & Development. When searching the website I found it to be very sleek and professional. I see that they make Instruments for MAX on Ableton. I was interested to actually see what these instruments were so I looked a bit more into it.
They have an instrument called Superberry. It’s inspired by memories of their favourite melodramatic trance melodies. I found it well made but perhaps the sounds a bit basic. I’ve never designed a synth or a plugin so I don’t have the knowledge to criticise but I felt a bit underwhelmed.
Chiral is another Synthesiser. I haven’t used this synth but the interface looks more playful than the last which would help someone that’s new to this. I listened to the sounds and they’re much better than Superberry. I did find the sounds to be a bit clean and digital sounding. I prefer the analogue dirty sounds that other synths offer.
Romb is an audio effect which is reverb. Very nice interface and lovely sounding reverb. It has a really good size aspect and interface that helps you understand what is going on. Recommended as it’s free as well!
Post Lecture Reflection
S1 was a huge 35,000 square foot building under a pharmacy and Felisha had done things before but this was one of the turning points of her career. She feels this was the start of how she came to be the artist she is now.
She started doing a lot of projects in the space since they received it in 2014. In the first show, they projected lights and visuals onto paper walls. She didn’t really question what running a space meant, and what she wanted to accomplish. She just did it, as as soon as they got the space it started instantly. She relates her twenties as a snowball gaining momentum. Not really asking questions. At first in the beginning, it was mainly visual arts within the space.
S1 hosted parties and events as well, the downstairs was a basement with no windows or air for the performers. They had lights that shined on the stairs to create an experience that you are entering the space. They also hosted generative pieces in the space and the sensors and sound that were created were affected by the user in the space.
Running the space was part of her practice, doing her own work wasn’t part of her practice outside the space. And S1 allowed her to figure out how to present her work.
They also started a synth library. It was a space within the space, someone came to S1 and had an idea that if they own synths and didn’t use them that much why not share? She wanted people that used S1 to have a space to use these instruments. Alyssa was like I can get donations and create our own modular synths to create these instruments for the library. It launched in 2016, the way it worked is you can come in for a workshop and understand a little about how the gear works. And then you can sign up for library hours, a facilitator in there would donate their time to help you or you can use the gear and record. This started changing the way S1 was showcasing art. For better or worse it became less of the like project focused art show. But more a communal experience and artists would utilise the synth library.
In 2016 ghost ship was a warehouse which had a show, and 36 people died. A lot of her friends escaped and others died in this event. This time became a very different period for her but she kept going and moving. It was a terrible time, and it really changed the art community forever and she doesn’t believe anything will be the same after that, her friend that was the headliner lived with her and he was so traumatised and getting sued by peoples families because of what had happened.
She also did collaborations with MOOG and other businesses. Although she isn’t pro-capitalist she’s seen other artists benefit from this arrangement with businesses so she learnt to let some things go as it benefits others.
There isn’t an archive of S1 online and she’s working on it. Doing this presentation for us has brought back a lot of memories for her. Including remembering people that were involved in S1 and she’s proud to figure out how to do it with no budget and its how she’ll always work. She will make things work no matter what. Shes very proud of S1.
Around 2018 she wasn’t doing or releasing records, but more collaborations. For example, Keyon gaskin is a dancer. She curated an event alongside Keyon. It was basically a really loud noise set. She was creating the foundations and allowing Keyon to explore his own space within the set. She continues to say this is something she loves to do, to create the foundations for other people to do their thing.
After she left S1 she thought about how she can still contribute without getting burnt out. She ended up donating her synthesisers to create a feminist synth library. S1 has since become mainly around lending machines.
She ended up going on tour around Europe and doing gigs and releasing music. She ended up moving to Berlin and got into a graduate degree and didn’t enjoy it. She then got cancer and it really shifted the way she thought about her life, and now she had death on her mind. She then decided to concentrate on what she likes to do rather than the expectations of herself and the people around her. Forgive herself more and be a little more patient. She decided to quit school and be in her body and quit and give herself time to heal. And then it became a weird anxiety loop of doing nothing and second-guessing herself.
She then left school and started collaborating with artists she loves.
ASMR was heavily inspired within her practice and not using the voice. She released a Cassette tape on her favourite label.
She then went on to release Fringe on ecstatic recordings. 2021. Her second project.
She went on to date someone who worked at Electron which is a synth company in Sweden. They started speaking bout the perfect synth. And her boyfriend and herself created a synth around her decision of what a perfect synth for her would be.
They then created a synth called super berry. An emo trance synth, she isn’t good at coding or max for live so she simply helps with the decision making of the app.
They released it without knowing what would happen. They released it and a lot of people enjoyed listening and using the synths. She’s excited to see what happens next with it. She gets to use, and conceptualise these synths. Talk about how they could be used, play with them live so for her it’s the best of everything. When they started they weren’t sure how experimental they could get with their design. Could they use symbols for their things, and they tried out, and it did really well and this gave her confidence they can get really weird with it and expand in lots of different ways. She feels ready to see what else can happen.
I found Felisha’s presentation to be thoroughly inspiring. How a DIY space can come together to create something powerful, a safe space. Allow access to expensive synths, curate projects, show art, create culture and give back is inspiring. It’s something I’m heavily into, not for profit organisations that don’t use culture and scenes or ideas for extreme profit. I also found the syth/plugins she creates with her boyfriend to be something motivating. She doesn’t get involved in the development but the ideas towards it. Something I wish to try one day!