Arswain is the conceptual electronic project of Los Angeles-based composer and producer Freddy Avis. The project first spawned while Avis was studying Music, Science, & Technology at Stanford University’s Center for Computer Research in Music & Acoustics (CCRMA) in the heart of Silicon Valley. Disillusioned with tech culture and careerism, Avis found a home in a brooding style of dance music that blurs the line between “real” and “fake,” “organic” & “synthetic,” drawing on electronica and IDM influences. His voice is described as “smooth, rich, and a little haunting,” occupying a distressed and somber sonic world that grapples with themes of consumerism, climate change, and 21st century existence. The name Arswain is taken from Avis’s ancestor, R. Swain Gifford, a regionally prominent landscape painter from 19th century New England.
After completing his degree, Avis moved to Los Angeles and began writing music for film & television at Hans Zimmer’s studio in Santa Monica. He now operates out of his own studio in east Los Angeles. Arswain released two singles – “Pleasure” & “With Ease” – in fall of 2019. His forthcoming full-length album, Partitioning, arrives January 10th, 2020. Follow @arswain_ on Instagram for updates.