Farida Amadou

Originally from Liège and now based in Brussels, Farida Amadou is a self-taught electric bassist and sound artist. Since 2017, she has established herself as one of the most distinctive voices on the European experimental and improvisational scene. Her radical approach to the bass—often amplified, saturated, and deconstructed—blurs the boundaries between noise music, free jazz, electroacoustic, and punk.

Exploring texture, silence, and raw energy, Farida constructs soundscapes that are both physical and introspective, where each note seems plucked from the moment. While her solo improvisations are of a rare intensity, she also excels in musical encounters, which she considers a space of freedom and active listening.

She has collaborated with major figures on the international scene: Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), Peter Brötzmann, Moor Mother, Linda Sharrock, and Chris Corsano, among others. She was also a member of the legendary punk band COCAINE PISS, demonstrating her taste for electric tension and raw formats.

Her solo work, notably the album When It Rains It Pours (2024), reveals an exceptional mastery of sonic density, controlled saturation, and the dynamics of silence. Through her performances, she questions space, the body, and listening, while rejecting labels.

A committed musician, Farida Amadou embraces a deeply intuitive practice that transcends institutional norms and gives voice to lived experiences, and to personal and political struggles.