Peter Freeman
Peter Freeman (May 29, 1965 – March 16, 2021) was an American bassist, composer, and record producer. Based in his studio in Los Angeles, he worked on records, live performance, and film and television soundtracks. He was primarily known for his association with avant-garde composer and trumpet-player Jon Hassell.
Peter Freeman

Peter Freeman · Personal communication with the subject / photographer · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Name
- Peter Freeman
- Birth Name
- Peter Shapiro
- Born
- 29 May 1965
- Birthplace
- New York City, U.S.
- Died
- 16 March 2021
- Place of death
- Beachwood Canyon, Los Angeles, U.S.
- Full name
- Peter Andrew Shapiro.
- Nationality
- United States.
- Occupation
- bassist, musician, composer, dj producer, keyboardist and audio engineer.
- Fields
- film score.
- Education
- High School of Music & Art.
- Languages
- English.
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Documentary summary
Peter Freeman (May 29, 1965 – March 16, 2021) was an American bassist, composer, and record producer. Based in his studio in Los Angeles, he worked on records, live performance, and film and television soundtracks. He was primarily known for his association with avant-garde composer and trumpet-player Jon Hassell.
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Peter Freeman (1965–2021) was an audio engineer, bassist and composer, among other activities, of American nationality. The audio engineer was born Peter Andrew Shapiro in New York City and died in Hollywood Hills.
Peter Freeman was educated at High School of Music & Art. Activity centred on film score.
The work spans ambient music, avant-garde music and electroacoustic music, among others. Languages used include English.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 01 October 2026
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gnd · 6065883-6 · wikidata · Q99942268
In this article
Biography
Biography
He was also a regular contributor to Electronic Musician during the 80s and 90s.
Peter Freeman studied at High School of Music & Art. The recorded working language is English. The field of work recorded is film score. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are jazz, avant-garde music, ambient music and electroacoustic music.

Peter Freeman - American multi-instrumentalist, producer and mixing engineer. Taken in his studio, two months before his passing
Alison Cassidy
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Peter Freeman • Birth Name — Peter Shapiro • Born — 29 May 1965 • Birthplace — New York City, U.S. • Died — 16 March 2021 • Place of death — Beachwood Canyon, Los Angeles, U.S. • Instrument — * Bass guitar • synthesizer • Genre — * Avant-garde • world • ambient • minimalism • electroacoustic • Years Active — 1983–2021 • Past Member Of — * Jon Hassell • Alanis Morissette • John Cale • Rick Cox • Seal
Biography
Biography
Freeman began his professional musical career in 1983 as a bassist with Indian electric violinist L. Shankar. From there, he became involved with mainstream musicians, touring with Seal and Pierce Turner, playing with John Cale, Alanis Morissette, Nile Rodgers, Shawn Colvin, Sussan Deyhim, Elliott Sharp. He was a close musical collaborator with Jon Hassell for over 25 years. He moved to Los Angeles in 2002, where he branched out into film and television as a musician and musical sound designer working with composers such as Thomas Newman, Cliff Martinez, Anton Sanko, Charlie Clouser, Jeff Rona and others. He, along with David Zicarelli, had been the driving force behind the iPad music sampling and looping application, Looperverse. Freeman was a licensed amateur radio operator for over 40 years, and held an Extra Class license. He died on March 16, 2021, after a year-long battle with stomach cancer. In March 2022, two of Freeman's solo albums were announced by Elliott Sharp and posthumously released on zOaR Records as a digital download and a limited edition double-CD. This was released as a double album, titled K3CS.
Solo works
Solo works
• Mercurial (zOaR Records, 2022) - originally recorded in 2000 • Sinistar (zOaR Records, 2022)
Collaborations
Collaborations
• The Vertical Collection (Earshot Records, 1997) (with Jon Hassell, as Bluescreen Project)
As contributor
As contributor
With Alanis Morissette • Flavors of Entanglement (Maverick Records, 2008) – bass With D-Train • In Your Eyes (Columbia / EMI, 1989) – additional samples With Hipsway • Scratch the Surface (Phonogram, 1989) – bass With Jan Bang •...And Poppies From Kandahar (Samadhi Sound, 2010) – bass, electronics With Jimmy Mbaye • Dakar Heart (Shanachie, 1994) – bass With Jon Hassell • Dressing for Pleasure (Warner Bros., 1994) – bass • Maarifa Street: Magic Realism Volume Two (Nyen, 2005) – co-producer, bass, percussion, programming, mixing • Last Night the Moon Came Dropping Its Clothes in the Street (ECM Records, 2009) – co-producer, bass, guitar, samples, percussion, mixing • Listening to Pictures (Pentimento Volume One) (Ndeya, 2018) – bass • Seeing Through Sound (Pentimento Volume Two) (Ndeya, 2020) – bass With Phoebe Legere • Phoebe Legere (Dead Dog Records, 1993) – bass With Richard Horowitz and Sussan Deyhim • Majoun (Sony Classical, 2005) – overtone bass With Richard Shindell • Blue Divide (Shanachie, 1994) – synthesizer With Rick Cox • Fade (Cold Blue Music, 2005) – co-producer, mixing With Seal • Newborn Friend (ZTT, 1994) – bass & appears in the official video • I'm Alive (ZTT, 1994) – bass With Shawn Colvin • Cover Girl (Columbia, 1994) – digital editing
As mixing engineer
As mixing engineer
With Erik Sanko • Past Imperfect, Present Tense (Jetset Records, 2001) With Veruca Salt • Lords of Sounds and Lesser Things (Velveteen, 2005)
Filmography
Filmography
• Illustration — Peter in his studio in 2021, programming a LinnDrum
Collaborations
Collaborations
• The Deep and Dreamless Sleep (2006) – with Lee Curreri and Jeff Rona
As contributor
As contributor
• The Million Dollar Hotel: "Amsterdam Blue (Cortège)" (2000) • Saw (2004) – bass scrapes • Traffic (2004) – bass • Saw II (2005) – musician • Saw III (2006) – additional score performer / musical sound designer (uncredited) • Dead Silence (2007) – additional score sound design • Death Sentence (2007) – musical sound design • Resident Evil: Extinction (2007) – processed guitars • Saw IV (2007) – original score performer • Saw V (2008) – guitar • Severe Clear (2009) – music programmer • Saw VI (2009) – guitars • Saw: The Final Chapter (2010) – guitars • The Lincoln Lawyer (2011) – guitar • The Company You Keep (2012) – title sequence drum • Jessabelle (2014) – additional electronic textures • Visions (2015) – score mixing • The Neighbor (2016) – additional music • The Drowning (2016) – score mixing • Jigsaw (2017) – weird guitar samples • Fractured (2019) – processed bass and additional textures • Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021) – additional musical sound design
Television
Television
• Alpha House (2013) – score mixing, electric bass, upright bass, guitar • Big Love (2006) – musical sound design • Great Migrations (2010) – guitar, bass, programming • Las Vegas (2003) – guitar, bass, programming • NUMB3RS (2005) – bass, programming • The Romanoffs (2018) – score mixing • Traffic (2004) – musical sound design (uncredited)
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
New York City.
Birth place
Hollywood Hills.
Death place
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 6065883-6, Peter Freeman, Inc..
General reference · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q99942268: Peter Freeman
Reputable secondary · Wikidata
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Guitar Moderne. Spotlight: Peter Freeman. March 3, 2015.
- 2.Yelton, Geary. Jon Hassell: Ambassador from the Fourth World. Electronic Musician.
- 3.We were shocked and saddened to receive the news last week that Peter Freeman has passed away at the age of 55. Twitter. 22 March 2021.
- 4.Retronyms. Looperverse Guide. April 4, 2017.
- 5.Preve, Francis. Looperverse: Review. Electronic Musician. 60. July 2017.
- 6.Federal Communications Commission. Vanity License – K3CS – Freeman, Peter.
- 7.Freeman, Peter. K3CS. Bandcamp.
- 8.Sharp, Elliott. New zOaR album releases. www.instagram.com. Instagram.
- 9.AllMusic. Past Imperfect, Present Tense – Erik Sanko Credits AllMusic.
- 10.Veruca Salt – Lords Of Sounds And Lesser Things. Discogs. October 2005.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 6065883-6, Peter Freeman, Inc..Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 19 August 2026.
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