bio

Adam Matta. 

Beatboxer. Vocal Artist. 

Adam Matta is a beatboxer and vocal performance artist from New York City, who creates visual and multimedia work.  His musical style fuses elements of hip-hop, house, rock electronic, jazz, contemporary and Middle Eastern music, sometimes all in the same composition.

Adam Matta performed with Bobby McFerrin at Carnegie Hall and at House of Music in Moscow, Russia.  Headlined 2009 UK Human Beatbox Convention, Joe's Pub, New Museum for Contemporary Art and Here Arts Center.  Toured with The Carolina Chocolate Drops, and is featured on their Grammy-nominated album Leaving Eden, as well as on their tracks for The Hunger Games Soundtrack, and Chimes of Freedom: Bob Dylan Tribute by Amnesty International.  Performed with League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots in Trondheim, Norway (2008), Detroit, Michigan(2009), and Brooklyn, NY (2007). Created evening of jazz and hip hop for Muslim Voices Festival at BAMCafe (2009).  

Accompanying the Chocolate Drops, Matta opened for Bob Dylan, Dave Matthews Band, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Doc Watson, Taj Mahal, and Bela Fleck and The Flecktones.  The band collaborated with Bela Fleck and The Flecktones and Abigail Washburn at Wolftrap in Vienna, VA.  Matta was with the Wiyos when they opened for Bob Dylan, John Cougar Mellencamp and Willie Nelson, on tour in 2009.  Matta accompanied Akim Funk Buddha opening for Alicia Keys, accompanied Luminescent Orchestrii opening for Kronos Quartet, and accompanied RAHJ, opening for Mos Def.

Appeared with Philip Hamilton in Wroclaw, Poland (2012), and with youth workshop “Voices,” at Lincoln Center, from 2002-present.  Created evening for The Hopkins Center at Dartmouth College, as part of residency (2012).  Appeared with other beatboxers for Adidas store opening in Singapore.  Featured on The Electric Company (PBS), Damon Wayans' The Underground (Showtime), Art or Something Like It (CUNY-TV), Afterschool (WNYE), Morning Edition and Weekend Edition (NPR), Tahrir: Voices of Egypt (WBAI), and in Sam Neave's film, Almost in Love.  

Music appears on The L Word, Season II: Sessions (Tommy Boy), and in documentary, Planet B-Boy. Appeared in Daniel Beaty’s Emergence-See!, Off-Broadway production, In Transit, Glenn Gordon’s Re:Definition, Linda Mancini’s Laugh-in Meets Dada, and Aaron Jafferis’ How to Break, at the Hip Hop Theater Festival. Appeared with Cornell Chamber Orchestra, Fireworks Ensemble, Threeds Oboe Ensemble, Dave Eggar, Todd Reynolds, Shara Worden, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Sxip Shirey, Eyal Maoz, Karsh Kale, David Fiuczynski, Aaron Comess, Lori Cotler, Hank Roberts, and Cark feat. Nihan Devecioglu and Cenk Erdogan.    

Artist in Residence at School of Visual Art's Visible Futures Lab (2013), Dartmouth College (2012), Cornell University (2007-08), Here Arts Center (2006-07), Gertrude Stein Repertory’s Digital Performance Institute (2008) and League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots (2008).  

Recorded independently-released albums: Rage Against the Drum Machine, Only Child Syndrome, Inclement, Gyroscope, Mouthpiece, and Allkan Beatbox, as well as collaborations with Elke Bartholomaeus and Mia Hsieh, and with Nihan Devecioglu and Cenk Erdogan.  Appears on Mad Happy’s Feel Good Music for the Broke Middle Class, Portland Cello Project’s Thousand Words, Luminescent EP with Luminescent Orchestrii and Carolina Chocolate Drops (Nonesuch), Colors EP by Project Jenny Project Jan, Paul Brill’s Breezy, and The WIyos’ Twist.  

Taught beatboxing to blind and multiple disabled youth at Lavelle School for the Blind in the Bronx, with BeatNYC Beat Rockers program, as well as conducted workshops and private sessions locally and internationally.

AFTRA, ASCAP