"Vocal Fry" Performance, Jan 11, 2016

Though this is posted elsewhere on site, wanted to share link here to performance from "The Vocal Fry," on WFMU, from Jan. 11, 2016:

http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Adam_Matta/

Adam Matta Database

Presenting, a living archive/portfolio of art, music and multimedia projects:

mattanyc.com

Rhiannon Gidden's "Tomorrow Is My Turn;" "Signal Strength" by Chris Shimojima

I am honored to be part of Rhiannon Giddens' new album, "Tomorrow Is My Turn."  I am featured on the new single, "Black is the Color."  Please follow link to this incredible record.

http://www.nonesuch.com/journal/rhiannon-giddens-new-song-black-is-the-color-gershwin-love-is-here-to-stay-apple-holiday-commercial-2014-12-15


I was also recently featured in this brilliant concept video by Chris Shimojima:

Please come check my next solo show at Joe's Pub, January 2nd, 2015, 7:30 pm!

http://joespub.publictheater.org/en/Tickets/Calendar/PlayDetailsCollection/Joes-Pub/2015/A/Adam-Matta/?SiteTheme=JoesPub

Telfair Museum, this weekend, in Savannah, GA

Really looking forward to performing this weekend at Telfair Museum, in Savannah, GA.  Here is some press that came out about the show.  Thank you, ConnectSavannah!

http://www.connectsavannah.com/savannah/adam-matta-is-the-beat/Content?oid=2329351

I'll be demonstrating the Bicycle Wheel and Walkman sculpture on Saturday, Feb 1.

Dear Friends,

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!!  Hope this finds you in good health and spirits!

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Proud to announce I will be performing a solo show January 31st at Telfair Museum, in Savannah, GA.  I will be presenting new music and video demonstrations at their Pulse Arts and Technology Festival.  February 1st, I'll be demonstrating my "Bicycle Wheel and Walkman" sculpture, which earned a Make Magazine Editor's Choice Award at Maker Faire, in 2011 and '12.

http://telfair.org/events/index.php?com=detail&eID=8965&year=2014&month=1

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Grateful for this recent mention on the Joe's Pub Tumblr website by archival artist Michael Arthur:

http://joespub.tumblr.com/post/66694133270

Please check Michael's drawing work at

http://inklines.tumblr.com/

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I will be performing at Here Arts Center, January 12th--the weekend of APAP-- opening for, and performing with, indie-pop outfit, Sky-Pony, as part of the Prototype Series.  Show begins at 9pm.

Sunday, Jan 12, 9pm
Here Arts Center
opening and performing with Sky-Pony
145 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10013
(212) 647-0202

http://www.sky-pony.com

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Please stay tuned for announcements of a new multimedia project release in February, as well as some new projects, NYC performances, and collaborations!  

Best wishes, and a blessed 2014,

A

“Matta is a human beatboxer who can do absolutely unbelievable things with nothing more than a microphone.” Mother Jones

music: 

adammatta.bandcamp.com
soundcloud.com/adam-matta

website: 

adammatta.com

video: 

youtube.com/beatboxnyc

twitter.com/adammattafacebook.com/adammatta

Joe's Pub mention

Here's a recent post by Michael Arthur @inklines, the Archival Artist at Joe's Pub, talking about my music and drawing:

http://joespub.tumblr.com/post/66694133270

Thanks Michael!

New video!

new video

shot with the help of Cynthia Malaran.  Hope you enjoy.







more to come!

updates january

Dear Friends, 

I'm proud to announce that the album I worked on and toured with the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Leaving Eden, has been nominated for a Grammy in the Folk category!  I sent some reviews in a previous post, please check out our work: http://www.nonesuch.com/albums/leaving-eden 

I am also excited to announce that I have been invited to be an artist in residence at School of Visual Arts' VisibleFutures Lab, which is a facility dedicated to hacking, DIY building and inventing with technology.  vfl.sva.edu.  I will be working on a performance where I can trigger video and other events with my voice, as well as other projects.  There will be several public showings as part of the residency. 

Jan 11th at Art in Flux Gallery in Harlem, I collaborated with singer Goussy Celestin to perform vocal improvisations in response to visual art pieces in a show called "Speaking in Tongues," pieces that deal with invented languages and codices.  The show was curated by Ellen Fagan, at Art in Flux Gallery, 961 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd, and closes Jan 25th.  Video of the project is on the way. 

In January, I will be a guest teaching artist with BEAMCamp, www.beamcamp.com, which teaches building and electronics to youth.  We will be instructing the students to create audio bike wheels, like the piece I created in 2006, and showed at Maker Faire, http://youtu.be/H2LmHkj8E9g, only this time, we will be adding sequences of animated frames to the wheel, to create audio/visual zoetropes.

Bicycle Drawing

In early 2012, I was a guest artist with BEAMCamp http://www.beamcamp.com/, which helps kids build electronic, tech and other projects with their own two hands.  At the event, I performed "Bicycle Drawing," to a live looped beatbox soundtrack, augmented with scratching on the "Bike Wheel Turntable."  Then, kids were invited to add their own embellishments to the painting, using scrap metal parts as ink stamps.  Here are some photos from the event:

Photos by Emily Wilson.

Thanks to BEAMCamp for having me be a part.  I'm proud to say I will be teaching with them this winter at their space in Brooklyn.  Please check the site for info.

Here are images of final bike drawings:

 

Here is video of the bike drawing performance:



Please contact about prints, original works, commissions and performance appearances.

Please note, homepage photo by Angela Jimenez.

videos

two past performances, "Beatbox Drift" (New Museum for Contemporary Art, 1/08), and "Adam Matta and Friends: Muslim Voices" (BAMCafe, 6/09):

day in the life of a New York City dweller:

and here is a video from "Cark," a project featuring Nihan Devecioglu and Cenk Erdogan, recorded in Istanbul, 2011.  Album is now available, contact booking.adammatta@gmail.com for details:

Updates, April

Hey Fam,

Happy spring! Lots of exciting news to report!

I am proud to be a rotating guest musician with the Grammy-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops.  I appear on their latest Nonesuch release, Leaving Eden, produced by Nashville legend, Buddy Miller.

The album has been getting great reviews including a 4-star write-up in Rolling Stone. Check out what critics had to say below:

Mother Jones: Matta is a human beatboxer who can do absolutely unbelievable things with nothing more than a microphone.

Washington Post: The interpretation feels a bit looser; boundaries are pushed a bit further — more and more; the Drops seem to be saying that keeping this music alive means not just playing it but playing with it.

Mikael Wood, LA Times: The result is a rarity in the Chocolate Drops’ world: roots music as useful as it is beautiful.

PopMatters: One year ago, the Carolina Chocolate Drops were presented with golden gramophones in the category of Best Traditional Folk Album for their 2010 release, Genuine Negro Jig. But for it’s diversity, experimentation, and excellent performances, Leaving Eden is even better.

In addition to Leaving Eden, as part of the band, I collaborated with them on tracks that were chosen for:

Amnesty International's Chimes of Freedom: Bob Dylan Tribute album   

The Chieftains' Voice of Ages 50th Anniversary album  

and The Hunger Games Soundtrack, produced by T-Bone Burnett

I will be doing select dates with the Drops this year.  Check back for a more official announcement soon.
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Also proud to announce a collaboration with Nihan Devecioglu and Cenk Erdogan, entitled "Cark," (Pronounced: "tch-ark", meaning "gear" in Turkish).  We combine Turkish folk, Western Classical, free improv and groove. We released our new album, on Anason Records, in Munich, last month.  I will have details on how to purchase the record in the coming weeks.
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Excited to be a part of the development of Aaron Jafferis' How to Break:

HOW TO BREAK tells the story of two hospitalized teenagers – a b-boy with sickle cell and a b-girl with leukemia – breaking through their diagnoses in search of a gut understanding of what it means to be “ill.” A 35-minute excerpt was performed 4/9 by Kwikstep, Rokafella, Adam Matta, Carra Patterson, Rona Figueroa, Gio Perez, Christopher Edwards, and Aaron Jafferis at NYTB at the D-Lounge, at the Daryl Roth Theatre.
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Until the next post, please check out this remix I happened upon at the Library of Congress last year, searching the stacks at the American Folk Life Center with the Chocolate Drops when we were on the road.

1. Click here

2. Then Click here

The pieces are samples of Coptic Chant, and an Omaha Gourd Dance.

Vox.FretlessGuitar.Beatbox

Excited and honored to be traveling today to Istanbul, to make music with Nihan Devecioglu and Cenk Erdogan. Here is a session we did in 2009:

Hello, sorry for the delay in posting, it's been pretty non-stop. I'm currently on the road with The Carolina Chocolate Drops, please see their site for tour dates, info on their recent Grammy (!) and more.

Last fall, I was lucky to have been part of the Beat Rockers program, where we taught beatboxing to blind youth in the Bronx. Please see Beat Rockers for more info.

This summer, in addition to the Drops, I will be performing at Lincoln Center, opening for Laurie Anderson, with Todd Reynolds, Sxip Shirey, and others. I will also be returning to Oregon Shakespeare Festival to workshop and perform new material by Sue Carney, and by Aaron Jafferis, OSF.

Hope to see you this summer!

McFerrin in Moscow

Just catching up with writing from Moscow, where Bobby McFerrin and company staged "Bobble," an improvised opera based on the story of the Tower of Babel. The shows (2) were really powerful, and it was thrilling to be in Moscow, where it was 15 below or more every day. Thank you so much to Original Artists and Olympus Foundation for making the shows and incredible rehearsal process possible. So glad I got to meet and work with such great people and inspiring artists.

January

Had an excellent time performing with Sxip Shirey at the Amanda Palmer/Boston Pops throwdown in Boston at Symphony Hall on New Year's Eve. Here's a pic of us getting down:

Thanks to Lance Horne for the photo.
Tomorrow, I fly to Moscow, to perform in "Bobble," featuring Bobby McFerrin, an improvised opera based on the story of the Tower of Babel. 17 emerging vocalists from different parts of the globe will come together for five days to put on two concerts on the 25th and 26th. I'm so thrilled to be a part of this production. Here is a photo of The Moscow International House of Music, where we will be performing:

Bobby McFerrin

Video

I was in Ashland, OR, in August, for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival--thank you Claudia and OSF!!--and the amazing Carol Bonney introduced me to DenizenTV; we shot this performance at their studio:

recent shows, upcoming

Hey Everyone, long time no speak, been trying to keep up with gigs...some highlights of the past two months:

BAMCafe--Muslim Voices presents Adam Matta and Friends: the show was off the chain, thank you so much to everyone who came out and filled the venue to capacity. I have DVD's available of the entire performance for anyone interested in viewing what transpired. We are working on a shorter edit of the footage, to show to presenters in other venues

The Stone--got to play with an amazing presence, Ned Rothenberg. Many thanks to him for putting the show together and offering the chance to create some grooves with him

Museum of Contemporary Art-Detroit--many thanks to LEMUR (League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots) for inviting me to come and jam with the mech ensemble. Here's a clip of some of what went down at the packed event (Detroit rocks....)



Had an excellent time rocking a great variety night in LA, The Status Show. Thank you so much Abby and Maria for having me!!

3 dates on tour with The Wiyos, opening for Bob Dylan, John Mellencamp and Willie Nelson--it was extra dope playing the huge stage with this great group of old-time/Americana musicians, good friends from Bklyn...check the site for info on the new record, which features my beatboxing on numerous tracks, and which has debuted on the CMJ and country music charts nationwide...The WIyos

Prospect Park Bandshell--with the awesome Luminescent Orchestrii, opening for Kronos Quartet. It was a rush to play the large stage, with the pinnacle of sound systems, and the pinnacle of gypsy/punk/klezmer/tango bands, you know, all those gypsy/punk/klezmer/tango bands....:)

Sycamore--*incredibly* psyched to have connected with Roy Nathanson and Sotto Voce. Beatboxer Napoleon Maddox has been the in house VP man for a minute in this spoken word/jazz/groove project led by Roy, but I'm gonna be on deck to fill in for him when he's touring with his own crew, IsWhat?!

World Financial Center--rocked with Karsh Kale and Timeline at this beautiful venue. Please check out Karsh's music: Karsh Kale. I'm ecstatic to be on his roster as well....

Jazzit, Salzburg, Austria--had the honor and pleasure of collabing with Nihan Devecioglu, whom I met at the Carnegie Hall workshop with Bobby McFerrin in '08. Nihan put together a project with the unreal Turkish fretless guitar player, Cenk Erdogan, and myself: we played extended sets opening for the Salzburg Opera Festival, and at the bomb venue, Jazzit; we also created a beatbox/vocal improvisation workshop for the public, with the heavy-hitting Austrian beatbox crew, Massive Beats Collective, and gave a brief interview/performance on local radio. Thank you so much to Nihan, and to Eva, for organizing this project. We are trying to continue it in the fall, with the newly-presented opportunity to record in Salzburg and perform some more dates....thank you Nihan and Cenk!

I'm currently en route to Portland, where I will play some more dates with the Wiyos at the Pickathon Festival, then I'll be back in NYC for a hit at South Street Seaport with Yo Yo Nation, orchestrated by Pat Cuartero, whom I met when we were invited to play a gig by Heavy.com in '07...then I'm excited to announce I'll be part of a brief tour of SE Asia, with beatboxers Kid Lucky, Reeps1, and Dharni, sponsored by Adidas...then, a week performing shows at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's Green Show--two solo performances and one collab with Portland Cello Ensemble, as well as some workshopping of vocal percussion and Shakespeare...ongoing is an evening-length modern dance composition with beatbox score, in collaboration with choreographer, Tami Stronach, to be presented in March 2010: we will be presenting excerpts of the piece-in-progress Oct. 22-24 at Joe's Pub....

BAMCafe, Joe's Pub

Hey everyone, getting very excited for this Saturday's show at BAMCafe:

Muslim Voices at BAMcafé

Saturday, Jun 13th 9:30pm

Free admission

Composer/producer Adam Matta is a beatboxing tour de force, melding hip-hop, electronic, jazz, and traditional Middle Eastern music for a unique and driving sound. Performing with his friends Dr. Fawzia Afzal-Khan (spoken word/voice), Nihan Devecioglu (voice), Noah Hoffeld (cello), Remi Kanazi (spoken word), Eyal Maoz (guitar), and Kenny Muhammad The Human Orchestra (beatbox), this second night of Muslim Voices in BAMcafé is sure to thrill.

Muslim Voices Festival

Hope to see you. Also, playing tomorrow night at Joe's Pub, with Sxip Shirey:

Sxip Shirey, with Rachelle Garnier and Adam Matta
Tuesday, June 9th, 9:30pm
Joe's Pub
425 Lafayette St. (Public Theater at Astor Place)
$12

Project Jenny Project Jan, London, Austria, Youtube, Joe's Pub...

The new Project Jenny Project Jan EP "Colors" is out now on Itunes, Amazon, etc....check their myspace for more info!! I appear on the track, "Caller ID," and I love what they did with it.....

Currently in London, where I performed at the International Human Beatbox Convention at the Southbank Centre. It was an excellent time, got to hang with some excellent beatboxers from all over the world. See Humanbeatbox.com for info, photos and reviews. Also played a great gig with Tubist, Oren Marshall, at a dope event called Gyspy Madness, orchestrated by the inimitable Amanda Rodgers, and played this last weekend at "White Mischief," an old-school 30's/40's themed party with everyone dressed to tha 9's.....

In the week in between, I flew to Salzburg, Austria, to work on a collaboration with vocalist, Nihan Devecioglu. She will be one of my guest artists at a performance at BAMCafe, June 13th, part of the Muslim Voices Festival. She has an amazing voice, classically trained, and influenced by Turkish folk music from her roots in Istanbul, and we spent three days rehearsing at a beautiful arts facility at the base of this snow-capped mountain in southern Salzburg. We also got to perform two gigs in Vienna, where the magnanimous/magnificent Sxip Shirey was playing, along with Benji Fox-Rosen. We hit up a swanky club, Lokativ, and an anarchist collective dance party in the ritzy section of Vienna...

Europe's been truly amazing, looking forward to coming back in a month's time, to hit up the World Championships Beatbox Battle in Berlin, where I'll be showcasing a set....

Before I came to Europe, I performed at Joe's Pub in NYC, with guest artists Noah Hoffeld, Yayoi Filipski, Zef Noise, and Ned Rothenberg. So glad I got to rock there, hope to be back there soon, THANKS to all who came out...

Finally, the Youtube Symphony Mahsup Video premiered this week, and my video of me beatboxing the "brake drum" and "snare" part was included, check it out: