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:

March updates

Hi everyone!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, it's been a hectic few months...played the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville with Sxip Shirey--was an amazing time...got down to Jacksonville, FLA, to work with Al Letson on a poem/video shoot...had a great solo show at Banjo Jim's...much more to come...

Here are some upcoming gigs:

Thurs, Mar. 5 (7:30pm), Fri., Mar. 6 (8pm), Sat., Mar. 7 (9:30pm)
backing up Tami Stronach in the modern dance remix of "Cabaret," at Dancemopolitan
Joe's Pub
425 Lafayette (Astor Place, Public Theater)
http://www.dancenownyc.org/dancemopolitan.htm

Saturday, Mar. 7, 7pm
The Wiyos and Friends
Joe's Pub
425 Lafayette (Astor Place, Public Theater)
www.myspace.com/thewiyos

Sunday, Mar. 8, 9:30 pm
backing up chanteuse Stephanie Nilles
Rockwood Music Hall
Allen and Stanton
www.myspace.com/stephanienilles

Tuesday, Mar. 10, doors at 6:30pm
with Sxip Shirey, opening for Gary Lucas' Fast N' Bulbous Captain Beefheart Project
Le Poisson Rouge
158 Bleecker
$15
video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbpOoTEFD_g

Friday, Mar. 13th, 12 midnight
backing up Akim Funk Buddha
The Blue Note
131 W. 3rd St.
www.funkbuddha.org

Thurs, Mar. 26th, 9pm
Hank Roberts and Wingnut, plus Adam Matta
Castaways
Ithaca, NY
www.hankrobertsmusic.com
www.myspace.com/wingnutjazz

Saturday, April 4th, 11:30pm
Adam Matta and Friends, with special guests Noah Hoffeld (cello) and Yayoi Filipski (voice)
Joe's Pub
425 Lafayette @ Astor Place, Public Theater
$12
http://www.joespub.com/component/option,com_shows/task,view/Itemid,40/id,4456

Saturday, May 2nd
Adam Matta's "Gyroscope," part of the VITAL VOX Festival
Iati Theater
E. 4th St., more info TBA

Illuminating Islam: Adam Matta and Friends at BAMCafe, an evening of music and poetry, drawing from Arabic, Sufi, hip hop, Turkish, classical and avante-garde jazz influences. Special guests include: beatboxer Kenny Muhammad; spoken word artist/poet/vocalist, Dr. Fawzia Afzal-Khan; vocalist Nihan Devecioglu (Austria); cellist Noah Hoffeld; guitarist Eyal Maoz.
Saturday, June 13th
BAMCafe
Brooklyn Academy of Music
More info TBA.
Peace, hope all's well,
Adam

"Man, I can feel the 808 coming from your f@!!n chest!!!"--Henry Rollins
"Like a John Coltrane solo, Adam's Beat Boxing creates narratives which mere words could never accomplish."--Reg E Gaines, playwright, Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk
"...beatbox maestro..." Wired Magazine
"...virtuoso..." Flavorpill
"....brilliant...like sonic abstract expressionism..." Ithaca Times

December

Hey everyone, hope you're having a really good holiday season....

Just got back from a "tour" of DC--gigged at Dahlak restaurant, which serves AMAZING food, then got invited to be the featured artist at "Federal Reserve," a really great musician's hang at Iota, in Arlington, hosted by rock band, These United States. I had a great time down in the nation's capital, hope to make it back soon. Thank you to everyone who hosted me!!

Check out this new video with collaborator, Sxip Shirey, and me:



Sxip and I will be performing at First Night in Boston, this New Year's Eve.

Had a great "Cat and Mouth" show at Risley Hall, Cornell University, with guest artist, beatboxer Masai Electro. Before that, I was on the west coast, gigging in LA, and with the San Francisco beatbox crew, Vowel Movement. Much thanks to them, too!!

Played a fun night with Bora Yoon at the Stone...her new cd is out, check it out:

bora yoon

Below are some upcoming appearances:

guest artist with
Karsh Kale and friends
Thurs, Dec. 18, 9pm
S.O.B.'s
karsh kale

guest artist with
Paul Brill's Big Band Holiday Explosion
Sat., Dec. 20, 9:30pm
Rockwood Music Hall
paul brill

Sxip's Sonic New York
First Night (New Year's Eve)
Boston, MA
First Night

Happy Holidays!!!!

OSF

Had an amazing week at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, where I--along with 6 other hip hop theater artists and 7 classically trained actors--were invited to take part in "Mixing Texts," dialoguing between Shakespeare and hip hop, creating new work, adapting sonnets, developing original pieces and trading techniques, terminologies, philosophies and processes. Everyone was so talented and fun to work with, I learned a tremendous amount. Thanks to Claudia Alick and Bill Rausch for everything, and much love to everyone who participated and in the community.

Now, a show in LA, tonight, at Echo Curio, and one in SF, where I'll be headlining a Bay Area beatbox event. See myspace for details.

Peace, and celebrations for President-Elect Obama!!!

Sept. updates

Hey crew,

What's good? Writing with news for mid-September.

-Been hard at work on a new solo CD, "Only Child Syndrome," and it is minutes away from being available on line. It features 12 original songs, with different guest artists, solo ventures and a live track. Please contact me for an advanced copy. I am especially interested in anyone wishing to review it for blog or publication.

-I am returning to Cornell University for another semester as an artist in residence, still working on programs at Risley Hall and other projects on campus and in Ithaca. Last night was a great time playing with cellist Hank Roberts who was my guest artist at "Cat and Mouth," my series at Risley.

-Also an artist in residence this month at LEMUR --League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots. In this collaboration, I will be able to improvise with, and "teach" a beat to, an outfit of musical robots, to be performed October 9th, in Brooklyn, and also Oct. 17-18 in Trondheim, Norway (www.lemurbots.org).

-Been recording for different groups in and around the tri-state.

-Had an amazing time at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, performing with Sxip Shirey and numerous other talented characters...

-Had a great (but short) run of In Transit at the York Theater--many thanks to them, and to the writers and cast.... for info and photos of this great project, check out BroadwayWorld.

-Did some great shows with Michael Leonhart, Maria Millar and Kilterclash , and Beatboxer Entertainment

-Been jamming with Jonny Wilson and Eclectic Method, they make these mind-boggling REAL-TIME video mashups, realized live on stage, as well as in the studio...e.g....

check out www.youtube.com/eclecticmethod for more of their work...

Summer '08

It's been an amazing summer so far, and not done yet!!! I'm currently at Newark, waiting for my flight (delayed 5 hours) to Edinburgh for the Fringe Festival, where I'll play every night with Sxip Shirey, at the vaudeville cabaret, "And The Devil May Drag You Under..." Come through if you're in the area!!
The bulk of my summer has been an amazing project called In Transit, written by Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Sarah Wordsworth, James-Allen Ford, Russ Kaplan, Greg Christopher and Karla Momberg. It's an incredible piece--an a cappella musical-- which takes place in NYC's subway system, showing a series of characters going through their hectic days and situations, and I play a subway beatboxer who supplies the groove for the whole show, and mixes it up with all the different straphangers...We workshopped the piece at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Festival in CT, then, just finished a series of shows at the York Theater in Manhattan. They were all staged readings, but all along the way we were met with rave responses. The cast and director and musical director were INCREDIBLY talented, and amazing people to hang out with. We're all currently waiting to find out what the next incarnation will be...for pix from our opening night at the York, check outBroadwayworld.com. WHEN this show comes around again (fingers crossed), please come check it out....
Other highlights included a solo show at Joe's Pub, 7/14, with special guests Sxip Shirey, Bora Yoon and Eyal Maoz. Still going through the video from this show, it was a great house, and the sound there is so dope--it's definitely one of my favorite places to play in NYC...
Also, had a great time rocking with Kid Lucky and Beatboxer Entertainment, at Sidewalk Cafe, Aug. 3rd...We knocked out an hour-and-a-half fully improv, fully raw performance, conducted by Lucky, and we were all ready to keep going!! It was a really great time.
In June, played a show with jazz vocalist/trombonist, Elizabeth Dotson-Westphalen at an amazing music camp in Castleton, VT. got to conduct a workshop for the students, who taught me as much as I taught them!! Check out one of the outcomes of our musical trekking: Went on to perform at the Jamaica Greenfest, a festival of music, food, healing, and environmental awareness, raising money for Engineers Without Borders, creating well projects in Kenyan communities. Conducted workshops at Pascack Valley High School, and Brooklyn Friends School, and as always, was blown away by the talent and imagination of the kids I was working with. Finally, got to rock some great shows with Michael Leonhart and Paul Brill, at Rockwood and Joe's Pub, respectively.
Will be playing with Michael again Sept. 15th. Also, in September, I will be doing a residency with LEMUR--League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots. These fine folk build sculptures and armatures that play music, triggered by audience members and/or composers and modulated through software. I will be syncing and linking up my beats with the robots and creating a performance to be shown in October...
Peace and health,
adam

Carnegie Hall, Axis of Equals, gigs

Hey it's been a minute.

Carnegie was off the chain, what an amazing experience. The show was sold out and the audience was on their feet cheering at the end of the show. I feel so honored to have played with the other vocalists on stage, at that venue, to that crowd, it was amazing.

Axis of Equals was another thrill, and major success. To find out more details, read the review in the Cornell Daily Sun:

Cornell Daily Sun review

In June, I will play a series of gigs in NYC: check my myspace:

Myspace

Peace, see ya soon...

Cornell Percussion Ensemble

Will be performing with the Cornell Percussion Ensemble, led by Tim Feeney. Performing John Zorn's "Cobra" live improvised composition game.
Suday, April 13th, 3pm
Barnes Hall
Cornell University

Bobby McFerrin, Carnegie Hall, May 2nd, 2008

I've been selected to take part in a vocal workshop with Bobby McFerrin, among 20 vocalists from around the world! We will be creating an interactive piece based on the story of the Tower of Babel. We will perform it Friday, May 2nd, 7:30 pm, at Zankel Hall. For more info, check:
Instant Opera! with Bobby McFerrin

"Axis of Equals," April 12th, 2008

"Axis of Equals"
A Festival of Middle Eastern and Jewish Music..with an urban edge
A festival of live music and dance, presenting artists who create, compose and dance to music that combines Middle Eastern and/or Jewish influences with a sensibility that is edgy and urban.
The festival is intended to captivate the Cornell and local Ithaca community, offering a vision of various cultures and textures, integrated through musical collaboration and invention. The musicians involved create powerful, moving music that combines an ear for traditional sounds, as well as a hunger for modern beat-driven music. The program will offer sounds that satisfy a yearning for pop-style grooves, but with echoes of ancient musical forms. The festival is intended to present sounds from both the Arab and Jewish worlds, the new and the old, the catchy and the eclectic.
The event will be co-sponsored by Cornell Middle Eastern BellyDance Events, who are inviting "fusion" belly dance groups, Willow and Kassar, from New York City, as well as Cornell group, Teszia, and Chandani, a local, traditional belly dance troupe. Their performances will be interlaced with the music acts throughout the evening. The organization will also be conducting Middle Eastern dance workshops from 11- 6pm at the Big Red Barn. See Middle Eastern BellyDance for more info!
The festival will demonstrate numerous musical forms. Pharaoh's Daughter, led by Basya Schecter, combines traditional Jewish melodies and tones with modern jazz, rock and urban groove, creating an uplifting and communal sentiment in the audience. Haale draws her influences from Persian Sufi music, combined with a pop/rock sensibility and provides a captivating, hypnotic performance. The Cornell Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Music Ensemble will present music accompanied by Risley Hall Artist in Resident and beatboxer, Adam Matta. The night will open up into an exploration of funk and hip hop, with Adam Matta, joined by musicians from all the bands, in the spirit of improvisation and collaboration.
Pharaohs Daughter
Haale
Adam Matta
Date: Saturday, April 12, 2008
Location: Risley Hall, Great Hall
Doors at 7 pm, show at 8 pm
The event is co-sponsored by Cornell Council for the Arts, Risley Residential College for the Creative and Performing Arts, Holland International Living Center, Cornell Hillel: The Yudowitz Center for Jewish Campus Life, Near Eastern Studies, Schwartz Center, Department of Theater, Film and Dance, Institute for European Studies, Mediterranean Initiative, Just About Music, Residential Programs, Community Centers, Residential Student Congress, Africana, GPSAFC, Hasbrouck and Cornell Middle Eastern BellyDance Events.