Major

Fri, Jan 25, 2008
7:00 PM

(directions)

Art on the Bowery: Adam Matta: Beatbox Drift

Part of Art on the Bowery
 
Music / Performance
 
Multimedia available  

Adam Matta’s Beatbox Drift is a way of interacting with New York City and its more underlying, or "psychogeographic," features. The format of the “drift” allows Matta—a world-class beatboxer and innovative sample artist—to shift from style to style and sound to sound in an organic and improvised fashion as he elaborates on his habitual practice of collecting and regurgitating sounds and rhythms from the city.

Some highlights from the program included “Mareo,” an ode to the Lower East Side with beatbox and video; “Underground,” a blues-trance composition for beatbox and voice inspired by the world beneath the city’s streets; “Day in the Life,” a New York story told entirely through sound effects; a new composition for bike wheel, Walkman, laptop, theremin, and beatbox; original songs performed by Sparlha Swa, featuring Adam Matta on accompaniment; plus improvisations and compositions for violin, bass, saxophone, and beatbox, featuring Julianne Carney, Briggan Krauss, and James Ilgenfritz.

Adam Matta performed as part of the Bowery Artist Tribute, a project celebrating artists who have lived and worked on the Bowery.

Outdoor photo
Photo by Brian Diaz

Sponsors TOP

The Bowery Artist Tribute is made possible by Hermine and David Heller.

Sponsored by

Images TOP

Catandmouthshot_thumb
+

Adam Matta

Crw_4076_thumb
+

Adam Matta

Stellapic_thumb
+

Adam Matta

Profiles TOP

Adam Matta

Adam Matta is an Artist in Residence at Cornell University, where he produces a regular performance series called “Cat and Mouth” and provides beats for seven dance classes each week. He has taught youth vocal workshops at Lincoln Center and beatboxing for Scratch DJ Academy. His many and various collaborations have included notable performances with Bora Yoon at Lincoln Center; Beatboxer Entertainment at Madison Square Garden; Shara Worden (a.k.a. My Brightest Diamond) at Joe's Pub and Town Hall; as well as with Aaron Comess (Spin Doctors), Eyal Maoz (Tzadik), Tim Lefebvre (Saturday Night Live), Sxip Shirey, and Reg E Gaines (Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk). Matta recently performed with the Cornell University Chamber Orchestra in an original piece composed for beatbox and strings by Paul Leary, conducted by Chris Kim, and the premiere production of Beatbox Bard directed by Bruce Levitt, an original play mixing beatboxing and Shakespeare. He has produced two albums: Rage Against the Drum Machine (2006) and Music You Can Wash Dishes To (2008).