Maike Zazie
Matern composes and performs unconventional piano compositions.
Her work combines classical training with soulful sounds that are
familiar, but have perhaps gone unnoticed. The sparse vocals,
which alternate between Swedish and German, are melodious and help
set the tone. The debut album regen:tropfen ("rain:drops")
came in early autumn 2010.
Her compositions are stunning, brittle, fragile and melancholic,
with the occasional outburst of childish exuberance. Matern takes
the time in each piece to develop a calm, harmonious progression.
The classical training shines through clearly and exceptionally on
tracks like raum ohne zeit, which is a hybrid experiment of music
and voice theatre.
The debut album regen:tropfen features piano tones, voice,
cello, glockenspiel, field recordings, found sounds and also
silence as an equivalent form of sound.
Zazie von einem anderen stern means "zazie from another
star" which is appropriate since her music has a celestial
quality. During 2008 and 2009 she worked on the debut regen:tropfen,
partly in Berlin, where she now resides, in a small room with a
south facing garden view and at Nils Frahm’s Durtonstudio.
And partly during one winter and one spring in Sweden in a forest
near Uppsala.
Regen:tropfen is an electro-acoustic daydream in stark
contrast to the manic pace of the urban life she lives.
1 intro
2 morgen
3 raum ohne zeit
4 regentropfen
5 ölandsvisa
6 im juli
7 klavierregen
8 zwischen meinen händen
9 nachtschwärmen
10 nacht
11 outro
All music written and performed by Maike Zazie Matern
Recorded in a small little room with a garden view in
Berlin-Neukölln & on a piano at Durtonstudio in
Berlin-Wedding
Artwork photography by Ralph Etter
Catalogue number: Drifting018
Voices in Raum ohne Zeit: Irmgard Adam, Jörg Albrecht,
Katharina Bohnert, Anvar Cukoski, Nina Alice Dannenhauer, Jutta
und Ria Frischknecht, Herbert Gustavus, Leo und Sabine Hanstein,
Leonie Hubal, Marco Huwe, Christoph Glaubacker, Matthias Grübel,
Monika Kijas, Maike Zazie Matern, Wilma Renfordt, Jule Rothe,
Wiebke Schuirman, Thomas Speth
"The resulting album is a masterpiece. [...] Hearing an album as
original as regen:tropfen helps to remind one that there
are still unexplored regions of music to be pioneered. Matern is
just the kind of girl we want at the head of that expedition,
too [...]."
Space City Rock [spacecityrock.com]
by Robin Babb
Friday, February eleventh 2011.
......................................................................................................................................................................................................
"Throughout Regen:tropfen, Matern’s mastery of the
piano and her classical training are highlighted, the melodies
are deep and powerful, as well as possessing an exceptional
beauty. Regen:tropfen is an exquisite modern classical
work which introduces Maike Zazie Matern as an exceptional
talent whose star is surely on the rise."
Fluid Radio [fluid-radio.co.uk]
by Adam Williams
Friday, October eighth, 2010.
......................................................................................................................................................................................................
"The first time I heard this I thought it was ace. I rarely
get that these days. [...] It's an astonishing debut [...].
The music here is really powerful and emotive and whilst it's
doing all of that heavy stuff it's also completely beautiful
and absorbing! [...] you should more than likely take note of
this amazing album!"
Norman Records [normanrecords.com]
by Phil
Thursday, October seventh, 2010.
Regen:tropfen was "Album of the week" @Norman Records
in October 2010.
......................................................................................................................................................................................................
"The album offers a soothing respite from the hectic world of
her current Berlin home-base by presenting fairy tale
atmospheres that evoke the transporting magic of children's
stories and songs. During the forty-minute set, piano notes
fall like, yes, raindrops while tinkles add bell-like lustre
and occasional electronic accents add percussive flavour.[...]
the album's mood is mellow and alternately adult-like in the
elegance of the melodious piano playing but child-like in its
dream-like charm."
Textura [textura.org]
Thursday, September thirtieth, 2010.
......................................................................................................................................................................................................
"[...] as any classical conductor will tell you, it takes
balls to try and orchestrate a four-lane orbital road system.
Balls and a knowledge of the electrical grid. [...] Zazie’s
intricate blend of piano scales, gooseflesh samples, and faint
busker strumming show even the classically trained can capture
the city."
Cokemachineglow [cokemachineglow.com]
by George Bass
Tuesday, September twenty-eighth, 2010.
......................................................................................................................................................................................................
"Ms. Zazie has a way with creating the most hauntingly
brilliant minimalist structures. And out of their cold
'absent-lifed' tone's she brings warmth, profound beauty, and
overall understanding of the importance of each and every
'small aspect' from life as we know it. [...] you need this
album in your life (now). This album is gorgeous/nigh
perfect."
Everythingischemical
[everythingischemical.blogspot.com]
Tuesday, September fourteenth, 2010.
......................................................................................................................................................................................................
"'Regen:tropfen' is breathtaking"
justmusicthatilike [justmusicthatilike.com]
Wednesday, October thirteenth, 2010.
......................................................................................................................................................................................................
"Her name may suggest that she comes from another star but her
melancholic songs display an earthiness that ground her very much
in the ethereal here and now."
Mr Nixon's music class edition 86
[myspace.com/paulgarynixon]
by Paul Gary Nixon
Tuesday, December fourteenth 2010.
......................................................................................................................................................................................................
The Greek online blog
the art of thinking with sounds
calls
regen:tropfen a "masterpiece" as well.
Thinking with Sounds
[theartofthinkingwithsounds.blogspot.com]
by by X?????
Tuesday, December fourteenth 2010.
......................................................................................................................................................................................................
"Matern hat mit ihrem durchgängigen, neoklassischen
Regen:tropfen
ein Album geschaffen, das sich locker neben Werken von für sie
wichtigen Künstlern wie Peter Broderick oder Yann Tiersen ins
Regal stellen lässt. [...] Materns Label, das in London gegründete
Drifting Falling, hat jetzt endlich eine weibliche Musikerin im
Katalog - herzlichen Glückwunsch zu diesem Signing."
Missy Magazine #04/10 [missy-magazine.de]
by Liz Weidinger
......................................................................................................................................................................................................
"
Regentropfen is a lovely jewelry box melody. […] When
Zazie’s voice meets up with the instrumental line, it’s 'pay
dirt'.
Pennyblackmusic [pennyblackmusic.co.uk]
by Lisa Torem
Wednesday, October twenty-seventh 2010.
......................................................................................................................................................................................................
"There’s something incredibly warm and inviting about
Regen:Tropfen,
like trailing your hands in a stream on a warm day."
Cyclic Defrost [cyclicdefrost.com]
by Joshua Meggitt
Wednesday, October twenty-seventh 2010.
......................................................................................................................................................................................................
"[...] Zazie's music has the unifying potential to becalm and
entertain. Piano and experimental fans alike can be grateful to
her for creating such sparse, beautiful art."
The Silent Ballet [thesilentballet.com]
by Tom Meagher
Monday, October twenty-fifth 2010.
......................................................................................................................................................................................................
"Auf
Regen:Tropfen finden sich neben unglaublich
melancholischem Klavierspiel atmosphärische Soundschnipsel aus
Vogelgezwitscher, knarzenden Türen, plätscherndem Wasser und
menschlichen Stimmen. Maike Zazie Materns Album [...] ist extrem
introspektiv - und damit genau das richtige für verregnte
Herbsttage, an denen man sich nur noch unter der Decke verkriechen
möchte."
an.schläge . das feministische monatsmagazin
[anschlaege.at]
by Sonja Eismann
October 2010.
......................................................................................................................................................................................................
"Zazie zet met haar breekbare muziek vooral een intieme sfeer
neer, waarbij de regendruppels op de ramen tikken terwijl de open
haard knettert. Een onwaarschijnlijk mooi droomdebuut. "
De Subjectivisten [subjectivisten.nl/]
by Jan Willem Broek
Thursday, October seventh, 2010.
