MaJiKer
| MaJiKer | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Matthew Ker |
| Origin | France and England |
| Genres | Pop, Chanson, Electronica, Alternative, Indie |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Labels | Gaymonkey Records |
| Associated acts | Camille |
| Website | Majiker.com |
MaJiKer, alias Matthew Ker, is a British music producer and musician. He resides in Paris, France but works internationally. He has recorded two of his own albums, and also has had success producing and performing with other artists, including French singer Camille on her platinum-selling album Le Fil (2005) and its follow-up Music Hole (2008) . During 2005-2008, he also performed and worked on the arrangements for Camille's world tours, playing piano, accordion, body percussion and beatbox.[1] In 2011 he once again toured internationally, this time performing with Italian singer-songwriter Erica Mou whose debut album he arranged and produced with Valgeir Sigurdsson.
Music career
Collaboration with Camille
In 2005, MaJiKer produced the platinum-selling album Le Fil with French singer/songwriter Camille. He also performed on stage with Camille on her international tour during 2005–2006, and produced with her once more, on her 3rd album Music Hole. The two musicians met while studying in the U.K. and bonded over their shared love of music. Their musical partnership developed into "a distinctive style that is best described as a collage of body percussion and minimal vocal textures wrapped in a beautiful melody".[1] His collaborations with Camille won prestigious awards including Prix Constantin in 2005, Victoires de la Musique in 2006 & 2009 and BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music in 2007.
Body-Piano-Machine
MaJiKer's solo debut album called Body-Piano-Machine was released in April 2009 on Gaymonkey Records. All the sounds on the record came from the body (body percussion, human beatbox and singing voice), an acoustic piano, and a specific machine - a Yamaha keyboard PSS 270 which was the keyboard from his childhood.[2]
The album is divided into three sections or acts, "from effervescent power pop to dark grooves to a haunting, dream-like finale."[1] A concert was held in Paris to launch the release of MaJiKer's debut album Body-Piano-Machine with guest live singers Camille, Maya Barsony and Benedicte Le Lay. He has performed many times in Paris, and also brought the show to the UK including gigs at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London and The Hare & Hounds in Birmingham.
The House of Bones
MaJiKer's second solo album is entitled The House of Bones and will be released on Halloween on Alche-my. The album was recorded in Valgeir Sigurdsson's Greenhouse Studios, and in a remote summer house on a mountain in Laugarvatn, Iceland. The project was inspired by ghost stories, haunted house movies from the 1940s and Norse mythology.
The press release for the album states that "the album expands MaJiKer's instrumentation beyond the strict template laid down with his 2009 debut album 'Body-Piano-Machine' to include harmonium, viola da gamba, marimba and a 150-year-old Dulcitone, creating a mysterious atmosphere with a sense of tension that runs right through the recording."
Collaborations
MaJiKer has also worked extensively as a producer, co-writer, remixer & mix engineer.
In 2010, he collaborated with producer Valgeir Sigurdsson on the arrangements for the debut album by Italian artist Erica Mou, with whom he subsequently toured internationally. His other collaborations have included artists such as Juice Vocal Ensemble on the Nonclassical label, Melissa Laveaux,[3] Indi Kaur, Rosa-Rebecka, Maya Barsony, Sacha Bernardson,[3] and China Moses.[4]
MaJiKer has remixed several diverse artists including Fever Ray, Nico Muhly, Ane Brun, Jenny Wilson, Zoot Woman, Melnyk, The Good Natured, White Lies, Temposhark and Client. He commented that he "think(s) of these remixes like cousins to the BPM songs on the album.".[5]
Discography
Albums
- Body Piano Machine (27 April 2009) Gaymonkey Records[6]
- The House of Bones (31 October 2011) Alche-my
Singles
- 'Flesh & Bone' (13 April 2009) Gaymonkey Records[6]
- 'The Struggle' (26 September 2011) Alche-my
Videography
Music videos
- Flesh & Bone (13 April 2009) Gaymonkey Records.
- 'Tongue' (1 Oct 2009) Gaymonkey Records.
- 'Strings & Wires (Wagner Remix)' (26 September 2010) Gaymonkey Records.
- 'The Struggle' (30 August 2011) Alche-my.
All videos directed by Raphaël Neal.[6]
Notes
- 1 2 3 MaJiKer review at ArjanWrites.com music site, 2009.
- ↑ Majiker reviewed by KCTV website, KCTV.co.uk, April 2009.
- 1 2 As reported on Majiker's website, July 2011.
- ↑ EQ interview with Majiker, April 2009.
- ↑ , MaJiKer blog, 1 September 2009.
- 1 2 3 Majiker at Gaymonkey records Gaymonkey Records, April 2009.