MaJiKer

Last updated
MaJiKer
Also known asMatthew Ker
Origin England
Genres Pop, electronic, indie, contemporary classical
Years active2005present
Website www.majiker.com

Matthew Ker, known by his stage name MaJiKer, is a British songwriter-producer and performer. He resides in London and works internationally, having lived for many years in Paris, France.

Contents

Music career

Collaborations

MaJiKer has worked extensively as a songwriter-producer and live performer, with a special interest in vocal production and co-writing material. [1]

After graduating from Dartington College of Arts, MaJiKer produced the double platinum-selling album Le Fil with French singer/songwriter Camille and the pair collaborated again when producing and co-writing its platinum-selling follow-up Music Hole . He performed on stage with Camille on her international tour for Le Fil during 2005–2006 and was musical director and performer on the Music Hole tour in 2008-2009. MaJiKer also co-wrote songs with Camille for her albums Ilo Veyou (2011) and Ouï (2017). His work with Camille has won awards including the Prix Constantin, several Victoires de la Musique and BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music.

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 studio collaborations have included artists such as Emmelie de Forest, David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, You Are Wolf, Zaza Fournier, juice vocal ensemble, Melissa Laveaux, [2] Maya Barsony, [2] and China Moses. [3] He has remixed artists including Fever Ray, Nico Muhly, Jenny Wilson, Melnyk, Temposhark, Nicolette and Client.

In 2017 MaJiKer performed as the beatbox soloist in Anna Meredith's Concerto for Beatboxer and Orchestra with the Southbank Sinfonia. [4]

After signing a publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing he started regularly co-writing songs with other artists, songwriters and producers. American singer-songwriter Allyson Ezell became a frequent collaborator, and together they wrote the English version of Mercy by Madame Monsieur (which become France entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018), [5] as well as songs for electronic acts Jabberwocky, Namic, Les Gordon, Joyzu and TEPR.

In 2018, he directed vocalists for the spoof charity song 'Save Our Trolls' for BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour which featured performances by Charlotte Church, Miranda Hart, Edith Bowman and Andy Serkis. [6]

In late 2019, he collaborated with beatbox collective Berywam, co-producing and co-writing tracks on the debut album.

Solo albums

MaJiKer's solo debut album Body-Piano-Machine was released in April 2009. 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. [7]

His second solo album entitled The House of Bones was released on Halloween 2011 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. He toured both albums, performing several times in Paris, and also in the UK including gigs at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London [8] and The Hare & Hounds in Birmingham. [9]

In 2014 he released the collaborative album project NORTH which consisted of Nordic folk melodies with new lyrics in English written by MaJiKer himself. He also arranged and produced the album which featured 16 guest vocalists including Jennie Abrahamson, Sam Lee, David Thomas Broughton, China Moses, Thea Hjelmeland, Gaggle and Ellekari Sander. [10]

In 2019 he created two albums of original songs entirely made from human body sounds exclusively for Felt Production Music, which have been used in TV and radio shows internationally.

On the meditation app Insight Timer, throughout 2020 MaJiKer released his 'Serenetudes' a series of 24 tracks each created using a single vocal note which is sculpted into an hour-long immersive soundscape.

Selected discography

Albums

Songs

Notes

  1. As stated on MaJiKer's own website June 2018
  2. 1 2 As reported on Majiker's website, July 2011.
  3. EQ interview with Majiker, April 2009.
  4. "Concerto for Beatboxer and Orchestra | NMC Recordings". Nmcrec.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-07-02.
  5. "France: Madame Monsieur wins Destination Eurovision 2018". Eurovisionworld.com. January 27, 2018. Retrieved 2020-07-02.
  6. "SAVE OUR TROLLS". Saveourtrolls.org. Retrieved 2020-07-02.
  7. Majiker reviewed by KCTV website, KCTV.co.uk, April 2009.
  8. "MaJiKer with very special guest Ebb". Archive.ica.art. Retrieved 2020-07-02.
  9. [ dead link ]
  10. "NORTH, by The NORTH Project". Northproject.bandcamp.com. Retrieved 2020-07-02.
  11. Majiker at Gaymonkey records Gaymonkey Records, April 2009.

Related Research Articles

Killa Kela is a British beatboxer and rapper from West Sussex. He is considered to have been the first beatboxer from the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camille (French singer)</span> French singer (born 1978)

Camille Dalmais, better known by her mononym Camille, is a French singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temposhark</span> English electronic rock band

Temposhark was an English electronic rock band, formed in London and Brighton by singer-songwriter Robert Diament and one-time music producer Luke Busby. Temposhark were best known for their songs "Bye Bye Baby", "Joy", "It's Better To Have Loved" and "Not That Big", a duet with singer Imogen Heap which appeared on their 2008 debut album, The Invisible Line. Their second album, Threads, was released in 2010 and reached the top 15 on the iTunes UK electronic albums chart. Other notable artist collaborations include Guy Sigsworth, Sean McGhee, Youth from Killing Joke, Kate Havnevik, Melnyk, Camille, MaJiKer, Morgan Page, Avril and the virtuoso violinist Sophie Solomon. Temposhark's music has been featured in numerous television programmes, including the US advertising campaign for British TV series Downton Abbey in 2011.

Melnyk is a Canadian electronic music producer who lives and works in London, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Corps Malade</span> French slam poet

Fabien Marsaud, known professionally as Grand Corps Malade (GCM), is a French slam poet and lyricist. He has released seven studio albums so far, all of them reaching top-five status on the French SNEP chart. GCM started writing and performing a capella at slam events in 2003. Three years later, he signed with Universal's AZ affiliate and released his debut album Midi 20, which became a top-ten selling record of the year in France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phoebus (songwriter)</span> Musical artist

Phoebus, sometimes spelled Phivos or Foivos, is a well-known songwriter in both Greece and Cyprus. Phoebus is mostly known for his music through Despina Vandi and Katy Garbi, although he has composed albums for many other artists in Greece and Cyprus. A high percentage of the albums he composes receive certification making him one of the most successful Greek songwriters of the 1990s and 2000s, selling 6,000,000 records. In 2009, he founded his own record label, The Spicy Effect, to which he has signed various artists, many of whom he has collaborated with in the past.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mélissa Laveaux</span> Musical artist

Mélissa Laveaux is an independent Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist of Haitian descent previously signed to No Format!. Her music has been described as a mix of roots, folk, and blues using her signature percussive finger-style guitar stylings and soulful vocals. In 2006, Laveaux released the first full-length album of her own songs, which she co-produced with percussionist Rob Reid and Lisa Patterson of Imaginit Music Studios. Laveaux has received critical praise from her peers in such magazines as ColorLines and is a Songs from the Heart recipient from the 2006 Ontario Council of Folk Festivals' conference in the World Music category for penning "Koud'lo".

<i>Music Hole</i> 2008 studio album by Camille

Music Hole is the third studio album by French singer Camille, released on April 7, 2008. It was co-written with English producer MaJiKer. In the EPK for the album, Camille advised that the title "Music Hole" refers to the main parts of her body that make music. The song "Waves" was used in Perrier "Melting" television ad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Sharpe</span> Irish soprano singer and actress (born 1972)

Alexandria Sharpe is an Irish soprano singer and actress mostly known for her live roles in London's West End and on the Irish stage. In the United States she is best known as one of the former members of Celtic Woman from 2008 to 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coco Star</span> English singer and songwriter

Susan Brice, better known by her stage name Coco Star, is an English singer and songwriter, who was signed to Universal Music and EMI. Brice has collaborated with artists such as Craig David, Artful Dodger and Fragma for the number 1 hit, "Toca's Miracle".

<i>Threads</i> (Temposhark album) 2010 studio album by Temposhark

Threads is the second album by UK band, Temposhark, a project of singer/songwriter Robert Diament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erica Mou</span> Musical artist

Erica Musci, better known by her stage name Erica Mou, is an Italian singer and musician. Born in Bisceglie, Italy, she began studying singing at the age of 5, and playing guitar at 11.

Robin Coudert, also known by his stage name ROB, is a French pop/rock musician, singer-songwriter, producer and film score composer.

Michael Wookey is an English singer-songwriter and composer, born in Southampton and based in Paris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Areski Belkacem</span> French musical artist

Areski Belkacem, also known simply as Areski, is a French singer, multi-instrumentalist, comedian and composer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beatbox House</span> American beatbox crew

The Beatbox House is an American beatbox crew based in New York City originally consisting of six beatboxers. The Beatbox House has since its formation helped many beatboxers along their journey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berywam</span> French beatbox crew

Berywam is a French beatbox crew based in Toulouse, France. They won the French Beatbox Championship 2016. Their EP was released on 2 June 2017. They also won the Beatbox Battle World Championship 2018 in crew category.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elena Rose</span> American singer

Andrea Elena Mangiamarchi, known by her stage name ELENA ROSE, is a Venezuelan-American singer and songwriter from Miami, Florida. As a collaborator, Rose is perhaps best known for working with Mexican-American singer Becky G, notably on songs such as "Dollar", "Mejor Así", "Funk Total: Vai Danada", "Muchacha", "My Man", "No Drama", "Rotate" and "Mamiii".

Yoon Dae-woong, better known as Bigman, is a South Korean beatboxer, singer-songwriter, composer and producer. Bigman is perhaps best known as Top 8 in the Asia Beatbox Championship 2017, as well as for a viral video from his wildcard winner on YouTube. Bigman officially signed under Sidus HQ and made his debut with released single album DAY BY DAY on May 31, 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeanick Fournier</span> Canadian singer

Jeanick Fournier is a Canadian singer from Saguenay, Quebec, most noted as the winner of the second season of Canada's Got Talent.