Donna Maya

Transfering airwaves into music

Donna Maya plays theremin with an instrument-atypical sound aesthetic and makes unconventional bass music. Her music navigates between noisy textures and narrative phrases with deep bass lines, continuously interacting together and constantly moved by the beat.

Donna Maya makes music out of the air. Her fascination for the theremin, which is played without any physical contact and can produce every possible note, comes from the fact, that she holds the music literally in her hands, shaping the sound with her movements. This opens up a new way to expressively play electronic music as well as to compose beyond the 12-tone scale and approach new varieties of club music.

Donna Maya also composed for philharmonic orchestra and DJ as well as making music for soundtracks like the movie „kurz und schmerzlos“ by Fatih Akin.

Press

„The music part of the night was kicked-off by Donna Maya, a Berlin-based musician and the first Abelton certified trainer. She got the crowd moving with her live show, performing a variety of tracks that ranged from dub-step, reggae to tech-house that all-in-all produced a very danceable electronic sound.“
DJ Broadcast

Live

Donna Maya was invited to play at

Sonar (Barcelona)
Transmediale (Berlin)
Pinakothek der Moderne (Munich)
Berlin Atonal (Berlin)
Perspectives Festival (Berlin)

Upcoming concerts

16.10.2018 Modulab @ De Fabriek, Eindhoven, NL
10.11.2018 Heroines Editions: Celebrating 20 Years of female:pressure @ Ausland, Berlin
13.11.2018 BavariaAUG @ Bürgerhaus Glockenbachwerkstatt, München
7.12.2018 Minutekturen @ Green House, Berlin
14.12.2018 female:pressure Electronic Concert, Köln

MUSIC

Lost Spaces / Ruin Theory

Donna Maya’s current live program „Lost Spaces / Ruin Theory“ is based on self-created samples and field recordings that reflects the sound of the city of Detroit. She recorded largely abandoned locations, public places, streets and their inhabitants, from which, in the context of their historical significance, she carves out the mood and the special sounds, that those places still contain today. With the theremin, she navigates through the acoustic spaces.