Donna Maya

making a change

Donna Maya understands her art as a contribution to the political dialogue and a demand for a diverse society without sexism, racism and discrimination, worldwide! She is engaged to create an environment that offers equal opportunities and supports female artists to increase their visibility. In her live performances, that are accompanied by atmospherically modulated images and video sequences, she deals with social-political and gender topics that makes the audience reflect on their own positions.

being a female musician is not enough

When Donna Maya released her first vinyl album in 1998 under the name of her former dj- and producer collective called „The Godmothers Part II“, the public attention was focused on the fact that two women produce electronic music while mainly ignored the musical aspects. Extremly disturbed by that Donna Maya realized that, no matter how well she would make music, it’s about exclusion from a structurally male-dominated business. This strongly sensitized her to change something as well as take matters into her own hand.

tacking the chance

Started as a dj as well as playing drums and synth, Donna Maya was also keen to learn about studio technology and became a trained sound engineer. After her diploma she grabbed her suitcase and moved to New York and found a job as an audio engineer assistant in one of the biggest studio of the city, located at Times Square. At Unique Recording she worked together with Run DMC, Coolio, Easy Mo Bee, Tricky, Leni Stern and Joe Lynn Turner. Often working 12 to 15 hours daily she hardly found time to go out or make music. Therefore two years later she went back to concentrate on her own productions.

discovering the theremin

Back in Berlin Donna Maya set up a studio, released on various labels internationally and lately founded the label Sound Sister Records. She started to play live but somehow she missed the possibility to express herself more directly and felt not satisfied by moving sliders and knobs. When working for a record store and searching for used vinyls to sell, she saw a picture of a theremin, the first electronic instrument, as well as the only one that is played without touching it. Donna Maya knew that this was exactly what she was looking for. Immediately she bought a theremin and one week later used it in a concert. During the following years she developed her own approach to play the instrument and creates a unique sound that differs much from what is expected. Give it a listen!

DONNA MAYAS MUSIC

Donna Maya live @ Marry Klein Global

Donna Maya was invited to perform at Marry Klein Global presented by female:pressure 2021, that highlighted a selection of cutting edge sounds from outstanding artists of the electronic music landscape worldwide. Donna Mayas stunning audio-visuell performance is a result from her journey to Detroit. Taking Detroit as a perfect example for what capitalism does to a social environment when cultural values where given up, she explored various sites that wrote industrial history and captured their sounds. Donna Maya transformed them into dense, artificial sound sculptures combined with electronic beats and a slightly dystopian vibe: Pure underground techno with theremin!

NEWEST RELEASES

Ceasefire Compilation

Artists against the Russian invasion of the Ukraine. In times of constant crises, it is mutual aid that gives meaning to humanity. With this compilation of 24 tracks, the Viennese label Tongræber wants to make a small contribution to cushion the devastating situation in Ukraine and the resulting humanitarian catastrophes. All proceeds from the compilation and the individual tracks will be donated to the organizations Mission Lifeline and Queere Nothilfe.

Stop all wars, free the people, solidarity against injustice!

Info for direct donations:

MISSION LIFELINE e.V

IBAN: DE56 4306 0967 1234 0600 00

BIC: GENODEM1GLS

GLS Bank

Queere Nothilfe Ukraine:

altruja.de/nothilfe-ukraine/spende

Tongræber, 2022
Bandcamp

Nomads In Sound 04

Stockholm based label Meerkat Recordings celebrates 10 years of dedication to the dub/bass/d&b/breakbeat continuum. With the Nomads 04 compilation, the Meerkats have invited their favourite artists based in the UK, France, Peru, Germany, Sweden and the Canaries – with influences ranging from the Peruvian Andres to the Asian Underground. BASS is the common foundation on the journeys of the contributing artists.

Digital release: Meerkat Recordings, 11. Nov. 2021, vinyl release: Febr. 2022
Bandcamp

DEGEM CD 20 im hier und jetzt oder nie

DEGEM CD 20 im hier und jetzt oder nie – curated by Anne Wellmer
The past few years have shown the whole world how little certainty there is that our familiar realities remain true and real. Around the world, autocrats are democratically elected who, once in power, undermine the separation of powers and democratic structures in their countries. With the rapidly accelerating climate crisis, weather extremes are multiplying and habitats and biodiversity are shrinking. We are in the midst of a pandemic.

Some are shouting that something must change, and quickly, if we are to save the world from extinction. Others are afraid that something could change and take refuge in conspiracy theories and fake news. What is important and necessary now? To protect the existing? To go in new directions? To reflect? To fight? Is there still a way out of polarisation?

im hier und jetzt oder nie (in the here and now or never) is a good example of how different perspectives can complement each other to create something new in the interplay of completely opposing forces. The twelve compositions on the CD together form a kind of musical suite that seems to end in a question that remains unanswered. With contributions from Christian M. Fischer, Maria Pelekanou, Donna Maya, Antje Vowinckel, Karl F. Gerber, Elisabeth Schimana, Klarenz Barlow, Clemens von Reusner, Sabine Schäfer, Javier Alejandro Garavaglia, Solidarity Noise Project and Niayesh Ebrahimi.

3 CD release, Edition DEGEM, 2021
Release date: Oct. 2021
aufabwegen Mailorder

People Mover Remixed
Donna Maya

The Detroit People Mover is an elevated train that operates on a single track encircling Downtown Detroit. It is winding through glass palaces and ruins, crossing empty spaces before hiding inside commercial buildings where the train station are located in. The train ride provides many perspectives where the city might develop in the future.

The original track „People Mover“ from Donna Mayas album Lost Spaces → Detroit questioned how we value culture in a time during and after crisis. Detroit city stands as a symbol for that. Donna Mayas track got remixed by 11 illustrious female producers: Acid Maria, C00lm8, Caro C, CURL GURL, Gavanna, Gudrun Gut, KALEISS, Lena Renz, Mila Chiral, Monibi and Sonae. The result is a wide variety of remixes, from techno to samba beats, from electronic dancehall to voodoo drums.

Digital release, Sound Sister Record, 20201, Distribution: wordandsound

Release date: August 27, 2021
Bandcamp

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 …“
DJ Broadcast

Live concert history

Donna Maya was invited to play at

Marry Klein Global festival (Harry Klein, Munich)
Heroines of Sound festival (unitedwestream/ ARTE concert, Berlin)
Sea Watch soli tour (Germany)
Sonar (Barcelona)
Transmediale (Berlin)
Pinakothek der Moderne (Munich)
Berlin Atonal (Berlin)
female:pressure Perspectives Festival (Berlin)
Sonoras III festival (Valencia)
Khidi (Tiflis)

SELECTED WORK

„Lost Spaces -> Detroit“, audio-visual performance and vinyl/ digital album release
Soundtrack contribution for „kurz und schmerzlos“ by Fatih Akin
„Blickfang/Blickfänger“, poetry-dance-performance with Anja Weber and Anne Duden, drei D poesie Festival, Uferstudios, Berlin
„Hear We Are“, concert for 3D electronic music, Berlin
Official jingle „AfD wegbassen“, Berlin
„Crossfade“ & „Philharmonic Phunk“, compositions for Kammerphilharmonie and dj, Hannover