MUSIC | Helene Matthia

HALA

HALA is a diverse, energetic and surprising musical madness based on the fairytale-like compositions of vocalist Helene Matthia, with Arno Bakker on sousaphone, Jorrit Westerhof on guitar and Gerri Jäger on drums.

The band was formed in 2017 in the basement of Atelier "Il sole in cantina", Cantina Records in Groningen, which is known for its experimental journeys. They have released three EP’s: “Hala” (2018) and “Blueberry Ink” (2019) and “How Do You Do” (2022).

The music’s genre is various: from progressive rock, avant-pop and (free) improvisation to avant-garde, jazz and cabaret. You hear influences from artists such as Neneh Cherry, Nina Hagen and Acoustic Ladyland.

A few highlights of their performances were Jazzfestival Karlsruhe 2018 and ZomerJazzFietsTour 2019.

Thanks to the subsidy "Balkonscènes" from Fonds Podiumkunsten they had the chance to perform and record during the pandemic in May and November 2021.

In June 2022 Helene has been invited by jazzinternational Rotterdam to present HALA’s music at the new RAUW concert edition in Rotown (Rotterdam).

In July 2022 they’ve had a successful release tour of their new EP How Do You Do - to Germany, Austria and Slovenia.

Farbenfroh

Farbenfroh are colorful counterpoints, with avantgarde sounds, cabaret and improvisation. Each composition contains a unique journey - written and arranged for strings, reeds and voice with effects.

The band was formed by vocalist Helene Matthia in 2017 and is now focusing on more improvisational freedom and freshly written material. You hear influences from artists such as Kurt Weill, Björk and Tin Hat Trio.

The line up is based on a constantly changing collective of strong improvisers. Most recently she has performed with:

Koen Boeijinga on alto- and soprano saxophone, Ziv Taubenfeld on bass clarinet, Ada Rave on bass clarinet, Pau Sola on cello and Aaron Lumley on double bass (among others).

The new material has been presented at the ZomerJazzFietsTour in August 2022 and during their autumn tour in October 2022.

In May 2023 Helene is invited to the next edition of "Schnittpunkte der Musik" Festival in Austria, where she will perform her repertoire with local musicians from the Austrian music scene: with Katja Finsel on cello, Andreas Waelti on double bass and Siegmar Brecher on bass clarinet.