Great
voices
on the
Seebühne
Maria Basel
Melancholic harmonies, shimmering loops and sophisticated arrangements form the backbone of her sound, which reflects the artist’s many talents: Maria Basel is a singer, composer, producer and DJane. In her songs, she brings together her strengths as a classically trained musician and her preference for electronic sounds, jazz and R’n’B.
Born in Ukraine as the daughter of a pianist and a cellist, she has been deeply rooted in the music scene of NRW as a Wuppertal native for many years, composing, playing and singing in various electro, pop, hip-hop and jazz formations (including for the Pina Bausch Ensemble, Samy Deluxe, Jonas David and Golow). In 2020, she launched her solo project Maria Basel and released the EP “Layers” a year later, about which the British independent music magazine “Nothing But Hope And Passion” wrote: “Maria Basel fuses electronic vibes with a touch of jazz and R’n’B, paving her way here to a solo adventure that is remarkable and promising.” Currently, the musician is working on her debut album.
The foundation of her compositions, which the musician writes and produces completely independently, are piano and Rhodes. In her songs, she spans a wide range from fragile, thoughtful, natural sounds to powerful, beat-heavy and electronic elements, using effects and looping her voice, among other things. Her tracks are full of sonic contrasts and melodic harmonies – not to mention her stunning vocals that permeate everything.
In September 2018, Maria Basel was selected as the winner of the Lalla:Labor artist award for popular music at state level and has been supported by the German funding and export office Initiative Musik since 2020. In 2021 she was nominated for the popNRW Newcomer Prize and in 2022 she received the Von der Heydt Promotion Prize and the Pop Stipendium.
Maria Basel: vocals, keyboards, loops
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Bloodflowers
Brightly coloured surf psychedelic, a bit of indie nostalgia and unmistakable 70s vibes: the Düsseldorf band around singer and guitarist Nadia Wardi captivates its concert audience with “almost hypnotic soundscapes that Khruangbin could not have imagined more beautifully” (gaesteliste.de). Influences of this US-American funk and psychedelic band are just as unmistakable in the music of the Bloodflowers as those of Pink Floyd, Tame Impala or My Morning Jacket. Nadia Wardi’s Indonesian roots and her interest in meditation and spirituality also leave traces in the dreamy and atmospheric songs.
The Bloodflowers have only existed in their current line-up since 2022, and in the same year the band won the Förderpreis Musik of the state capital Düsseldorf. With numerous live performances that have taken them far beyond the borders of the region, the Düsseldorf psych-rock front-runners have earned themselves a steadily growing fan base and have long since ceased to be an insider tip. In 2023, the Bloodflowers released their debut album “Nebula”, which they will present live on the Seebühne in the second set of the double concert with Maria Basel.
Nadia Wardi: vocals, guitar
Tim Dierich: bass
Gereon Gründer: synthesizer, keyboard
Matthias Köhnen: drums
A concert from the asphalt sur Lac series, funded by the Initiative Musik with grants from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media as part of NEUSTART KULTUR.
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What the press says about Maria Basel:
“Music like mercury, shimmering fluidly, cool, yet somehow organic” (DLF Kultur).
“I have rarely heard such a strong first work. Here, nothing more needs to be tried out, tested or a direction sought. Maria Basel knows exactly what she wants musically and what it takes to formulate it to the point. I’m enchanted by this great record, which has definite place in my ‘Best of 2021’ list.” (Miserable Monday on Layers)
“An artist from whom we can expect much greater things in the years to come and who is likely to leave us speechless” (The Mellow Music)
“Maria Basel has a unique compositional style, layering waves of synthesizers over strictly minimalist drum machines. The result feels like music played in a vast underground cavern, fragments of sound swirling around in a space you can feel without seeing. When she sings, though, she’s up close, listening intently to the echoes and drawing energy from their rhythms.” (Everything Is Noise)
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This is what the press says about Bloodflowers:
” It sets the imagination abuzz with endless freedom, the sea and transience” (“”Album der Woche”).
“Impressive!” (Westzeit.de)
