Johannes Malfatti Explained

Johannes Malfatti
Birth Place:Germany
Instrument:Piano, drums, guitar, accordion
Genre:Ambient music, post classical, film music, chamber pop, drone music, vaporwave
Occupation:Composer, producer, musician
Years Active:2001s–present
Label:FatCat Records, 130701, Glacial Movements, Seikomart
Associated Acts:Olivier Alary, Ensemble, 요유시 yoyush, Chlorgeschlecht, Transformer di Roboter

Johannes Malfatti (born 1976) is a German composer, sound designer and multi-instrumentalist from Berlin.[1] He releases music under his own name and various monikers and writes music for film, theatre, art installations and advertisement. He studied sound design at the Konrad Wolf Film University of Babelsberg and graduated with a degree in sound design for audio-visual media.

Career

In 2003 he joined Olivier Alary and his project Ensemble,[2] first as orchestral arranger and sound mixer for Ensemble's second studio album. His arrangements were recorded with the Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg. Malfatti also wrote the orchestral arrangements for Ensemble´s remix of Björk's "Mouth's Cradle".

He co-wrote and produced Ensemble´s third studio album Excerpts that was released in 2011 on FatCat Records.[3]

Malfatti released his first solo album, Surge, on Italian ambient label Glacial Movements in 2017.[4] His follow up album 달빛백조의노래 Moonlight Swan Songs was released under the moniker 요유시 yoyush on Japanese vaporwave label Seikomart. [5] and was available as limited cassette edition.

With u, i Malfatti and Alary released the first joined album under their own names in 2020. The album was produced using Voice over IP technology such as Skype or Facetime. By sending audio material back and forth between theirs studios and by manipulating the network bandwidth they obtained various degrees of sonic artefacts that make up the sonic layout of the album. It is an exploration of contemporary mediated communication and is “an odyssey into the fragile, global communicative state, fusing found sound, drone and chamber instrumentation.“ (Backseat Mafia).[6]

His work also includes music for theatre, dance productions and art installations notably with Emanuele Soavi,[7] Laurie Young,[8] Grayson Millwood,[9] Gerhard Falkner, Jim Rakete, Candice Breitz, Arno Coenen and Benny Nemer.

Discography

Albums

Eps

Singles

Contributions

Selected film soundtracks

Awards

Notes and References

  1. Brennan McCracken, "Olivier Alary and Johannes Malfatti. u,i.". MusicWorks, Winter 2020-21.
  2. Jazz Monroe, "Ensemble: Excerpts". Drowned in Sound, August 5, 2011.
  3. Web site: BBC - Music - Review of Ensemble - Excerpts. Wyndham. Wallace. www.bbc.co.uk.
  4. Z. K. Slabý, "Johannes Malfatti: Surge". Kulturni magazin. March 2017.
  5. Web site: Sunbleach review, 2018. 15 January 2018.
  6. Web site: 'Drifting: out-classical, ISDN warmth', Backseat Mafia, 2020. 30 July 2020 .
  7. Web site: ATLAS 3 – Blu Blu Blu (2020) « Emanuele Soavi in company.
  8. Web site: SOPHIENSÆLE | Freies Theater in Berlin. sophiensaele.com.
  9. Web site: The Farm — Cut Away. The Farm.
  10. Web site: 'China Heavyweight': Film Review; Variety 2021. Variety. 5 July 2012 .
  11. Web site: 'The Great Darkened Days' ('La Grande Noirceur'): Film Review | TIFF 2018. The Hollywood Reporter. 10 September 2018 .
  12. http://www.altcine.com/details.php?id=776 "Romania΄s Gopo Awards 2013 nominations"
  13. Web site: press release on Open PR.com (German). 12 November 2014.
  14. https://ctvm.info/quebec-cinema-devoile-les-finalistes-aux-prix-iris-2023/ "Québec Cinéma dévoile les finalistes aux PRIX IRIS 2023"