Terrific Tom-Cat: Matou Noir’s „und des Tones“

Dancehall-hell. Junglebeat. Jazzfusion. Since 2007, the acoustic-ensemble Matou Noir has been fascinating music enthusiasts of all generations with their unique sound, characterised by inventive arrangements. Balkan, klezmer, tango and jazz are the starting points for Matou Noir’s sound experience. The band transforms jazz into ska or hip-hop, tango into waltz and klezmer into a circus or a ballad, while spicing everything up with a pinch of Balkan music.

The band follows up their 2010 release “Im Namen des Katers” with their new album “und des Tones” (2012) with more traditional Balkan and klezmer compositions. The song “Chaje Shukarije” turns into a bittersweet ballad and “Fun Tashlach” could well have been recorded in the middle of an oriental marketplace. The CD’s centrepiece is its final song “Apple Tree”, one of three self-composed songs, which is both melancholy and bouncy at the same time and has enthralled all listeners so far.

Camilla Chimiak (vocals, kazoo), Philipp Tepper (violin), Christian Buchholz (cello, accordion), Johannes Kettel (guitar), Ladislav Douda (accordion), Mattis Böhme (double bass) and Philipp Kurzke (percussion) and their guest musicians all contribute to the band’s unique sound-trademark, best summed up by the motto: let’s turn the theatre into a dancehall-hell and the pub into a tango stage.