“Learn her name now.” a closer listen
Sonae is an electronic music artist based in cologne, and part of label collective monika werkstatt. her debut album was released 2015 with monika enterprise /berlin. afterwards artist in residence at klingklang studio /düsseldorf, women in computer music scholarship at CCRMA of stanford university /usa, master degree in popular music at folkwang university of arts /essen. 2018 release of her second album ‘I Started Wearing Black’ “a striking album” Fluid Radio UK followed by her remix-album ‘Music For People Who Shave Their Heads’ 2019 with bit-phalanx /london. resident artist of NICA artist development program since autumn 2020. 2021 premiere of multi-media installation ‘Summer’ with video artist jennifer trees and release of same titled album with l a a p s music. DJ mixes for the wire, self-titled, vice, dublab.
“All the more reason to admire an already righteous artist.” The Wire
Sonae plays live solo and with monika werkstatt at places like institut für zukunft /leipzig, meakusma festival /belgium, ausland /berlin, pop kultur festival /berlin, fusion festival /lärz, uh-fest /budapest, cafe oto /london, 23rpm festival /london, the cube /bristol and more on the same bill with squarepusher, plaid, darkstar, kyoka, frank bretschneider, tim exile. Sonae lives and works in cologne.
2022 collaboration with conceptual artist mischa kuball in ‘future_grid’ for futur 21 medienkunstfestival. release of remix ep with umwelt /france for blint /berlin, and for audiovisual duo bromo /spain
2021 goethe institute virtual residency with katsunori sawa /japan. premiere of multi-media installation ‘Summer’ by sonae + trees and release of ‘Summer’ album with l a a p s /france. remixes for newcomer band mahendra and krautrock project rhein with düsseldorf based label hauch records. monika werkstatt album release ‘M_Sessions’ a contemporary version of mania d., malaria! and matador’s music
2020 chosen for mentoring program NICA artist development /european center for jazz and contemporary music at stadtgarten cologne. remixes for si begg /london and donna maya /berlin, podcasts for institut für betrachtung via dublab radio and for ON – neue musik köln with contemporary artist philipp hoening
2019 album project ‘Music For People Who Shave Their Heads’ with bit-phalanx /london
2018 second album ‘I Started Wearing Black’ with monika enterprise, follow-up ‘Wearing Black Remixes’, ‘I Started Wearing Black’ tour through germany and europe. DJ mixes for the wire, self-titled magazine, thump /noisey and more
2017 ma graduation at institute for popular music of folkwang university of arts / essen, ‘women in computer music scholarship’ for max msp summer academy at ccrma of stanford university /usa. monika werkstatt album release and eu tour. ‘Leise Fäden’ album collaboration with danielle de picciotto
2016 artist in residence at klingklang, former studio of electronic music pioneers kraftwerk /düsseldorf. performing artist of collective monika werkstatt curated by gudrun gut
2015 debut album ‘Far away is right around the Corner’ on monika enterprise. „die reuelos wundervollste flimmerelektrik der saison“ („the unrepentant most wonderful flimmerelectric of the season“), states german groove magazine; nominated for a via! vut indie award 2015 in the category ‘best album’
2014 initiation of ‘female:pressure electronic concerts’ and ‘electronic:music:home’ /cologne, both culture funded projects dedicated to female artists in electronic music
2012 debut ep ‘cologne’ on ambient label a strangely isolated place. remixes for ambient musician 36 /uk, markus guentner, and cio d’or, besides ep releases and compilation contributions
SONAE 