Solo concerts

Ja, jeg blir satt helt ut. Jeg tror denne opplevelsen vil bli stående som den sterkeste herfra i år. Takk, Maja.

The Quietus: (…)On day two, the internationally acclaimed composer Maja Ratkje is headlining with a noise show. It’s still 40 people sitting on barstools. A person in the audience is doing fist-pumps, moving his closed hand up and down several times as a sign of victory. Nothing wrong with a good dose of Viking dancing.

Her 45-minute set here encompassed electronic zaps and shrieks, wild ululations, delicate waves of sound from the theremin and a surprising passage of sound art, as she crumpled a huge sheet of plastic wrap into the microphone.

Ballade.no: (…) Pionér? Kanskje. Emosjonelt? Absolutt. Prøvende? Definitivt. For selv om man kommer forberedt til en opptreden fra Norges mest anerkjente vokalkunstner, kan man ikke riktig forberede seg på hvordan opptredenen vil utarte seg, på akkurat denne siste, nitriste høstdagen, på en varm scene så vidt adskilt fra en midlertidig dobbel handlegate med røkte pølser

“The opening artist for Method of Defiance was a Norwegian avant garde angel, Maja S.K. Ratkje who created a very powerful and densely layered sonic environment with only her voice and electronics. It definitely created a whole other world that, for me, recalled a quote from Dante’s Inferno I had recently seen in Crowley’s Konx

Rolling Stone Magazin Feb 2018: Ist das ein Wiegenlied, um ein Kind in der Schlaf zu bringen? Oder wird hier, bei all den unguten Geräuschen unter Melodie, eine erschreckliche Gespenstergeschichte gesungen, eine Moritat, die so tief in die Hirne und Träume der Hörenden kriecht, dass man sich aus ihrem Bann nicht mehr zu befreien vermag

Ratkje epitomisess the modern Norwegian musical mindset: there are no categories and no limits in her music, and yet there is also extraordinary focus and character. Yes, she is called a vocalist because the sounds she makes are generated by her vocal cords. But, as with all the musicians working in this field, and all

Downbeat Aug. 2014: (…) Two of the most memorable shows at this year’s FIMAV involved musicians who are finding artistically rich ways to combine electronic processing and spontaneous improvisation. In separate sets by veteran artist Parker and Norwegian vocalist-electronic artist Maja Ratkje, the relationship between old and new amounted to a blissful concert-going experience. (…)

Ether REAL: Pour la dixième année consécutive, nous voici de nouveau au festival Présences Électronique, rendez-vous régulier des amateurs d’expérimentations électroniques dans des conditions d’écoute particulières puisque orchestré par l’Ina/GRM, tous les concerts sont diffusés sur l’acousmonium. Comme d’habitude depuis que le festival est transposé au 104, on débute dans le noir et en configuration

Maja Ratkje looks harmless and demure, ambling slowly to the stage whistling a soft tune. Then the effects start. The whistle becomes a sound loop entwined with bells. Layers of white noise and wow and flutter erupt. Suddenly there’s what sounds like a meteor shower slamming around in the speakers, and huge, snarling beasts lurking

Jazznytt: …kom på scenen og forestår det vakreste og øresprengende vi har hørt fra henne på lang tid. Og det sier ikke lite. Dette er instant komponering på sitt aller beste, på sitt aller mest magiske. by John Kelman, All About Jazz: (…) experimental vocalist/composer Maja S.K. Ratkje delivered a set that lived up to

Visual artist HC Gilje and sound artist Maja Ratkje ended the festival. The setting was impressive: eighteen large (40 x 40 cm) monitors were stacked in a semicircle about eight feet high.

Deneb Tala: Pour le concert de Maja Ratkje, pas de chaises. On sera tous debout, comme dans un concert de rock (ou assis par terre, comme dans un concert de Nadja). Maja Ratkje est un petite femme toute menue, avec un joli visage un peu espiègle et paraissant attentif à tout ce qui se passe

Aardvark: (…) Po přestávce, během které zaznělo několik gratulací a poděkování autorům HIS Voice, představení nového designu i směřování periodika, se před publikum dostavila norská vokalistka Maja Ratkje. Improvizátorka přednesla dvě performance, při kterých si pomáhala různými nástroji od harmoniky po zvonkohru. Pomocí nich vytvářela samply, které nahrávala do smyček a poté je používala jako

Tofaki: The artist created an atmosphere of an expressive pageantry on the stage and a thrilling sonic palette full of whispers, sharp recitatives, hypnotic singing, humming, scratching of wires, microphones and other equipment, crackle, waves of noise, roaring vibration, which made the building quiver and turned it into a giant instrument.

Artnews: Maja S.K. Ratkje, sukūrusi scenoje ypatingo, ekspresyvaus iškilmingumo atmosferą ir lengvai šiurpą keliantį šnabždesių, aštrių rečitatyvų, hipnotiško dainavimo, niūniavimo, laidų, mikrofonų ir kitų įtaisų keliamų krebždesių

PopUp Music: Dzień przed warszawskim koncertem Maja Ratkje wystąpiła w Gdańsku używając laptopa organizatora koncertów, gdyż cały jej sprzęt został na lotnisku w Oslo. Ekwipunek dotarł jednak do Warszawy (choć z pewnym opóźnieniem), dzięki czemu oprócz elektronicznego arsenału, analogowych dodatków (moduł syntezatora i dyktafon kasetowy) Ratkje wykorzystała kilka akustycznych drobiazgów (harmonijka, dzwonki). Choć jej występ