Maria Minerva

Maria Minerva
Maria Minerva (2014)
Background information
Birth nameMaria Juur
Born (1988-03-15) 15 March 1988 (age 36)
Tallinn, Estonia
GenresElectronica, outsider house, nu-disco, avant pop, hypnagogic pop, lo-fi music
Occupation(s)producer, songwriter, singer, DJ, radio host
Instrumentselectronics, vocals
Years active2010–present
LabelsNot Not Fun, 100% Silk, Pudru Kuul
Websitewww.mariaminerva.com

Maria Juur (born 15 March 1988), better known by her stage name Maria Minerva, is an Estonian musician and activist.[1]

Artistry

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Maria Minerva's music is described by critics as a blend of avant pop,[2] electronic,[3] and experimental[4] genres. Her work includes references to various styles of dance music, such as house,[5] disco,[6] electro, and eurodance.[7]

Critics have described Maria Minerva's vocal style as dreamy, haunting, mysterious,[8] or Lynchian,[9] but also as casual and slightly off-key, receiving comparisons to Blossom Dearie, Brigitte Bardot,[10] Nico,[11] and Billie Ray Martin.[12] She has cited Cosey Fanni Tutti, Laetitia Sadier, and Laurie Anderson as influences.[13]

Personal life

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Maria developed an interest in electronic dance music and began attending clubs in Tallinn as a young teenager.[14] She graduated from the Estonian Academy of Arts and Goldsmiths, University of London, where she studied with British cultural theorist and music critic Mark Fisher.[15]

Her father Mart Juur is an Estonian humorist, writer and media personality.[16]

As of 2018, Juur was a member of the Estonian Greens political party.[17]

Maria Minerva was awarded the “Extraordinary Ability” United States green card for her work in electronic music[18] and subsequently became a naturalized U.S. citizen,[19] residing in Los Angeles, California.

Critical Reception

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Maria Minerva is amongst the most internationally acclaimed Estonian electronic artists of the 2010s.[20][21] She is the recipient of two Estonian Music Awards.[22] Her releases have received critical acclaim from music publications such as Pitchfork Media[23] and The Fader.[24] One of Maria Minerva's early supporters was the influential pop critic Simon Reynolds.[25] She was named as one of the seminal Los Angeles artists by The Guardian[26] and appeared on Estonian World's annual "Top 12 Most Outstanding Estonian Women in the World" list.[27]

Collaboration with Cherushii

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Chelsea Faith a.k.a. Cherushii was one of the 36 victims of the 2016 Oakland warehouse fire.[28] In 2019, the EP Cherushii & Maria Minerva was released, which had been nearly completed before Cherushii died[29] and includes repurposed tracks from previous Cherushii releases.[30][31][32][33][34]

Other

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While at the Estonian Academy of Arts, Maria Minerva authored the first-ever Estonian-language academic paper on sound art, with an emphasis on the history of sound art in Estonia.[35][36]

Maria Minerva has worked with and remixed many other artists, including Cities Aviv,[37] Maria Chavez,[38] Mark Van Hoen[39] and John Cale.[40] She has collaborated with visual artists Pakui Hardware,[41] Phil Collins (artist)[42] and poet Vanessa Place.[43] Formerly, she hosted a show on LA's community radio station Dublab, where she interviewed fellow musicians such as Nite Jewel[44] and Yves Tumor.[45]

Discography

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  • Sacred and Profane Love 12" EP (100% Silk, 2011)
  • Cabaret Cixous CD/LP (Not Not Fun, 2011)
  • Noble Savage 12" EP (100% Silk, 2011)
  • Tallinn At Dawn CS (Not Not Fun, 2011)
  • Nii hea with Ajukaja, 10" Single (Pudru Kuul, 2012)
  • The Integration LP with LA Vampires (Not Not Fun, 2012)
  • Will Happiness Find Me? CD/LP (Not Not Fun, 2012)
  • Bless 12" EP (100% Silk, 2013)
  • Histrionic LP (Not Not Fun, 2014)
  • C U Again with Ajukaja, 12" EP (Pudru Kuul, 2014)
  • S/T with Cherushii, 12" EP (100% Silk, 2019)
  • Soft Power, CS (100% Silk, 2020)

References

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  1. ^ Hasa, Romi (August 26, 2021). "Maria Juur, Õismäe tüdruk Los Angeleses" [Maria Juur, Õismäe Girl in Los Angeles]. Eesti Naine (Delfi) (in Estonian). Retrieved 2023-06-22.
  2. ^ "Stream Maria Minerva's adventurous new album for Not Not Fun in full". Fact Mag. 5 September 2012.
  3. ^ "Maria Minerva". Dazed Digital. 31 March 2011.
  4. ^ "009: Experimental chanteuse Maria Minerva announces full details of new album". Fact Mag. 20 July 2012.
  5. ^ "Premiere: Cherushii & Maria Minerva 'Boyfriend Shirt'". DJ Mag.
  6. ^ "Sunken Disco: Maria Minerva Talks Downloads, DJing & Dance Music'". The Quietus.
  7. ^ "Review: Cabaret Cixous". Pitchfork.
  8. ^ "Maria Minerva: The Rise Of Estonian Chillwave". NPR.
  9. ^ "Why Lana Del Rey, Cults, and More Indie Heartachers Lurk in the Shadows of 'Twin Peaks'". SPIN.
  10. ^ "Review: Cherushii & Maria Minerva". Pitchfork.
  11. ^ "Maria Minerva". Interview Magazine. 24 August 2012.
  12. ^ "Ajukaja & Maria Minerva: C U Again EP". Boomkat.
  13. ^ "Maria Minerva". PRS for Music.
  14. ^ "Maria Minerva – Eesti esimene hüpnagoogilise popi staar". Eesti Ekspress. 2011-03-23.
  15. ^ "Perspective: Maria Minerva remembers Mark Fisher's Infectious Intellectualism". Crack Magazine.
  16. ^ Ulrik Noergaard (2011-03-31). "Maria Minerva | Dazed". Dazeddigital.com. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
  17. ^ "Tallinn Music Week celebrates its 10th anniversary". Euronews. 2018-04-10. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
  18. ^ "Alien of Extaordinary Ability: An Interview with Maria Minerva". Fanzine. 2016-01-16. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  19. ^ Hasa, Romi (August 26, 2021). "Maria Juur, Õismäe tüdruk Los Angeleses" [Maria Juur, Õismäe Girl in Los Angeles]. Eesti Naine (Delfi) (in Estonian). Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  20. ^ "The Modern Music of Estonia". Bandcamp. 2018-04-24. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  21. ^ "The Crowned Queen of Estonian Underground". Müürileht. 2015-02-14. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  22. ^ "Curly Strings makes a clean sweep at Estonian Music Awards". ERR. 2016-01-16. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  23. ^ Lindsay Zoladz (2011-11-30). "Maria Minerva: Sacred & Profane Love EP Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
  24. ^ "Artist: Maria Minerva".
  25. ^ Reynolds, Simon (7 October 2011). "Female Artists With a Penchant for Synth Sounds". The New York Times. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
  26. ^ "The Sound of LA". The Guardian.
  27. ^ "Top 12 most outstanding Estonian women in the world". 8 March 2015.
  28. ^ Maria Minerva (9 December 2016). "The Rave Queen Next Door: Remembering the Life and Legacy of My Friend Cherushii". Vice.
  29. ^ Moreland, Quinn (March 5, 2019). "How Maria Minerva Finished Her Record With Cherushii, Who Died in Oakland's Ghost Ship Fire". Pitchfork. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  30. ^ Brown, Harley (February 19, 2019). "Cherushii & Maria Minerva". Pitchfork. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  31. ^ Clements, Miles (February 8, 2019). "CHERUSHII + MARIA MINERVA: SELF-TITLED". L.A. Record. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  32. ^ Matthew, Terry (September 4, 2019). "Days Without You: Cherushii and Maria Minerva Made Beautiful Music". 5mag. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  33. ^ Murray, Eoin (February 7, 2019). "Premiere: Cherushii & Maria Minerva 'Boyfriend Shirt'". DJ Mag. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  34. ^ Henry Bruce-Jones (15 January 2019). "100% Silk to release posthumous Cherushii & Maria Minerva collaboration". Fact Mag.
  35. ^ Maria Juur (2012-01-11). "What is Estonian Sound Art?". Estonian Art. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  36. ^ Hans-Gunter Lock. "Media-Based Music in Estonia". Sound Exchange. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
  37. ^ Ian Cohen (2012-11-26). "Review: Black Pleasure by Cities Aviv". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  38. ^ "Listen: exclusive Maria2maria mix – Maria Chavez + Maria Minerva". Wire Magazine. May 2013. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  39. ^ "Unsound Labs: Denis Kolokol/Tomek Choloniewski Duo + Nate Wooley, Maria Minerva + Mark Van Hoen, Mark Mcguire + Bartosz Weber". Issue Project Room. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
  40. ^ "Stream Tim Hecker and Maria Minerva's takes on John Cale". Fact Mag. 2012-04-12. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  41. ^ "Popcorn, Pepsi, Petabytes". Bard Center for Curatorial Studies. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  42. ^ "Phil Collins: My Heart's In My Hand, And My Hand Is Pierced, And My Hand's In The Bag, And The Bag Is Shut, And My Heart". Tanya Bonakdar Gallery. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  43. ^ "Les Singes: A Passion Play for Today". Emergency Index. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  44. ^ "Estonian Air with Maria Minerva: Nite Jewel". Dublab. 2018-01-15. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  45. ^ "(dublab) In Conversation: Yves Tumor (2019)". Youtube. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
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