Max Plattner, born 1994 in Innsbruck, Austria, is a renowned jazz drummer and composer. His musical education started early and he received significant awards such as the “Young Masters Scholarship” of the Outreach Festival in Schwaz in 2012 and the “Marianne Mendt Förderpreis” in 2013, “Falco Price” (with p.m. love explosion), and Tonart Tirol’s “Album of the year” in 2021.
In 2024, Saalfelden Jazz Festival selected him for their annual “Melting Pot” project. This led him to renowned festivals such as Jazzfest Berlin and Jazztopad in Poland. In 2025, he accepted an invitation to be the musician in residence at “Hin & Weg” theater festival in Litschau.
Plattner studied jazz drums in the class of Herbert Pirker at ABPU in Linz, where he specialized in media composition and computer music. During his career, he collaborated with acclaimed musicians such as J. Hoard, Georg Breinschmid, David Helbock, Peter Herbert, Karl Ritter, Raphael Preuschl, Steph Kondert, Andrea Motis, Fabian Rucker, Phil Nykrin, Andrej Prozorov, Yasmo, and many others. His versatility as a drummer and his talent as a composer and producer have earned him international recognition.
He released two EPs (“Beta EP” and “Beats & Ballads”) and the album “II” with the Max Plattner Trio. His most recent release is the concept album “Ploy”. He has also recorded as a sideman for a wide variety of artists.
Max Plattner is known for his creative approach to music and his ability to realize complex musical ideas and make them accessible to the listener. Often highlighted is his melodic approach to percussion, which opens up new compositional possibilities in many of his musical projects. His work spans a wide variety of contemporary genres, including jazz, new music, hip hop and pop. His musical career is marked by an impressive discography and numerous performances throughout Europe & Asia.
PRESS
“He has a unique voice on his instrument and convinces with his artistic vision and authenticity.” – Ljubiša Tošić, derStandard
The realization of his creative ideas succeeds in every moment” – Alexander Kochman, mica
„Austrian young drummer/composer Max Plattner has a knack for song structures that involve enjoyable melodies, improvisation and groove.“ – Filipe Freitas, JazzTrail NYC
“Musical one-dimensionality and adherence to classical standards are definitely not his thing. Rather, Max Plattner draws his inspiration from the most diverse musical directions. The art, which he masters excellently, consists of forming a very independent sound from the hodgepodge of different things.” – Michael Ternai, mica about the album “PLOY”
“Even if you are repeatedly cheered up by light swings and cheerful-sounding melodies, including the single ‘Il Nano Masticatore’, it is the heavy, intense numbers such as ‘Root of Pie’ that continue to have an effect for some time after listening.” – Adam Zehentner, Backbeat Magazine about the album “II”
“The Euregio Collective Night offered three concerts featuring the trio of Austrian drummer Max Plattner, with Fabian Rucker with a dense and captivating phrasing on alto saxophone, the Wild Brush Quartet and the quartet ‘Animali Nottunri’ by Bolzano double bassist Marco Stagni, in which Plattner once again demonstrated the sensitive versatility of his playing.” – Giuseppe Segala, Allaboutjazz
“Improvisation and yet with a lot of plan and concreteness. Virtuosic and experimental and yet very accessible.” – Patrick Meerwald about “PLOY”
ELMO NERO is beautifully exploring what’s possible in a guitar trio setting, finding many ways to express honesty, joy and beauty in this classic format.” – Gilad Hekselman about the album ELMO NERO
