Neu Jack Magma: ‘The Idea Has Always Been To Create Something Unheard Of’

Some of us are concerned with music’s progression. You can’t expect a dramatic development like that of previous eras, where technology changed almost every aspect of how we listen to music today. Nor can you expect scenes like punk or glam rock to appear in bulk and out of thin air. But it’s true: Often when you hear a new band you’ll immediately think of a contemporary from yesteryear. That’s not always an issue, but is it truly becoming increasingly rare to hear an artist completely turn the rulebook inside out?

Jack Magma suggests not. His sound is a meeting ground, of sorts, but it’s hard to say what exactly constitutes this melding together of ideas. Hints - a bare flickering, even - of R&B and glossy pop are countered and placed alongside Jack’s honeyed, tech-enhanced vocals. But his debut track ‘Cat Gotcha Tongue?!?’ is an altogether new, initially overwhelming experience. The title gets it spot on: You’re likely to be pretty speechless. All the vague descriptive words you’d usually associate with music no longer fit into place.

So it’s with little surprise to hear the clearly ambitious Magma stating stuff like, ‘I want to monopolise my sound, because distinction breeds longevity.’ He knows he’s onto something. And in his first ever interview, he reveals plenty more about how much time and effort went into crafting this intentionally unique, soon-to-be-monopolised style of music.



People have described you as a bedroom artist. Do you really work on your own in this environment?
Yes indeed, I’m 100% DIY right now. You know how as a child, your bedroom was like a sacred part of the universe, like a fountain of inspiration and wisdom? Thats my cave. I can recall getting spanked as a child and running to my room to sort of ‘sulk’ and imagine an alternative peace that would involve me doing whatever the hell I wanted with no consequence. As a teenager and young adult it became a different sulking; more of an emotional stir of stress and depression from bouts with love, with life in general. The environment’s never lost its power.

Is the intention to produce something that’s new and forward-thinking or is that the eventual result of experimentation?
The idea for me has always been to create something unheard of. So when I look around in articles and on blogs and I see editors write about how my sound is indescribable, all I can think is ‘mission accomplished’ because this song is in essence an introduction. My story as an individual isn’t the most common experience, so a sonic representation of that can’t, by nature, sound familiar. I’ve spent years upon years working on a ‘sound’ or a sonic identity that best fits who I am and in order to do that, there has to be a process of ‘invention.’ Even my vocal approach and my choice of melodies… It took years for me to find a unique way of singing. It’s a process of finding your vocal pocket and finding how you best maximise your ability.

Did you expect ‘Cat Gotcha Tongue?!?’ to get the response it did. The title makes me think you’re expecting us to be left speechless after hearing it for the first time!
I didn’t know what to expect. I just felt like the universe was pulling at me saying ‘I need this song to be heard’ and I was like ‘let me just put this out and see what happens’. Once I got comfortable with the mix I just tossed it out there hoping for some soul to catch fire. One thing I can say is that the energy you feel during the song is intentional. If you heard the hook for the first time and got goosebumps then it’s ‘mission accomplished’. I can also say the response has been quite humbling and inspiring. I see that people ‘get it’ - people are touched by the energy and the story. That’s what matters

Outside of music do you have any influences, literary or visual or otherwise?
All in all I’m a pure lover of art. I’ve done acting during my high school years, I’m a visual artist, I specialise in coloured pencil portraits. Above all, I’m a cult pro wrestling fan! I was just talking to a friend of mine last night about how I want to write and direct my own films once I retire from making albums and touring - maybe when I’m 50-60 years old. I also want to do film scores…I’m a huge Peter Gabriel fan and I love how he transitioned into film.

Do you have a routine for writing a song or is it just something that emerges spontaneously?
As far as songwriting is concerned I don’t think any great songwriters have much of a routine. My routine is ‘life’! I listen to what life is teaching me, or sometimes what life is yelling at me. I like to look at myself as a channel by which the universe speaks - not to sound like too much of a hipster but honestly, thats how I look at it.

Does ‘Cat Gotcha Tongue’ reflect the overall Jack Magma sound or is it a tiny glimpse into what we can expect?
CGT is a small piece of what the sound is all about. You get your first taste of the ‘no word hook’ which is something that I’ll make a staple within my sound. But when you think of my sound, if you start with the idea of a new age ‘art-funk’ then you’re getting close. My favourite era of music was the late 70s early 80s where you had this explosion of ideas due to the rapid expansion of technology with sound. I feel like we’re there again now but in a new way. You see a lot of sub-genres popping up and it’s a beautiful time to be a part of it all. My idea is to create a combination of ideas and subcultures that have never really been seen on the same platter.

Are your vocals stripped of effects? What do you think about pop artists who use autotune? It’s become so commonplace.
There’s some slight usage of autotune within the verses and the last verse is kinda turned up a little more, just for the energy. There isn’t really a pop record out there that doesn’t use autotune…I don’t see it as a bad thing or a good thing, it’s just an effect. I wasnt born in the ’80s but I doubt if anyone made a song called ‘Death of Reverb’. I don’t think the usage or ‘over’ usage of an effect was a serious dialogue then. The fact of the matter is that you’re hearing autotune even when you dont think you are. It’s a pitch correction tool. I mean, you even hear it in the late Whitney Houston’s most recent records or Stevie Wonder’s latest but these are some of the greatest vocalists in the history of everything. Yes the T Pain thing becomes really gimmicky really fast. As does anything that’s being duplicated and exhausted. I don’t intend to ever use the effect that way. Only for its subtle purposes. But it does sound pretty cool either way.

Jack Magma’s debut EP ‘An Electric Purple’ is released Spring 2013.