- Note that there have been at least five other, lesser-known bands named Magma: a drum and organ rock duo from Germany in the 1970s, a short-lived Polish pop band in the late 1990s who recorded only two albums and some singles (including "Aisha" cover), a South Korean band who played powerful college hard rock in 1980s, a Romanian thrash metal band in the 2000's and an Argentine progressive folk band from the 1980s.
Magma is a French progressive rock band founded in Paris in 1969 by classically trained drummer Christian Vander, who claimed as his inspiration a "vision of humanity's spiritual and ecological future" that profoundly disturbed him. In the course of their first album, the band tells the story of a group of people fleeing a doomed Earth to settle on the planet Kobaïa. Later, conflict arises when the Kobaïans — descendants of the original colonists — encounter other Earth refugees. A remarkable aspect of Magma's albums is that Vander actually invented a constructed language, Kobaïan, in which most lyrics are sung. Later albums told different stories set in more ancient times; however the Kobaïan language remained an integral part of the music.
Considered by many to be musically adventurous and imaginative, Magma makes extensive use of the choral format, their album Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh being particularly reminiscent of the classical composer Carl Orff, while Ẁurdah Ïtah reveals connections to Béla Bartók's piano music and "Les Noces" by the Russian master Igor Stravinsky. Work by Magma is also highly influenced by jazz saxophone player John Coltrane.
So many musicians played with Magma over the years, who then went on to form their own solo projects and/or spinoff acts, that the Kobaïan term Zeuhl came to refer to the style of these bands and the French jazz fusion/symphonic rock scene that grew around them. Beyond Christian Vander, the drummer/composer, the best known of the old Magma lineup was probably Jannick Top, the bassist/co-composer.
While Magma's recordings remain relatively hard to find, Christian Vander and Jannick Top together keep Magma's back catalog in print on CD.
Discography
Excludes numerous compilations. The compilation "Spiritual" is pirated material lifted from other albums. Magma sees no profit from either this recording or from releases by the Charly and Tomato labels (primarily "Üdü Wüdü" and "Live/Hhaï").
Studio albums
All the above albums have been officially reissued on CD by Seventh Records. In 2008 they were collectively released as the 12 disc box set Studio Zünd: 40 Ans d'Evolution, which as a bonus featured the exclusive double CD Archiw I & II, a compilation of unreleased material, including the 1970 film soundtrack for 24 heures seulement, an alternate version of "Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh", the band's first demo recordings from 1970 (taken from an acetate disc), and an alternate take of "Eliphas Levi" from Merci.
Other material
- 1972: The Unnamables (studio album released under the alias Univeria Zekt)
- 1975: Live/Hhaï
- 1976: Inédits
- 1981: Retrospektiw (Parts I+II)
- 1981: Retrospektiw (Part III)
- 1986: Mythes Et Legendes Vol. I (compilation)
- 1989: Mekanïk Kommandöh (studio recording from 1973)
- 1992: Akt I (Les Voix De Magma) (live)
- 1994: Akt IV (Theatre Du Taur Concert, 1975)
- 1995: Akt V (Concert Bobino, 1981)
- 1996: Akt VIII (Bruxelles - Theatre 140, 1971)
- 1998: Floë Ëssi/Ëktah (EP)
- 1998: Simples
- 1999: Akt XIII (BBC 1974 Londres)
- 2001: Trilogie Theusz Hamtaahk (Concert du Trianon), DVD
- 2006: Mythes et Légendes Epok 1, DVD
- 2006: Mythes et Légendes Epok 2, DVD
- 2007: Mythes et Légendes Epok 3, DVD
- 2008: Mythes et Légendes Epok 4, DVD
Discographic notes
Magma's Theusz Hamtaahk trilogy is composed of three movements : Theusz Hamtaahk (first appearing on the Retrospektiw (Parts I+II) album), Ẁurdah Ïtah, and Mëkanïk Dëstruktïw Kömmandöh.
The Köhntarkösz trilogy is composed of K.A. (Kohntarkosz Anteria), Köhntarkösz and Emëhntëht-Rê (originally presented in snippets on bonus tracks on the Seventh Records CD reissues of Live/Hhaï and Üdü Wüdü). The full, fifty-five minute Emëhntëht-Rê has been featured on the band's 2009 tour and will be released on November 5 as the band's first new studio album since 2004.
The Unnamables was recorded as Univeria Zekt and is widely considered to be an easier listen than most of Magma's recordings.
Ẁurdah Ïtah may technically be a Christian Vander solo project, in that it was composed entirely by him, bore his name during its original release as the soundtrack for the film Tristan et Iseult, and did not feature all of Magma's then-current musicians. It did bear the Magma logo, however, and Vander has referenced it as a Magma album.
After Hhaï, the focus shifted away from the spiritual/epic poem aspects of their music. Although the songs of Attahk and Üdü Wüdü are written in Kobaïan, it is not yet fully clear how these fit into the earlier story structure Magma had built. Several songs from these two albums, however, are incorporated in Emëhntëht-Rê.
Les Voix and Floë Ëssi/Ëktah were performed by Vander with a completely new lineup. The style was somewhere between the classic Magma sound and the more jazz-influenced music of Vander's post-Magma band, Offering.
Inedits is a bootleg quality recording with live performances of pieces that were, at that time, not previously recorded on studio albums. Many of the tracks, however, have now been given a matured, polished version as parts of 2004's K.A. (Kohntarkosz Anteria), although the Inedits compilation, much like the early studio Mekanik Kommandoh, remains of historical interest to die-hard fans, interested in the genesis of Magma's compositions.
Simples is a compilation of Magma's rare single releases, including several epics reworked to a length and degree of simplicity that the band had originally hoped would garner them radio airtime during the 1970s. Magma's first four singles were: Kobaia/Muh (1970), Hamtaahk/Tendei Kobah (1971), Mekanik Kommandoh/Klaus Kombalad (1972), Mekanik Machine/Kohntarkosz (1974), the five in boldface being compiled on Simples.
In November 2004 Kohntarkosz Anteria or K.A. was released on Seventh Records, the first recording of a lengthy work written 30 years before, bridging the gap in the Kobaïan saga between MDK and Kohntarkosz. Magma's lineup was different for this disc; the only original members were Christian and Stella Vander. Reviews were almost unanimously positive, many considering K.A. the equal of any of the '70s classics. In November 2009, the band released Ëmëhntëhtt-Rê, which also featured music written during the mid-1970s, as well as new material.
Critical reception
The band has a number of high-profile fans. Prolific drummer Zach Hill (best known for his work in Hella) stated in the August 2006 issue of Modern Drummer magazine that Christian Vander is his favorite drummer of all time. Punk rock singer John Lydon (Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols and Public Image Ltd.) stated that he loved Magma.[1] Marillion drummer Ian Mosley has also cited Christian Vander as his favorite drummer. Kristoffer Rygg (vocalist of Ulver) says that he loves Magma as well.[2]
Antoine de Caunes wrote a biography of the band.
References
External links
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Magma |
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Christian Vander · Stella Vander · Isabelle Feuillebois · Hervé Aknin · Benoît Alziary · James MacGaw · Bruno Ruder · Philippe Bussonnet
Francis Moze · Jannick Top · Klaus Blasquiz · Didier Lockwood · Bernard Paganotti · Benoît Widemann · Frédéric d'Oelsnitz · Teddy Lasry · Himiko Paganotti · Antoine Paganotti · Emmanuel Borghi |
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