Magnetic

Magnetic is a fusion of musicians who were drawn together with the same longing to make original music which would unite their individual styles and skills. The pressed vinyl grooves of the long anticipated album could represent the historical scars of the bands emergence, which happened through both luck and hard work. Yann and Fabrice started the project without any real intentions of making a full band. But over time and through meeting the singer Andrej 747, it became a certainty: Magnetic developed into a fully-fledged band that was ready to take flight.

After the first album To Be And To Have cemented the foundations of their sound – a crossover of dub, trip-hop, rock, drum & bass, soul – the group incessantly played live gigs to perfect their technique and their on-stage personality. The result is far from typically Parisian; the new album Silent Storms retains dub as its spinal chord while introducing quirky elements that ring with intoxicating poppy charm. Signed by fresh talent label Ozore Age who is always on the lookout for new sound, the group fits perfectly into the philosophy of constantly twisting, toying and pushing the limits of musical genres.

Unlike their previous opus, Silent Storms was designed to be played live so that, during their hypnotic performances, the songs would evolve and take on a new identity. This concept pushed the group to change the recordings in order to create an album on which each track is progressive, individual and encapsulating – this concept is obvious on ‘No Protection’ where the frenetic, pulsating bass, cut by sharp chords is juxtaposed by clear reggae style vocals.

We are violently propelled skyward by the music where, suspended there, we encounter lyrics embellished with world-weary cynicism, a conscious view of the world below us.

The tracks wildly vary in musical direction and lyrical themes; while ‘Lost in High Tides’ could feature on the soundtrack of a film on illegal immigration, ‘Amnesia’, with a theme tilting more towards rock, offers a satire of consumer culture and the omnipotence of the media.

There is definitely an electro presence in Magnetic’s music, but this is entangled with many other styles, making the album purposefully difficult to categorise while simultaneously defining its appeal.

The flute and percussion (provided by Nasredine Dalil) also make their mark on the sound of Magnetic, plunging us into an oasis of sensations where the instruments play to each other like a conversation between sounds.  As with the first album, Sean Henry’s (Grand Tourism, Fakir Music…) captivating mixes roll out the red carpet for the vocals of Andrej 747.

Borders are banished from this music; jazz and world are ingredients in the mix putting the final touches to the organic, electro sound of Silent Storms, an album with a universal accent which is not looking to conform to any present trend or genre.

Magnetic will seduce even the most reluctant with it’s integrity, musical personality and engaging lyrics which are hard-line and uncompromising but yet convey a subtle and intelligent view of the world.