Video Synchronizatohr Wanted

I am forwarding a request from the folks on the Zeuhl and Beyond blog.....

Somebody (Franck?) made a superb amateur video recording of the Magma concert at The Alhambra on December 5, 2009.

Rodolphe made a good audio recording from that night. Other people might have recorded this night, so it would be great to get the best possible audio recording. So, if you have a great audio recording from December 5, please let us know.

We are in search of somebody who can take the video, sync it with the audio, and produce a new video with the enhanced sound quality.

Can anybody do this?

Review of ER - The Wire No. 311- January 2010

Thanks to our friend Cortege for this article.

Muzak No. 5 - 1975

Thanks to Gianmaria once again, who is starting to send us articles from italian magazines.

This one is from Muzak No. 5 (1975). Magma is mentioned in an article on French bands.

New Version of the "Magma on Tour" Document is Available

A newer version of the"Magma On Tour" document can be downloaded here. There should be greater accuracy in the future because The Memorizatohr is going to help out a little bit.


Mr. Akoustikus has sent along the following note:

Please Note: This file is part of a collective work in progress started years ago by Paul Mummery and updated on Ork Alarm's website by Steve Davis. To help other contributors and keep track of where informations come from, I used green when I have clear evidence and blue when the proposed update need confirmation. Please DO NOT spread out this file, but always refer to the Magma on Tour page.

If you want to contribute and/or know exactly what my sources are, please ask.

Thanks, any help is appreciated.
akoustikus, December 2009

Magma - Alhambra, Paris - December 4, 2009

Here is the 2nd night of the 4-night set, courtesy of Rodolphe.

Magma - Alhambra, Paris - December 3, 2009

Our good friend Rodolphe uploaded a recording from December 3, 2009 from the first night at the Alhambra in Paris. Magma recently played a four-night stint there from December 3rd through the 6th, and Rodolphe was there with his trusty recorder.

It took me a while to search the Zeuhl and Beyond blog for this show, because all of Epanou's cats were telling me to vote !

The FLAC files can be downloaded here.

Mauro Radice's "Enciclopedia Pop" (April 1976)

Gianmaria sends along a scan and a note:


Here's the word Magma from Mauro Radice's "Enciclopedia Pop" (April 1976). No scan for this, sorry....the book binding would breakup. Anyway below is a translation and the book cover is attached.

MAGMA - Magma teach us how to be completely stoned, and not even too well; they're in search of "Universal Harmony" and of a language that is able to hit the subconscious, that can be understood without knowing the meaning of the single words (but Vander is taking care of this with a dictionary) and the results should come, one day or another. With their first albums 1001 Centigrades and 2 they have established a noteworthy ensemble, with a bit of lifting here and there, then Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandoh has seen Penderecki and an hypnotic and obsessive unfolding, willingly similar to an invasion from the Kobaia planet (theirs), while Kohntarzos was a bit wasted. But Vander is too crazy, or too wise, and great things are bound to come.

Review - To Love - Vinile Spring/Summer 1989

Mille grazies to Gianmaria for another scan.

Christian Vander is getting farther away on his mystical path. I mean farther from what one would expect from a "rock musician". He travels through territories which are too intense to be categorized by a review. This "To Love" album is dedicated to his friend Jean Paul Fennetau ("Urval" to the Kobaian people 1955/1987) and unfolds through piano pulsations and powerful vocal interpretations. Drums are played on just one track, the rest is just Christian, his piano, his voice and his faithful partner Stella. We're on Kobaia, the planet of soul, of love supreme.

Merry Xmas / Felice Navidad / Joyeaux Noel / Buone Feste Natalizie / Fröhliche Weihnachten / Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto

(Thanks to my good friend Epanou for the inspiration)

Offering 1987 - Review in Vinile No. 1

Here is a scan of a review an Italian magazine named Vinile. Thanks again to our new friend Gianmaria.



Hello Marc, here's a scan of a review from "Vinile" n. 1 (Fall Winter 1987) a music magazine (every issue included an e.p.) which was published by Stampa Alternativa, the underground press agency which brought Gong, Henry Cow and Wyatt in Roma for the free concert in Piazza Navona to legalize cannabis.

Here's a translation for those who don't understand Italian:

The sticker on cover says "New Magma album" but it's no accident that this work is credited to Christian Vander. Whenever he's present (and his wife Stella as well) the spirit of the mother band inevitably hovers about, but this double album is meant as a personal homage (an "offering", precisely) to the unforgotten master John Coltrane. G.M. (Gigi Marinoni).

Rock and Folk No. 185, June 1982

Thanks to our new friend, Gianmaria of Verona (Italy). He has promised to send us some scans from articles that appeared in Italian magazines, so there should be some new goodies here soon.

Peppo's Review of Magma, Oslo, December 12, 2009

They played

"Slag Tanz" (Untitled according to Stella),
Felicite Thosz,
Ëmëhntëhtt-Re and closed with a very intense Kobaïa.

By the time of the encore I was totally exhausted, being slightly cold and having walked all day plus the show not being seated. But mostly because of the total intensity of the performance. They really did give their all, it seemed. Out of my now four Magma shows, this has to be my favourite yet. Awesome. Audience was absolutely enthusiastic. Christian was very positive, more so than I've ever seen him; smiling, shaking audience members' hands. His drumming was far more precise and fitting than at the RIO festival in Carmaux, and generally I thought they were tighter.

Some new compositional elements in both "Slag Tanz" and Felicite Thosz. "Tanz" transitions into major chords a few times -- not sure how I fel about that. Felicite Thosz however has really matured on me, and I really like it now.

Fortunately no "Le Gospel". Phew. I know at least two other PE members were there, maybe they can chime in...

Korekyojinn - Four Holes in the Sky

(Thanks to Issehn)

Another project from Yoshida

Photos from Oslo

A few photos of Magma in Oslo on December 12, 2009 can be found here.

Other than that, not much information has come out of Norway about this concert. I heard that the audience had to stand throughout the concert, and that they played their standard set (Kobaia instead of Le Gospel as the encore).

Can some kind Osloian write a brief review for this blog?

Gift Ideas for your Wife

Wouldn't you just love to buy one of these for your wife for Xmas?

A Hong Kong-based company is selling these up on Ebay. I just might buy one for myself!

(Update - I just ordered one.)

E-R Review by Brandon Wu

Review of E-R by Brandon Wu in the Washington (DC) City Paper.

MAGMA - ORTF, Maison Radio, Paris, France 1971-05-26 FM

On DIME now. Brought to you by Olvator, and then a re-seed by UncleMeat.


MAGMA - ORTF, Maison Radio, Paris, France 1971-05-26 FM

Lineage: ? low gen cassette > CDR > flac

Tracks:

01. FM intro
02. Christian and Klaus intro
03. Ki Iahl O Liak (part1)
04. Ki Iahl O Liak (part2)
05. Mekanik (cut)

Fantastic FM show by early Magma. This is not any of the other Mekanik versions previously seeded. Also, the opening track should be mouth-watering for the serious Magma connoiseurs here on DIME. Have fun with this, not too many soundboards around from 1971 :).

brought to you by olvator 7/2007

Magma Lyrics

Here on LyricWiki

A Word About FLACs and MP3s

One of the readers of this blog decided to help out the Magma fans who do not have access to DIME, and he re-posted the Alhambra show on Rapidshare, but in MP3 format.

The original taper contacted me and asked me to remove the link to the Rapidshare archive. He said that it was OK to post the show on Rapidshare, but he specified that it MUST be in the original FLAC (lossless) format.

I know that many of the file-sharing services like Rapidshare have a limit of 200MB for a single file. Unfortunately, Emehntehtt-Re is a 54 minute song, and it is over 300MB alone. So, it is impossible to put this file on Rapidshare unless you split it into 2 pieces.

Many people who upload their works to DIME are very adamant about retaining the lossless quality of their work. So, if you decide to repost a concert on a file-sharing service, and you need to post it in a lossy format because of size limitations, please try to contact the original taper and ask for his permission.

This has been a Public Service Announcement from your friends at magmasystems.

Slag Tanz

I have just listened to a recording of Slag Tanz from the recent concerts at the Alhambra in Paris. Vander has added about 5 minutes onto the piece, and the tune now clocks in at over 16 minutes.

When Magma first started playing Kohntarkosz on stage in 1973, they would change the piece ever few concerts. Of course, the first version of Kohntarkosz sounds nothing like the final studio version.

But, I am wondering if we are about to enter an exciting time with Magma when we can sit back and watch the compositional process unfold around Slag Tanz. Will Vander add more nuances to the piece every few weeks?

Video - Le Gospel

Our friend Robert Issehn uploaded a video clip of Magma (and guests) performing Le Gospel at the Alhambra.

Magma à l'Alhambra - Le Gospel

Photos of Don't Die, Les Voix de Magma, and More

Thanks to our friend Meurdhek, here are some old photos of Magma clone group Don't Die and Les Voix De Magma. Also, the group Ascent looks like it has Frank Vedel as its guitarist - you know frank as the guitar player from the 1996 incarnation of Magma.

DIME - Magma - Paris - December 6, 2009

Here is the last show of a 4-night stand that Magma has at The Alhambra in Paris. Thanks to the taper and sharer, metro_cubo.


LDB Master Series #220

Hello, this is a collection of masters I would like to seed here. I've been taping shows for more than 20 years and have an awful lot of masters. Most of them are in the old cassette format, some others are on MiniDisc and others are on CD. I've taped many shows of many artists over the years, so don't be surprised if you will find many different artists taped! Some shows are already circulating, some others have not circulated through collectors yet. But most of all, enjoy! They all come from my master tapes!

MAGMA
Paris, Alhambra
December 6, 2009

01.Slag Tanz
02.Felicité Thosz
03.Ëmëhntëht-Rê
04.Intro Stella Vander / Gospel (with choir)

TT 124:51

Lineage: Aiwa CM-DS6 > Edirol R-09 > HD via USB > SoundForge 7.0 > CD Wave > FLAC Frontend (level 6)

Christian Vander — Drums, Vocals, Percussion
Stella Vander — Vocals, Percussion
Isabelle Feuillebois — Vocals
Hervé Aknin — Vocals
Benoît Alziary — Vibraphone, Keyboards
James MacGraw — Guitar
Bruno Ruder — Fender Rhodes
Philippe Bussonnet — Bass

Since 1990 (when I saw the band for the first time at La Cigale in Paris) I must have seen the band
no less than ten times. Some shows I liked, some other did not at all. But this one, which closed
Magma's 4-days residency at Alhambra was probably among the best, that's why I decided to seed this
show. Part of this was the excellent little tiny venue called Alhambra which is rapidly becoming my
favourite venue in town: great sound, great seats, great look from every part of it, all in an
extremely intimate atmosphere. In that way, I was able to appreciate the full potential of the band.

And the band itself is reaching one of their peaks of their career, which is quite reassuring if you
think that they are celebrating their 40 years. The new pieces - yet unfinished and unreleased - Slag
Tanz and Felicité Thosz do show that this band is still able to produce masterpieces. Of course you
need to like Magma's music. I was once again impressed by Stella's powerful and gentle singing, much
more than Vander's drumming. But the whole band was in a state of grace: the set-list seems now well
rehearsed and at its peak. Not to mention the (now complete) Ëmëhntëht-Rê suite for which we've been
listening to extracts here and there for the last 30 years. The last encore was a complete surprise:
Stella introduced a choir formed by their friends and collaborators (included Stella and Christian's
daughter) that has accompanied the band in a nice and simple gospel ("to demonstrate that Magma music
is nothing but difficult").

So enjoy this nice show. I did enjoy it very very much.

ldb

Magma at L'Alhambra, Paris, Dec 3-5 2009

Wanted - Reviews of the concerts at L'Alhambra.

It has been reported on the French Magma forum that Magma played a new piece called Le Gospel as an encore instead of their usual Kobaia or Ballade. The special guests for this encore were supposed to be Julie Vander and Marcus Linon.

Wanted - Reviews of Emehntehtt-Re

Are you going to be bored over your holiday vacation? Feel the urge to write something about Magma? Tired of me monopolizing this space?

Here is your chance. Just like our friends over at the Zeuhl and Beyond blog, I am soliciting reviews of the new Magma CD (in English only, please) for this blog. I would like the review to concentrate on the music rather than the quality of the sound, but if the quality of the sound affects your listening experience either positively or negatively, then you can certainly mention that aspect too.

Feel free to email me at the standard magmasystems address if you would like to publish a review. Also, no anonymous reviews. You need to tell us your name and stand by the courage of your convictions.

Magma Photos - Alexandre Martin

Courtesy of our friend, Michael Bohn from Denmark.

Here is a link to a photo page of Magma by French photographer Alexandre Martin.

Neom and Camembert in Wurzburg, March 2010

Neom and Camembert, two of Steve Davis's favorite bands, are playing at the FreakParade Artrock Festival in Wurzburg, Germany on the weekend of March 20, 2010.

Steve introduced me to Camembert through his great radio show. If you like Zappa and you like vibes, then you will certainly like Camembert.

I know that Hanwaker and Rapideye and Juhab will all be there! That's a good enough reason for you to attend.

Reseed of Eskaton, Blois, 1983 is on DIME

Reseed of Eskaton, Blois 1983, is here. This is an original Magmasystems (me) tape, transferred by the amazing Hanwaker.

Magma - Bourgoin-Jallieu - February 11, 2005

On DIME, here is a master recording of Magma from 2005 that is being shared by the man of many names, Mr. Urich21.

MAGMA "L'HABILLAGE"
Bourgoin-Jallieu (France), SMAC Les Abattoirs
11 February 2005

source: MD audience recording

In 2005, played a series of 3-concert residencies; the first concert was just piano and voices; the second, the electric line-up performing instrumentally; and the third, the full band. This is from the series in Bourgoin-Jallieu near Lyon. I was quite pleased with the sound and, consequently, my recording - the icing on the cake for positively stupendous music. 2005 was really a great year for Magma ! Of particular interest is the version of "Kohntarkosz" (which, unlike the remainder of the concert, was played as a quartet, with only Emmanuel Borghi on keyboards), which wasn't played at all the other series. Enjoy !!

cd1
1. Kohntarkosz (34:18)
2. Frédéric d'Oelsnitz solo (3:56)
3. Soï Soï (Sowiloï) (6:03)
4. KMX (8:14)

cd2
1. K.A. III (22:32)
2. De Futura (15:04)

Christian Vander - drums
Emmanuel Borghi - Fender Rhodes & synthesizer
Frédéric d'Oelsnitz - Fender Rhodes & synthesizer (except "Kohntarkosz")
James MacGaw - guitar
Philippe Bussonnet - bass

Thanks to Alexis

I want to give a shout out and big thanks to French reader Alexis, who has translated a number of the French articles into English (see recent blog comments). I have been too busy with my new job to thank Alexis properly, but let me pause to do it now. Thanks very much, Alexis.

Video - Neom - May 1 2009

My vote for the best album of 2009.

Magma - February 1974 - Eglise Saint-Rémi d'Ecaussines, Belgium

Thanks to Mr. Akoustikus. I am not sure of what "Extra Belgique" is, but this refers to a concert in February of 1974 in Eglise Saint-Rémi d'Ecaussines, Belgium. According to Ork Alarm, in 1974, Magma toured Belgium from February 11 to 19.

Video - Magma - Nancy - October 15, 2003

The Yo-Cats blog has posted a DVD video of Magma at the Nancy Jazz Pulsations, October 15, 2003.

Thanks to Lamar for the link.

Update: This looks like it is the same video as the one taken by Robert Guillerault of the Magma Web PressBook.

Magma - Arles - August 6, 1976

Another photo from Henry via Korrigan. This was was taken in the south of France in 1976. as you can see, it is a poster publicizing a Magma concert in Arles on August 6, 1976.

According to Ork Alarm:

C & S Vander, Blasquiz, Federow, Widemann, Lockwood
Paganotti had left to form Weidorje, but there were still some important festivals booked.
1976-08-06 Forum Musical, Arènes, Arles (Festival des Arènes) (+ Zao)

Best No. 51 - Magma Chateauvallon 1972

This article comes to us through Mr. Korrigan, whose father-in-law Henry is a huge Magma fan since the early days. Henry has a lot of old documents, and I will try to reprint some of them here (with Korrigan's permission, of course).

This article is about Magma's appearance at the Chateauvallon Jazz festival in 1972.

The Google Translation follows.




The fourth day of the festival was my last, because I returned to Paris the next day and the best fit for what Magma that evening far surpassed anything we could expect. The first part of the evening was long. On stage a dozen musicians belonging to the stable CTI played music variety without interest. This was all the more lamentable that the musicians in question were called Freddie Hubbard, Ron Carter, Stanley Turrentine and Jack DeJohnette and they intend (or intended) of the most gifted of their generation. This C.T.I. show was the finest example of recovery of jazz by the "turners" style Norman Granz. No doubt that these gentlemen will do fine evenings the next twenty years, Carnegie Hall and other places dead.

It was half past two in the morning when magma could take possession of the stage because in addition to having nothing to say CTI said slowly. Magma begins to play and two hours sweeping and ridicules everything that had been previously submitted to and Châteauvallon. The outstanding musician, a remarkable singer, all led by a crazy drummer who knows what he wants and what he can get, as this is Magma which confirmed what we already believed, namely that they are the best European group and they may arise in the face of monsters equal Anglo-Saxon. The atmosphere and the climate created by Magma are not unlike those of James Brown, that the hypnotic rhythm crushes everything in its path and hungry machine that swallows you whole if you happen to take leave your finger. Faced with this demonic rhythmic change of high-class musicians like Francois Cahen, whose piano solo was reminiscent of Keith Jarrett. It should also emphasize the virtuosity of the singer Klaus, he would name them one by one as all are outstanding, but above all Magma is a group and certainly the largest that we had in France. The ovation they gathered was the most enormous sounds in the pines festival Châteauvallon and the last image I retain is that of three thousand people standing, screaming, asking over at half past four in the morning.

Unbelievable.

Magma - December 18, 2009 - Rennes

A Response from Olvator

Dear Isabelle ( I assume that the “female member of the group” must be you) and dear other members of MAGMA…

I cannot begin to tell you how disappointed I am about your recent statements concerning the accusations that have been made.

Understandably, you have come forward with statements that defend yourselves. This is your given right, and you should do so, because you were never meant to be attacked personally. I am also unhappy about the fact that the discussion has turned towards the music itself or other members of Magma personally. Which is something that at least I have never wanted to happen.

I want to start off with telling you, very honestly, how important Magma has been to me in my life. Being a musician, the experience of Magma´s music has totally changed my life. It was a revelation, in all kinds of ways, musically, philosophically, and spiritually. I would not be the person I am today, be it not for the knowledge of Magma, and that is something I cannot erase from my life, I don´t want to erase it, I am thankful for it and I will carry it inside me for the rest of my life . So many things that Christian has said, especially about music and about "the Earth" are just so precious and very valid. All of your (and any ex-member of Magma´s) dedication to the music and the amount of energy and time you put into it is indisputable and that deserves to be respected. It is not what I talk about.

First off, this very statement of mine is also NOT about the accusations made by Manu, they were really only the tip of the iceberg. It is not that I don´t believe him, but his accusations are not relevant concerning what I want to say to you.

There are two things, which have repeatedly turned up during the recent “witch hunt” as you call it, that just cannot, I repeat, CANNOT be ignored. These are facts, and there is just no other way to look at them: first the citation of Joseph Goebbels (on both the first edition of the Trianon DVD and the MDK score) and secondly the use of a picture on the Bobino cover that is equivalent to the “Deutsches Stadion” (German Stadium) designed by Nazi chief architect Albert Speer. I was the one who first brought up the J.G. problem publicly on the Magma Yahoo forum as early as 2003. And it was not an easy decision to do so. Let us only talk about these two things, OK?
I want to know: how can you say that these things are lies and baseless? What proof do you still need that J.G. is Goebbels and that the picture in the Bobino cover is a reproduction of the "German stadium"? How can you close your eyes to the fact that these two things have sadly found their way into Magma´s history?
I just cannot accept that.

You might have said that you did really not know yourselves who J.G. was, or that the Bobino cover was a suggestion by some graphic designer and you just liked it without knowing where it came from. And you might have said that if so, "you are SORRY that it happened and apologize if it hurt anyone and will make sure that such things will not happen again"...but nothing. You don´t mention these things with ONE word, while at the same time you talk about spirituality, the pain of life, the struggle to keep up with it and the sadness of seeing the planet go down into ruins.

Now, maybe it is not such a big thing in France , I don´t know, and you might call it a “certain dose of provocation”, but I am from Germany , I have had to face my own people´s history and crimes throughout my whole life, and it is a very sensitive and problematic topic for me. One of my grandmothers and some more uncles & aunts were massacred by Nazis just for thinking differently, by the same people that have been singing the “Horst Wessel Lied” (the basis for the J.G. quote) while marching through the streets of German cities in the 30ties.

You say that it is "jealousy" or "lack of a life" which is the basis for speaking up. But you are completely wrong. The basis for speaking up is being severely hurt emotionally. And I ask you to respect that instead of trying to make me look like the idiot who only wants to harm Christian´s and Magma´s legacy out of boredom. This is not a "witch hunt" to destroy Magma. The opposite is the case. It is an attempt to SAVE Magma and to clarify what Magma stands for.

But you don´t say yes, and you don´t say no. Your statements are all valid, but not in any way taking positions about the actual debate. Of course you are hurt as well, I understand that and I am sad about it.

But it was my duty to speak up. I owe it to my relatives, I owe it to the millions of people that have been slaughtered because of a propaganda machine established by Goebbels and I owe it to myself and I even owe it to Magma and to what Magma means to thousands of people on this shattered planet.

Think about it. Why is this planet going down into ashes, why is money taking over everything and why is our struggle so tough? Because too many people choose to remain silent and to not speak up.

That is is why I did, and do now. If any of you want to get in touch with me, I am sure you can get my contacts from the admin of this blog. And as along as I do not get an excuse or an explanation of what has happened, I will quite naturally have to terminate my relationship with Magma. And I will, of course, continue to speak up! If that also causes you to label me as "your enemy", I am ready for it.

Video - Magma - Nice - Feb 7, 2004

Comments are Open Again

Happy Thanksgiving too Everyone.

Have fun.

Something to Lighten the Mood

This was sent to me by an anonymous Magma fan from France. I don't know who Big Jim is, but this seems to be pretty funny.

Comments are turned off for a day or two

I have disabled comments while people consider the past three posts. Comments will return in a day or two.

Another Comment From A Member of Magma

This is the second of two comments that Stella has sent me. This was written by one member of Magma, but speaks for the entire group (and thus is signed "Magma" at the bottom).


The criticisms of Magma, and, by dint of association, the members of the group, made by Emmanuel Borghi are baseless and empty. It rests on opinions, vagaries and soul-searching (supposedly qualified as 'facts' by the authors) which are amalgamated with the music itself, the band, and their private lives. This method of manipulating public opinion is well known to, and widely used by, tabloid newspapers, politicians and other propagandists seeking to discredit their enemies.

It turns out that Emmanuel Borghi, in the guise of 'transparency' and 'truth', has chosen to attack Magma by discrediting its leader. In spite of the fact that he is only one to have an interest in doing so, he has decided by himself to act as an enemy. No member of Magma has ever acted in this way towards him and even so we will not reveal to the public the wrong and deficiencies which he himself may have had.

Let artists have the right to be humans. The beauty of the poetic work of Magma also originates in the fact that it is a human endeavour, the result of the efforts of men and women - weak and struggling with their weaknesses, like all of us - and not by the Gods. To ask artists to live up the image one has of them is a useless form of violence and borders on delusion and madness. It is a projection upon them of one's own inner deficiencies. Magma is a group, a history, an artwork, but certainly not a political party. Magma is apolitical and its message is poetic and human.

Those who think they can judge a work of art by first putting the character of its author on trial, will judge everyone that way. Their world will only be infected with ruin, dullness and misery. We want to feel life through music. To give in to endless arguments, based on personal prejudices about the right to existence of this artist or that artist, will not detain us from this task.

MAGMA



La polémique déclenchée par Emmanuel Borghi autour de Magma, et donc de ses membres, est stérile et sans fondement.

Elle s'appuie sur des opinions, des approximations et des états d'âmes (qualifiés de "faits" par leurs auteurs), et l'amalgame entre l'oeuvre, le groupe et la vie privée.

C'est la base de la manipulation de l'opinion, principe bien connu des tabloïds et des politiques cherchant à discréditer leurs ennemis.

Il s'avère que E. Borghi, sous couvert de transparence et de vérité, a choisi d'attaquer Magma en discréditant son leader. Il a décidé unilatéralement d'agir en ennemi.Il est le seul a y voir un intérêt.

Aucun des membres de Magma n'a jamais agi de la sorte envers lui, et cette fois encore nous n'exposerons pas sur la place publique les torts qu'il a pu avoir.

Laissons aux artistes le droit d'être des humains. La beauté de la démarche poétique de Magma vient aussi du fait qu'elle est tentée par des hommes et des femmes- faillibles et luttant avec leurs défauts, comme nous tous- et non pas par des dieux. Demander aux artistes qu'on admire d'exister selon l'image que l'on a d'eux est une violence inutile, et une forme de folie.

Magma est un groupe, une histoire, une oeuvre, mais certainement pas une formation politique.

Magma est apolitique et son message est poétique et humain.

Que ceux qui pensent devoir juger d'une oeuvre par le procès préalable de son auteur, l'appliquent à tous. Leur monde ne sera bientôt plus que ruine et grisaille.

Nous cherchons à faire ressentir la vie, en musique. Se livrer à des discussions sans fin, conformément aux idées reçues, sur le droit à l'existence de tel ou tel artiste ne nous concerne pas.

MAGMA

An Angry (Female) Kobaian Member of Magma Speaks

This is one comment from a (female) member of Magma. Stella sent this to me, so I can verify its authenticity. The comment is first presented in English, and then in its native French. Stella gave me the English version, so we do not have any of the misinterpretations that might be caused by using Google Translator or Babelfish.


Let's put a stop to all this gossip, some people need to get a life !

I've had it with the witch hunt, based on nothing, like all witch hunts are.

It's sad to think that some people's lives are so empty that they need to fill it and nurture it with hate. Jealousy makes you stupid and mean, but thankfully, a little ship's boy's bitterness about not being the captain, is not enough to sink a boat that's been facing polluted winds and riptides for 40 years!

I'd like to remind you of what might actually be worth talking about when it comes to MAGMA. And that's life. Life is what is at the heart of Christian's music. It might be worth it to discuss the determination of a man wounded by life, named Christian Vander, revulsed by human cupidity, by men's lack of respect for their Earth and the energy they spend destroying it. Life is a struggle if you want to stand strong, and Christian has chosen Music, instead of weapons, despite the temptation in the face of a weighing inertia only awakened by money, just like certain musicians who, since then, have become useless and lifeless. Yes, MAGMA is a war chant, and you'd have to be deaf not to hear that, but it supports a new kind of war, as new as MAGMA's music, a spiritual war. MAGMA doesn't serve reheated versions of what already is! And no interpretation by so and so or what's his name is going to decrypt this music, because so and so don't speak Kobaian anymore than you do. So trust your heart and your feelings, they can be trusted, since you are touched and moved by the Music, since it speaks to you directly, since you're on a quest for something new that's never existed.

I'll conclude my letter the way I started it: Let's put a stop to all this gossip, some people need to get a life !

An angry Kobaian.


STOP aux ragots de "bonnes femmes" désoeuvrées!

Il y en a marre de la chasse aux sorcières car les sorcières ne sont pas toujours celles que l'on croit...

Certaines personnes doivent avoir une vie bien désertique pour qu'il n'y ait ou qu'il n'y reste que de la haine. La jalousie rend bête et méchant et heureusement ce n'est pas un petit moussaillon aigri de ne pas être le capitaine qui coulera un navire qui se bat contre vents pollués et marées noires depuis 40 ans!
Vous voulez que je vous dise de quoi il serait intelligent de parler au sujet de MAGMA? et bien il serait intelligent de parler de la vie car c'est de ça dont Christian parle en musique. Il faudrait aussi parler de la détermination irréversible d'un homme blessé par la vie qui s'appelle Christian Vander, révulsé par la cupidité humaine, par le manque de respect de l'homme envers sa Terre qu'il détruit tant qu'il peut. La vie est une lutte si on ne veut pas se laisser bouffer et Christian a choisi la Musique et pas les armes même si parfois ça démange face à une inertie pesante que seul le pognon réveille, comme certains musiciens d'ailleurs devenus inutiles, voire ratés! Oui MAGMA est une musique guerrière et il faudrait être sourd pour ne pas l'entendre, mais attention il ne s'agit pas d'une guerre ayant déjà existé, NON, c'est une guerre d'un genre nouveau, comme MAGMA, une guerre spirituelle! car MAGMA n'a pas l'habitude des redites! Et vous n'avez pas besoin de l'interprétation de "Machin" ou de "Bidule" pour décrypter cette musique car "Machin" et "Bidule" ne parlent pas plus Kobaien que vous! Faites donc confiance à votre coeur et à vos émotions cela est bien plus sûr et si vous êtes touchés par cette musique c'est que tout cela vous concerne et que vous êtes à la recherche d'une chose nouvelle n'ayant jamais existé...

Je finirai donc ma lettre comme je l'ai commencé : STOP aux ragots de "bonnes femmes" désoeuvrées par pitié!!!!!!!

Une Kobaïenne en colère

Magma Speaks !!!!

Imagine my surprise when Steve Davis told me that Stella Vander had asked for my email address. And, another person told me that Stella had read each and every comment on this blog having to do with the interesting conversation that went on about Christian Vander and his alleged ideologies.

Stella would like me to keep the actual contents of her email private. Nevertheless, she made a very passionate argument in favor of Christian. She said emphatically that Christian was not a racist, nor harbored anti-Semitic feelings. Many people expressed the opinion that Stella would never comment on this recent controversy, but obviously, she felt the need to address this topic at this time. Still, there are some questions that remain unanswered, and I am hopeful that Stella will continue this productive dialog.

Stella also sent me comments/editorials that were written by various members of Magma. One was written by a female member of the current incarnation of Magma, and the other was written by one of the musicians, but echoing the feelings of the other members of the group. I am also expecting one or two other comments from musicians who are very close to the band.

I will post these comments in the next few days, and then I will close off comments to the blog for a day or two so that people can formulate intelligent and well-thought-out responses instead of reacting impulsively. As you know, the comments on this blog are moderated, and I might feel the need to be a little more strict on my moderation policies over the next few days.

Emmanuel Borghi has made his statements. The musicians of Magma have made theirs. There is much to consider.

After this, we will make no more mention of this topic on the Kohntarkosz blog, unless Stella or Christian themselves want to issue a public comment through this blog.

Tarkus Magazine No. 15 - Magma Interviews in Norwegian

Thanks to our friend Bernard, here is a link to a PDF from the Norwegian Progressive Music magazine, Tarkus. This PDF is a copy of issue Number 15 from 2000, and features stories and interviews with Magma.

Our friend Trond from Panzaerpappa has something to do with this magazine as well .....

Magma in Oslo, Dember 2009

The actual link is here.

De Futura Sporadik Orkhestra

Our friends Barfix and Fanny were part of a one-off group called De Futura Sporadik Orkhestra that played at a festival at Le Triton in Paris this past June. The one song that played, of course, was De Futura. And, they did a great job on it.

De Futura Sporadik Orkhestra_le triton 21.06.2009

The Guitarist Magazine - Hhai Guitar Part

Thanks to our friend Korrigan. And, of course, the transcriber, jean-Luc Chevalier.

Vander Interview - London, Oct 2009

Right before the show at the Barbican in London in October 2009, there was an interview with ChristianVander, and the English-language transcript is here. The two-part interview was by David McKenna and Ludovic Merle.

Klaus Blasquiz - Grau du Roi - September 5, 1970 ????

From the blog of somebody named Jean-Claude, we have a link to one of his photos. (Thanks Olvator).

Jean-Claude labeled this "1971? arenes du Grau du Roi". Any more info would be appreciated. Ork Alarm has the following information listed about a venue called Grau du Roi.

1970-09-05 Le Grau-du-Roi, "Belin Biscuits" Contest




There is also another photo from Jean-Claude from this concert. It's a photo of Jean-Luc Ponty, and the caption says that JLP was a guest of Magma at this concert.




Update: Our friend Akoutikus sends proof of this concert in the two scans below:

Magma - January 29, 1976 - Salle Roger Salengro, Lille

Thanks to our friend Hanwaker for a link to some photos of Magma from a concert on January 29, 1976 in Lille. Ork Alarm says that this concert was actually on January 25.

This Picassa viewer actually links to the Picassa site of Magma fan John Sousmarin.

Also, Magma fan Philippe Andrieu has more info about this concert here.

Emmanuel Borghi Posts a Comment

Read Emmanuel Borghi's comments here.

Score of MDK Available for Download

Thanks to Epanou, Rodolphe, Evelyne, and ...... Stella Vander!

You can download the score from here.

Truly a group effort. Rodolphe uploaded, Evelyne asked Stella if it was OK, and Stella said yes.

Photos from Magma's Studio in Epinay sur Seine - 1982

Thanks to our good friend, Barfix, for these photos of Magma at their home studio in Epinay sur Scene in 1982. Barfix says that the name of the photographer was "Christian", but he does not remember the last name.