We got a phone call last week from The New Division that one of their favorite artists was coming to LA and that we should definitely check him out. They were referring to Slow Magic. The same Slow Magic that we had reported on several times last year and named one of the breakout musicians of 2011. Needless to say, we were stoked. Not only did he perform with Teen Daze (another favorite) on Tuesday at The Virgil, but we get to see him alongside The New Division and Fresh + Sunny this coming Friday at The Central. Buy tickets here and join us. It’s 5$. No brainer.
Slow Magic came and stayed with us in Venice for a few nights and we had a great time getting to know the guy behind the mask. Turns out, even though we dubbed him one of the ‘breakout stars of 2011’ he’s actually been playing music since he was 14yrs old. He also has multiple side projects happening that he’ll divulge to the world at some point, but for now, we don’t get to know too much about him. Why? Why the mask? Why the secrecy concerning who he is? Actually, it’s quite simple. It’s all about the music. ALL about the music. He doesn’t want his appearance or past work where he’s from or ANYTHING to get between what he’s creating and your experience with it.
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A lot of people say his music suits the beach atmosphere. It conjures up feelings of a swirly breeze on your face, a bright kiss of sunshine, salt and sweat soaked skin or some sand in your flip flops. We couldn’t agree more. We laughed over dinner about the ridiculous genres of music (he doesn’t want to be pigeon holed although he knows it’s inevitable) and that his sound has been described as ‘indie electronic glo-fi.’ Personally, we love the term. His music and album art both are certainly glowing and sparkly. And he agreed that it’s also both ambient and driving, which we think is quite hard to do. The whole album is the perfect backdrop to any beach situation and we took advantage of the good fortune of living by one (a beach) and hopped on bikes to enjoy the day and discuss our love of music.
So where did the name Slow Magic come from? Turns out he’s a perfectionist. He takes his time, writes unhurried and deliberately, and makes sure the final cut is absolutely, well, perfect. After all of the time and energy spent on creating the music, the effect it has on people can be and hopefully will be magic. He says this from the front seat, pauses and then turns his head to look directly at me and says “Well, you know.” I do know. I know the feeling of music being magical. You do too. That’s why you’re still reading this.
One last cool thing we discussed (because honestly, we want to honor him and not divulge much) was his love of a good creative blog. Not just our site, but other sites continue to be instrumental in the success of artists like Slow Magic. He and his colleagues are beyond thankful for the exposure we give them and all we can say is that it’s definitely a mutually beneficial experience.
If you have the opportunity to check him out live, do so. He’s finishing up the west coast leg of his tour, going overseas again for some more shows and then hoping to do a full USA tour this fall. We hope so too. In the meantime, pop his album on this Summer whether you live on the beach or not. Either it’s going to be your antidote to the office (just close your eyes and pretend you’re not there) or it’s going to be the soundtrack to your sparkling glowing blissful breezy days in the sunshine. Popsicle optional.
–words by Lindsay Colip
–photos by Douglas Heine
