Magma (band)
Encyclopedia
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. Vander invented a constructed language
, Kobaïan
, in which most lyrics are sung. In a 1977 interview with Vander and long-time Magma vocalist Klaus Blasquiz, Blasquiz said that Kobaïan is a "phonetic language made by elements of the Slavonic and Germanic languages to be able to express some things musically. The language has of course a content, but not word by word." Vander himself has said that, "When I wrote, the sounds [of Kobaïan] came naturally with it – I didn’t intellectualise the process by saying "Ok, now I’m going to write some words in a particular language", it was really sounds that were coming at the same time as the music." Later albums tell different stories set in more ancient times; however, the Kobaïan language remains 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
. Magma's music is also highly influenced by jazz
saxophone
player John Coltrane
, and Vander has said that "it is still Coltrane who actually gives me the real material to work on, to be able to move on."
So many of the musicians who have played with Magma have formed their own solo projects and/or spinoff acts that the Kobaïan term Zeuhl
has come to refer to the style of these bands and the French jazz fusion
/symphonic rock
scene that grew around them. Besides Christian Vander
, other well-known Magma alumni include the bassist-composer Jannick Top
and Daniel Denis, the founder of and drummer for the Belgian group Univers Zero
.
In 1986, the French label Seventh Records was founded in order to (re-)publish Magma's and Vander's work. Over the years, Seventh has also released albums by related artists like Stella Vander
, Patrick Gauthier and Collectif Mu.
The Köhntarkösz trilogy is composed of K.A. (Kohntarkosz Anteria), Köhntarkösz and Ëmëhntëhtt-Rê (originally presented in snippets on bonus tracks on the Seventh Records CD reissues of Live/Hhaï and Üdü Wüdü).
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 Ëmëhntëhtt-Rê.
Les Voix and Floë Ëssi/Ëktah were performed by Vander with a completely new lineup. The style is 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 italics being compiled on Simples.
Kohntarkosz Anteria or K.A. is 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.
Ëmëhntëhtt-Rê also features music largely written during the mid-1970s, especially Zombies (the extended, live version of which included what became Part III of the 2010 album), Hhaï and two earlier segments released as Ëmëhntëht-Rê (Announcement) and Ëmëhntëht-Rê (extrait 2)(note spelling difference).
, Lucas Perny and Ian Mosley
have cited Christian Vander as their favorite drummer. Punk rock singer Johnny Rotten
and prolific metal musician Kristoffer Rygg
have both stated that they're huge Magma fans.
In the 1980s, British born World champion snooker player Steve Davis declared himself a passionate follower of the band since his youth and used some of his winnings to promote a series of concerts by Magma in London.
Antoine de Caunes
wrote a biography of the band. Steven Wilson
of Porcupine Tree
has often admired Magma and recently mentioned Magma as the best concert performance for the decade (2000–2010).
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band founded in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1969 by classically trained drummer Christian Vander
Christian Vander (musician)
Christian Vander is a French drummer, musician, and founder of the band Magma. Besides his work with Magma, he has also performed solo, with the Christian Vander Trio and Christian Vander Quartet, and in Offering....
, 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. Vander invented a constructed language
Constructed language
A planned or constructed language—known colloquially as a conlang—is a language whose phonology, grammar, and/or vocabulary has been consciously devised by an individual or group, instead of having evolved naturally...
, Kobaïan
Kobaïan
-External links:*. Perfect Sound Forever.*....
, in which most lyrics are sung. In a 1977 interview with Vander and long-time Magma vocalist Klaus Blasquiz, Blasquiz said that Kobaïan is a "phonetic language made by elements of the Slavonic and Germanic languages to be able to express some things musically. The language has of course a content, but not word by word." Vander himself has said that, "When I wrote, the sounds [of Kobaïan] came naturally with it – I didn’t intellectualise the process by saying "Ok, now I’m going to write some words in a particular language", it was really sounds that were coming at the same time as the music." Later albums tell different stories set in more ancient times; however, the Kobaïan language remains 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
Carl Orff
Carl Orff was a 20th-century German composer, best known for his cantata Carmina Burana . In addition to his career as a composer, Orff developed an influential method of music education for children.-Early life:...
, while Ẁurdah Ïtah reveals connections to Béla Bartók
Béla Bartók
Béla Viktor János Bartók was a Hungarian composer and pianist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century and is regarded, along with Liszt, as Hungary's greatest composer...
's piano music and "Les Noces" by the Russian master Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
. Magma's music is also highly influenced by jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
player John Coltrane
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
, and Vander has said that "it is still Coltrane who actually gives me the real material to work on, to be able to move on."
So many of the musicians who have played with Magma have formed their own solo projects and/or spinoff acts that the Kobaïan term Zeuhl
Zeuhl
Zeuhl means celestial in Kobaïan, the constructed language created by Christian Vander. Originally solely applied to the music of Vander's band, Magma, the term zeuhl was eventually used to describe the similar music produced by French bands, beginning in the mid-1970s...
has come to refer to the style of these bands and the French jazz fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
/symphonic rock
Symphonic rock
Symphonic rock is a sub-genre of progressive rock. Since early in progressive rock's history, the term has been used sometimes to distinguish more classically influenced progressive rock from the more psychedelic and experimental forms of progressive rock....
scene that grew around them. Besides Christian Vander
Christian Vander (musician)
Christian Vander is a French drummer, musician, and founder of the band Magma. Besides his work with Magma, he has also performed solo, with the Christian Vander Trio and Christian Vander Quartet, and in Offering....
, other well-known Magma alumni include the bassist-composer Jannick Top
Jannick Top
Jannick Top is a French bass player and composer, born in Marseille. Top plays the electric bass and the cello.In the 1970s, he was a lead member of the influential zeuhl band Magma, along with Christian Vander and Didier Lockwood...
and Daniel Denis, the founder of and drummer for the Belgian group Univers Zero
Univers Zéro
Univers Zero are an instrumental Belgian band known for playing dark music heavily influenced by 20th century chamber music. The group's name has had three variant spellings, the others being Univers Zéro and Univers-Zero....
.
In 1986, the French label Seventh Records was founded in order to (re-)publish Magma's and Vander's work. Over the years, Seventh has also released albums by related artists like Stella Vander
Stella Vander
Stella Vander is a French singer and musician.-Early years:Born in Paris into a family of Polish immigrants, she began writing music in the early sixties together with her uncle Maurice Chorenslup. Their songs were parodies of the Yé-yé style that was popular at the time...
, Patrick Gauthier and Collectif Mu.
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
- 1970: Magma (reissued as Kobaïa)
- 1971: 1001° Centigrades
- 1973: Mekanïk Destruktïw KommandöhMekanïk Destruktïw KommandöhMekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh is an album released by French progressive rock band Magma in 1973. MDK is Magma's most famous and stylistically acclaimed record; and although it has not become a commercial success, the band continues to present this 'classic' or 'symphonic rock' material to audiences...
- 1974: Ẁurdah ÏtahẀurdah Ïtah- Personnel :* Christian Vander – drums, piano, Fender Rhodes, percussion, vocal* Stella Vander – vocals* Klaus Blasquiz – vocals, percussion* Jannick Top – bass...
- 1974: KöhntarköszKöhntarköszKöhntarkösz is an album released by French progressive rock band Magma in 1974 ."Coltrane Sündia" is an elegy for John Coltrane.-Track listing:Side one...
- 1976: Üdü WüdüÜdü WüdüÜdü Wüdü is the sixth studio album by French progressive rock band Magma. It was released in 1976. Christian Vander later said that Üdü Wüdü could be regarded as Jannick Top's solo album, because of the number of Top's compositions on the album....
- 1978: AttahkAttahkAttahk is the eighth studio album by Magma. It was released in 1978.After Üdü Wüdü, Magma disbanded for a year until reuniting under a slightly different direction than before...
- 1984: Merci
- 2004: K.A. (Kohntarkosz Anteria)K.A. (Kohntarkosz Anteria)K.A. is an album released by French progressive rock band Magma in 2004. The albumwas Magma's first full-length studio release in over 20 years. The material was in large part originally composed by drummer Christian Vander in 1973-1974...
- 2009: Ëmëhntëhtt-RêËmëhntëhtt-RêËmëhntëhtt-Ré is the tenth studio album by French progressive rock group Magma. It was released on November 5, 2009. Parts of it have been played live since 1975 and can be found on various albums as extracts or live versions. Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré I combines Ëmëhntëht-Rê and Rindë ...
(CD + DVD)
Other material
- 1972: The UnnamablesThe UnnamablesThe Unnamables is the only album by Univeria Zekt. It was released in 1972.A Magma album in disguise, The Unnamables was designed to ease listeners into the musical world of Magma...
(studio album released under the alias 'Univeria Zekt') - 1975: Live/HhaïLive/HhaïLive/Hhaï is the first live album and fifth album in total by French Progressive rock group Magma. It was first released in 1975, and has been re-released many times: in 1978 on Tomato Records; In 1989 on Seventh; In 1996 on Charly; In 2001 on Victor; and again in 2001 on Charly...
- 1977: InéditsInéditsInédits is an album by French progressive rock group Magma. It was released in 1977 . The quality of this recording has been criticised by many fans of the band...
- 1981: Retrospektiw (Parts I+II)Retrospektiw (Parts I+II)Retrospektiw is a live album by French Progressive rock group Magma. It was released in 1981. . It documents live recordings from a series of Magma reunion shows in Paris, June 9, 10 & 11, 1980...
- 1981: Retrospektiw (Part III)Retrospektiw (Part III)Retrospektiw is a live album by French Progressive rock group Magma. It was released in 1981. . It was preceded by Retrospektiw , released in the same year...
- 1986: Mythes Et Legendes Vol. I (compilation)
- 1989: Akt X - Mekanïk KommandöhMekanïk KommandöhMekanïk Kommandöh is an album by French Progressive rock group Magma. It was recorded in 1973, but not released until 1989. The album consists of an early version of the band's classic record Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh...
(earlier studio recording of Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh from 1973) - 1992: Akt I - Les Voix De MagmaLes Voix De MagmaLes Voix De Magma is a live album by French Progressive rock group Magma, featuring vocal-heavy, largely acoustic reworkings of well-known pieces by Magma and Christian Vander's Offering. It was released in 1992 on Akt Records.- Track listing :# "Emehteht-Re" - 3:39 Les Voix De Magma (also...
(From August 2, 1992 at Douarnenez) - 1994: Akt IV - Theatre Du Taur Concert, 1975Theatre Du Taur Concert, 1975Theatre Du Taur Concert, 1975 is an official bootleg live album by French progressive rock group Magma. It was recorded in Toulouse on September 24, 1975, but it was not released until 1994....
(From September 27, 1975) - 1995: Akt V - Concert Bobino 1981 (From May 16, 1981)
- 1995: Akt VI - Concert Bobino 1981, DVD
- 1996: Akt VIII - Bruxelles 1971(From November 12, 1971 at Theatre 140)
- 1996: Akt IX - Opera De Reims, 1976 (From March 2, 1976)
- 1998: Floë Ëssi/Ëktah (EP)
- 1998: Simples
- 1999: Akt XIII - BBC 1974 (From March 14, 1974 at the London BBC studios)
- 2001: Trilogie Theusz HamtaahkTrilogie Theusz HamtaahkTheusz Hamtaahk is a live album by the French progressive rock band Magma, released in 2001. The album was recorded in 2000 over the course of two days during Magma's 30th anniversary shows at the Trianon theater, Paris, France and released both as a 3 audio CD box with a 16 page color booklet and...
(Concert du Trianon), CD + 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
- 2008: Akt XV - Bourges, 1979 (From April 17, 1979)
- 2008: Studio Zünd: 40 Ans d'EvolutionStudio Zünd: 40 Ans d'EvolutionAll of Magma's studio albums up to and including 2004's K.A. have been officially reissued on CD by Seventh Records. They were released in a 12 disc box set called Studio Zünd: 40 Ans d'évolution, which as a bonus featured the exclusive double CD Archiw I & II, a compilation of unreleased material,...
(12 disc box set, includes Kobaïa to K.A. plus Archiw I & II) - 2009: Live In Tokyo 2005
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 Ëmëhntëhtt-Rê (originally presented in snippets on bonus tracks on the Seventh Records CD reissues of Live/Hhaï and Üdü Wüdü).
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 Ëmëhntëhtt-Rê.
Les Voix and Floë Ëssi/Ëktah were performed by Vander with a completely new lineup. The style is 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 italics being compiled on Simples.
Kohntarkosz Anteria or K.A. is 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.
Ëmëhntëhtt-Rê also features music largely written during the mid-1970s, especially Zombies (the extended, live version of which included what became Part III of the 2010 album), Hhaï and two earlier segments released as Ëmëhntëht-Rê (Announcement) and Ëmëhntëht-Rê (extrait 2)(note spelling difference).
Critical reception
The band has a number of high-profile fans. Prolific drummers Zach HillZach Hill
Zach Hill is a musician residing in Sacramento, California. Primarily known for his drumming, he performs/has performed in numerous Pacific Coast based groups, including his primary group, Hella, as well as Holy Smokes, Nervous Cop, and a diverse range of others including El Grupo Nuevo de Omar...
, Lucas Perny and Ian Mosley
Ian Mosley
Ian F. Mosley is a drummer in the progressive rock band, Marillion.Mosley joined the band in 1984 after a long search for a replacement of Mick Pointer, who had been left the band in 1983. Mosley had previously, among others, played with former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett, both on two of his...
have cited Christian Vander as their favorite drummer. Punk rock singer Johnny Rotten
John Lydon
John Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
and prolific metal musician Kristoffer Rygg
Kristoffer Rygg
Kristoffer Rygg , also known as Garm, Trickster G. and recently also God Head is a Spellemannprisen nominated vocalist, musician and producer known as the frontman of Ulver and former vocalist for Arcturus...
have both stated that they're huge Magma fans.
In the 1980s, British born World champion snooker player Steve Davis declared himself a passionate follower of the band since his youth and used some of his winnings to promote a series of concerts by Magma in London.
Antoine de Caunes
Antoine de Caunes
Antoine de Caunes is a television presenter, actor, writer and film director. He is the son of two prominent French personalities, television journalist-reporter Georges de Caunes and television announcer Jacqueline Joubert...
wrote a biography of the band. Steven Wilson
Steven Wilson
Steven John Wilson is an English musician, best known as the founder, lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of progressive rock band Porcupine Tree...
of Porcupine Tree
Porcupine Tree
Porcupine Tree is a progressive rock band formed by Steven Wilson in 1987 in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England. Their music is difficult to categorise, being associated with both psychedelic rock and progressive rock, yet having been influenced by trance, krautrock and ambient due to Steven...
has often admired Magma and recently mentioned Magma as the best concert performance for the decade (2000–2010).
External links
- Seventh Records, Christian Vander's record label
- Utopic Records, Jannick Top's record label
- Magma at Trouser PressTrouser PressTrouser Press was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow Who fan Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" ...
- Magma at www.gnosis2000.net
- Ascension, webzine about Magma and Christian Vander's music (in French)