Interview
(Progressive Newsletter Nr.30 05/00)
excerpts from an interview with Andrew Robinson (Guitars, Keyboards, Vocals)
I actually started my music career back in 1976 when I was 14 years old. We used to play concerts/dances at all the surrounding High Schools and our set consisted of 3 original tunes and covers of Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, J. Geils etc. I gained some great experience doing that nearly every weekend for 4 years. In 1982 I joined my first full-time travelling band. I started seriously composing at this point, but they only wanted to play covers and considered my music "too progressive, too out there". By 1985, I'd had enough of being a jukebox and quit the road and concentrated on composition and the recording process. Between 1987 and 1994 I released several cassette albums and honed my recording skills with Bryce Chicoine at his studio.Around '94 I discovered there was a growing "underground" progressive rock scene and this gave me the encouragement to start putting out quality CDs. Since then I haven't looked back.
The music of Magus is a mixture of newer (Ambient, electronical music) and older elements (Space Rock, Progressive Rock). Do you try to build a bridge over the decades with this mixtures of styles, getting the best out of them all?
I don't do it consciously, but yes I would agree with that. I don't believe in aping the pioneers of progressive like some bands do, but I'm certainly influenced by the original bands to some degree. I like to assimilate what I learn and move on though. I'm of the school that wants to bring progressive into the new millenium.
Also your music is open minded to different, let’s say more exotic cultures. Do you travel a lot to absorb the cultures, music of other countries or from where do come these world-music influences?
I've always been fascinated with other cultures, I always keep my eyes and ears open to new experiences and sounds. I don't get to travel too much because most of my money goes into the band. Peter Gabriel did a brilliant synthesis of progressive and world music on his "Security" album. He created another reality on that one. Amazing. That's the kind of approach I like best. I don't care for the Paul Simon forrays into world music that much. Gabriel's was a true synthesis: a fusion of styles and not just a superficial dressing of world music over western pop.
Your lyrics and song titles are very much orientated into a outer space mood. In which way do topics like for example “Area 51” or “Dune” or generally spoken sci-fi influence you and your music?
The "Highway 375" EP is very influenced by that genre. "Dune" is one of my all-time favorite novels, kind of like the bible to me! I feel the electronic side of Magus lends itself to space. I'm also a big admirer of Dan Simmons's "Hyperion" novels.Brilliant. Other than the EP though, the rest of the Magus catalogue deals more with inner space.
For that the music of Magus is very atmospheric, includes a lot of different moods, did you ever think about using your music for a movie or film-score?
I recently contributed a song to a documentary about the Chicago Marathon. It should be out next month. I would love to do film scores. I think I could do better than alot of scores I hear.
Your latest release “Echoes from the edge of the millennium” was kind of a “Best of Magus” with some re-mixes and also new tracks. Is this meant as a final statement to this point of your career and a starting point for something new?
Exactly. A new chapter has begun. We're now officially a full band and the new keyboardist, Rue Yamauchi,will contributing as much as me. We'll probably sound a little different on our next CD.
Can you tell me a little bit more about the story behind the fantastic artwork of your last CD?
The cover image is a sculpture by a Russian-born artist named Alexander Tsalikhin who now lives near New York City. He's a big admirer of the band a great guy. He tells me Porcupine Tree was interested in the image, but he feels their music has gotten too commercial and he let Magus use it instead. Christopher Dearborn, who's done all our graphic design work, did the layout and sampling of the image.
Kristian Selm © Progressive Newsletter 2000