Banging The Drum

Slow Magic's debut album, 2012's Triangle, dropped the producer into our collective consciousness, with a bunch of blissed-out instrumental electronic tracks. Since that release, he has crafted an impressive swag of remixes for the likes of Bon Iver, The One AM Radio and El Ten Eleven, and 2013 saw the artist perform a remarkable 144 shows around the world. It almost looks like instant success from the outside, but as is usually the case, there was a lot of hard work going on before the breakthrough.

“I think I was drawn to music before I even knew it,” he reflects. “I started teaching myself drums because my dad had an old drum set lying around – he was in an '80s rock band back in the day – and I just started hitting it until I learned what I was actually doing. I was involved in a lot of different things growing up as a kid. Some punk bands, or some… different kinds of bands. But early on I was interested in electronic music and I've slowly made a lot of projects that maybe no-one has heard of.”

That experience in different projects, and different styles, has shaped the way that Slow Magic approaches his live performances, sometimes in ways that surprise him. “In school I played in marching bands and percussion in jazz bands and sometimes after I play now, someone will ask me if I played marching band. I don't always realise it, but people will make that connection. Or a hardcore band that I used to go see play, the kind of energy and crowd involvement that happened at that kind of show, I translate that into what I'm doing now.

“I want to break down the barrier between the stage and the crowd as much as I can, either live or with the music itself,” he continues. “I like to go out into the crowd with the drum, and I'll let people play my drum-pads from the front of the stage some times. A few shows I just put the drum out into the crowd and threw some drum sticks out there and let whoever wanted to play it. A lot of things that… who knows what's going to happen.” He pauses. “It's not that hard to hit a drum or whatever – it's simple. I think it's fun to let someone do that.”

Balancing writing and a hectic touring schedule can be a challenge, but for now it's one that Slow Magic revels in. His tracks often have a sense of euphoria to them, and that creates a positive feedback loop as he sees people respond. “There's something about music itself that is this kind of unexplainable force that can make someone happy, or a sad song can make someone feel like they're not alone. I think I just made what I was feeling or at least desired to feel – like this freedom or escapism to a beautiful place. And to see people react to the music live and enjoy it really inspires me to make more music.”