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UNA REVISTA IMAGINARIA

The13th

7

I SEE IT AS A POP ALBUM

[ Interview with Glen Johnson about Piano Magic - Disaffected by Diego Centurión. Translation: Bernardo Jimenez Mesa ]

We always, here at the 13th magazine, aim to dust-off those records that we love and are conmemorating decades since their original release date. We try as well to have an interview with one of the musicians involved in the making of the albums that we bring back in our -Pura Melomanía- section, remembering or opening the door, for those who may not have heard it. On this present issue we have Glen Johnson, who introduce us to the world of ¨Disaffected¨ de Piano Magic.

Hello Glen, before we begin I´d like to express my gratitude for the time you´ve taken to do this interview.

Piano Magic´s 8th album… How was the band at the time and how did you all faced that recording?As I recall, we were at a stage where we were experi-menting a lot, sonically but also really enjoying pla-ying live and touring generally.  So we were trying to make a record that would not only sound good on your stereo but also on a big stage at a festival.  

On Disaffected, the sonic direction that the band first began to explore on the Open Cast Heart EP seems to be explored even deeper now. Could it be said that that electronic way of working changed and shift posibilities for you as a band?Piano Magic started as an electronic project in 1996 and most of our albums feature some element of electronic production but I think this was the first

time we started to think about sequencers and drum machines combining.  In some places, there's an element of early New Order on Disaffected and gi-ven the fact that all of the band are New Order fans, as was Gareth Parton, our producer, there was a more cohesive marriage between the guitars and the electronics.  

What could you point out to be Cedric Pin´s main contribution and input, when joined Piano Magic, to the sound of the band?Well, Cedric added two key elements to Piano Magic.  One was that he's very much into the electronic side of things but in a much more melodic way than any of us had been previously.  He has a penchant for that early 80's Factory Records sound, which we all liked a lot.  But also, we really liked Cedric as a per-son (and still do!) so touring and playing with him was always really good fun.  He's actually rejoined the band recently to work on our next record.  

Despite Disaffected being an eclectic album, with various textures, it holds to that nocturnal and inver-nal mood. If you had to deine the feelings that this albums creates in you ..What could it be?I see it as a pop album.  Probably the Piano Magic pop album.  It's eclectic but melodic.  I remember the album coming out and being really blown away by the reaction to it, particularly in places like Italy and France .  We were being told we'd made our best record, whether we knew it or not.  

How was the writing and recording process?I seem to remember that we often wrote in groups of 2 or 3 at most.  Hardly ever the whole band toge-ther.  'Theory Of Ghosts' is the result of Jerome re-cording Franck's guitar playing, slicing it up, almost like a Dadaist poem and then giving it to me to add my words.  'Disaffected' and 'Deleted Scenes' were written on a guitar and then rendered into a more electronic arrangement by Cedric.  'The Nostalgist' was supposed to echo Disco Inferno.  Those recor-dings were all pulled together in The Fortress Studio in London by Gareth Parton; lots of live mixes - that is, him jamming on the mixing desk, like Arthur Baker.   The Fortress (in Old Street, London) was our second home at the time - we rehearsed there as well as recorded there.  It's a large, industrial com-plex, quite worn down, the mixing desk at the time was held together with paper clips and there were many instances of things having to be fixed before we could play.  There's a romantic notion that art should be something of a struggle but honestly, I'd prefer that it isn't.  

For my personal taste, Disaffected and Ovations have to be my favourite ones among Piano Magic´s catalogue. Where do you place these albums within your discography?'Life Has Not Finished With Me Yet' is the best sounding Piano Magic record.  It sounds particu-larly good on vinyl.  I think that's the first time we got the use of space right.  Until that point, we were probably choking the space with too many guitars. 

But yes, 'Low Birth Weight,' 'Disaffected,' 'Ovations' and 'LHNFWMY' are probably the best for me.  

I´d like to check track by track and you to comment on each one:

You Can Hear The RoomAlways loved playing this life though it's essentially one chord with lots of dynamic.  

Love & MusicOne of the most basic songs we ever wrote.  We had a longer, jammed version which was, to my ears, like The Wake (early 80's Factory Records band) but we never recorded it.   

Night Of The HunterI'm not sure people understand this song.  It's about killing those who kill animals - one of my fantasies.  

DisaffectedProbably the most coherent pop song we'd ever wri-tten up until that point.  A lot of people seem to identify with the lyrics, particularly, "Set your clock by your heart - work's overrated and it will kill you."

Theory Of GhostsI love the production on this - Franck and Jerome really did a good job but I think my lyrics are rather schoolboyish.  I've grown up a lot since.

Your GhostOur second song with John Grant, who was intro-duced to us by Simon Raymonde (Cocteau Twins/This Mortal Coil/Bella Union).  The truth is, I never liked his old band, The Czars very much at all - but I really liked John and John's voice.  He sang on a couple of tracks with us and we paid him something like two hundred pounds each time!  I'm not sure we'd get him for that now!  I'm really delighted that things have worked out so well for him recently.  He really is one of the great singers and loveliest people.  

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I Must Leave LondonThe thing is, I never did.  I'm still here in London.  And it's still burning a hole in me.  Robert Elms, who is name-checked in the song, has a show on London radio about how great London is.  I always hated how he glossed over all the difficulties of living here - the noise, the pollution, the over-crowding, the expensiveness, etc.  If you're down on your luck, it's an incredibly hostile city.  

Deleted ScenesI remember a comment on Youtube from a music teacher I think saying that his pupils could do better than this.  I wonder if they ever did?  

The NostalgistI felt like this was a Disco Inferno moment but it's more a case of several of our influences rolled into one - DI, Dead Can Dance, New Order, Durutti Column.  It has some good lines, most particularly "And all the girls are framed in the order that they came..."  My ex-girlfriend never liked me singing that one.  

JacknifedGreat to play live.  Can't say much more than that.  

You Can Never Get Lost(When You've Nowhere To Go)One of our best 3 songs I think.  We once played a concert in Spain and a girl came to see us just to hear this.  But we didn't play it.  Outside, she was almost in tears so we played it to her in the street.  It means a lot to a lot of people it seems - that's all we ever wan-ted to do - to touch people.  

USA Version:

Deleted Scenes (Extended Mix)In my head, an Arthur Baker jam on the mixing desk.  Lots of fun for me and Cedric toying with drum-machines and vocal effects.  

Ten years down the line, how does it feel to listen to Dissafected?Pretty good actually.  I'd remix Your Ghost and Love & Music but otherwise, it's a solid record.  

Back to the present and future. I came accross that there´s going to be a final album in 2016. Tell us about it.The working title is 'Closure.'  After 'Life Has Not Finished With Me Yet,' I really thought we should hang up our guitars and call it a day but since then, more and more I've thought it's not the album I want us to end on.  So, we're going to try and write a better one.  We might not succeed but I feel we've left a pretty strong legacy even if we don't.  

Piano Magic turns 20. Will it be the final year for the band?It will definitely be the last album.  Whether we ac-tually play concerts in 2016 or beyond, I don't know.  We have pretty much settled down into other lives now so it's going to take some hard work to become a band again but we're going to give it a stab.  

One last question, but before finishing the inter-view, I´d like to express my gratitude for your time and kindness, doing this interview. Now the last shot: What can we expect from Glen Johnson in this present year?I'm working on lots of projects right now.  A co-llaboration album with Cedric, another with the Macedonian visual artist Kristina Pulejkova, the new Piano Magic album and releasing a lot of rea-lly exciting records on my Second Language label, including one by an amazing young London-based Italian singer/musician, Tullia Benedicta.  I think Piano Magic fans are really going to like her.  

Thank you Glen!!!Thank you Diego.  

UNA REVISTA IMAGINARIA

The13th