Interviews

Summertime on the White Isle is well and truly here with Wabi Soba, the fresh to death new EP up on Razor-N-Tape by new signing Magic Words. Made up of Brooklyn duo Peter Hargarten and Eli Cohen, we get a chance to get to know Magic Words a little more with a chimney side chat.

Thanks for talking to us. Where are you this moment and how are you spending the day?

E: Home, taking care of a toddler with an ear infection.

P: Driving over the Cascade mountains after a busy 4th with the extended family

Where were you both born? Where are you based now?

E: Born and raised in Springfield, MA. Living in Brooklyn now.

P: Born in Ohio, raised all over. In between Seattle and Brooklyn now.

What do you love most about where you are living? What keeps you where you are today?

E: I like that when I walk out my front door I'm less than a block from Superior Elevation. It's mostly my mortgage that keeps me here though.

P: Given I'm splitting time between coasts right now, nothing can keep me tied down!

How long have you both been making music? What were your first steps as a musicians/artists?

E: I played in punk bands in the 90s, but going over to Peter's a couple years ago was my first serious foray into making electronic music.

P: Fell in love with the trumpet at a young age. Eventually got into guitar music until I discovered Ableton on internet forums in 2008 which basically changed my life.

Are you a DJs too? What came first Djing or production?

E: We have DJed together on and off for close to a decade.

What kind of artists, DJs, genres were both into growing up?

E: I'm from the area where the Pixies, Dinosaur Jr, Sonic Youth all lived so I grew up on indie rock. I moved to the SF Bay Area in 2000 and started going to psytrance raves (Frequency 8 forever). I bought my first set of technics soon after and spent my life since then digging all manner of dance music.

P: I grew up in the 90s and was the youngest of three so my musical upbringing was driven a lot by my older sister - Madonna, Ace of Base, Enya, U2. Whatever CDs middle school girls were buying at the mall. Once I got a computer and learned how to torrent, I started absorbing everything. I think my first burn CD had Daft Punk, Moby, Jan Hammer, Sublime, Tupac, Radiohead, and System of a Down.

Who are the artists that you guys follow right now?

Besides all of our buddies in Brookyln–Idjut Boys, Pilotwings, Benedek, Manuel Darquart, Paradis, Asa Moto, Nu Genea.

What is the most recent record you purchased or downloaded?

E: Haven’t bought it yet, but I can’t wait for the Soft Keys reissue on Bliss Point.

P: Barbara Boeing - Brasiliana. Needed a song for a mix we just did.

If you could choose a few words to describe the vibe of Magic Words what would they be?

New Nu Disco? ahahahah

Talk to us about the new EP and the initial idea. When did you first approach this concept and what was your original intention?

Surrounded by tens of thousands of records at a late-night poker session in the Boom Service warehouse, we decided to make a track. It was originally going to be on a compilation 12” but ended up with a life of its own.

What was most important for you to convey through these tracks?

While there isn’t a specific message, hopefully the songs incorporate many of the feelings and experiences we had making the record. If people dance to it, all of our intentions will have been met and expectations surpassed.

Tell us a little about your connection with Jex Opolis as remixer?

E: Jex did a couple mixes on the Lemonade record I put out on my label Alliance Upholstery in 2017. When it came time to find a remixer for this record, Razor N Tape gave a strong nudge in his direction, so we reached out.

We hear Harvey has been playing it already. How did that happen?

Danilo Braca mastered a demo version of Wabi Soba and gave it to Harvey a couple summers ago–apparently he liked it enough to play it. We’ve never spoken to the guy, but Harvey, if you are reading, we would be happy to send you all our new tracks.

What are you most proud of with this release?

That it actually came out almost 3 years after we started.

What was the most challenging part of bringing the release together?

Each of us having our first kids in between writing the song, Peter moving across the country halfway though and things finally coming together at the end of last year.

Who are the other artists/musicians on this EP that you would like to shout out?

Dan Arlien and Boom Service for getting us started. Arsenii for getting us over the finish line.

What drives you to create music?

At this point, it’s more about what prevents us from making music.

What has been one of your favorite moments from the past year?

Raising our children.

Where do you find the most inspiration when it comes to discovering new music?

Dollar bins. Even better if they are euro, yen, won or kroner bins!

What can we hope to see next from Magic Words?

We have a remix of Nova Heart "Ethereal" coming out this autumn on Alliance Upholstery. The hard drive is full of half complete remixes and new tracks – hopefully we have a fruitful second half of the year.

Check out the latest release from Magic Words.