Magma

Una reciente entrada de Soy del Montón me ha hecho recordar una banda que escuché allá por la mitad de los setenta: MAGMA MAGMA es (porque existe aún, 40 años después) una banda francesa peculiar. MAGMA nace en 1969 de la mano del batería Christian Vander y se ha calificado de rock progresivo (¿?) sea eso lo que quiera que sea. Que sus raíces no están sólo en el rock es evidente, que recoge también influencias de Orff, Bartok o Strawinsky parece claro. Dicen que también tiene grandes influencias de John Coltrane. Será.

Lo que no admite dudas es que MAGMA es MAGMA. Y que, detrás de esa banda, hay toda una historia, la del planeta Kobaïa contada en el idioma de ese planeta, el Kobaïano.

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Imagine a world, many centuries into the future, when society as we know it has decyed into chaos and degradation, voide of spiritual guidance. The colonizatin of space is well underway, and space travel has become commonplace. It is in this setting that a handful of enlightened Earth people seeking a better existence finance the construction of a private spacecraft and leave the planet in search of a new world where a new, more spiritually guided civilization can be reborn. They finally find that new home after a long and hazardous journey on the distant planet Kobaia, where the party settles and begins anew.

Magma is a concept band whose albums explain the origins and development of the new civilization on Kobaia, and their interactions with the people of Earth and other planets. All of their lyrics are sung in the language of the new civilization, 'Kobaian.' As one might expect, the music from Kobaia several hundred years from now is very unlike what we are accustomed to on twentieth century planet earth. Magma's music is very strange, beautiful, and ultimately rewarding, but it does require an open mind on the part of the listener. It is music that must be experienced fully with body, heart and soul: not simpley a cerebral performance of some kind of space opera by clever musicians, but a full blown spiritual experience with the music acting as the connecting vehicle between performer and listener.

Led by drummer Christian Vander, Magma began in the final months of the sixties in France, pretty much apart from the underground music scene of the times. In fact most of the original members had worked in other rock and jazz groups before, although without much notoriety. The band has since gone through an almost constant stream of personnel changes, but the alumni list looks like a who's who of top caliber French musicians: Klaus Blasquiz, Guy Khalifa, Claude Engel, Jannick Top, Bernard Paganotti, Patrick Gauthier, Francis Moze, Rene Garber, Jean-Luc Manderlier, Benoit Widermann, Didier Lockwood, Teddy Lasry, Yochk'o Seffer, Michel Herve, Florence Berteaux, Daniel Denis, Clement Bailly... and the list goes on. All the while, the one constant is Vander and his vision- although the contributions of the other musicians of the other musicians to the execution of this vision cannot be downplayed. The creation of the development of the original concept and the Kobaian language was in fact a group effort. Some players were more influential than others, but with each change in personnel came a slight change in the sound of the band.

The first album, a 2 LP set simply title MAGMA, is where the story begins. The first disc concerns itself with the departure and journey to Kobaia, arrival at their destination, the long and patient process of building a new society according to their vision, and their process of learning how to live in harmony with their new surroundings, while attaining a high degree of technological advancement. The second disc involves the rescue of a foreign spaceship which gets into orbital difficulties over Kobaia- this ship turns out to be manned by a crew from Earth. The visitors tell of the continued degeneration and disasters that have afflicted Earth, and at the same time are impressed with the progress that the Kobaians have made, their philosophy and societial organization, and how they have learned to live as one at peace with their surroundings. The Earthmen request that the Kobaians visit Earth and attempt to propagate their philosophy in order to save society from its certain destruction. After some deliberation, a small party agrees to accompany the stranded visitors on their journey home.

Allá por el 70 en la tele francesa


Entrevista con Cristian Vander


De Futura (1977)