MAGMA IN CONCERT AT LE TRITON IN PARIS ON JULY 2, 3 AND 4

From Le Triton:
Some news that’s sure to delight those who missed out last time: following their success in January, Magma are returning in July for a new series of three concerts at the Triton!

“Magma is returning to the Triton. For three explosive concerts! The audience who discovered the core line-up are clamouring for more… They won’t be disappointed. We’ll be back in early July, armed to the teeth. The machines of the celestial powers are running at full throttle! See you soon for thrilling moments, new themes and a burning faith. No compromises.”

and, yes, that's tomorrow.

https://www.letriton.com/programmation

CHRISTIAN VANDER - CONCERT RENNES 2002

• Christian Vander Quartet: Concert Rennes 2002
      (2026, cd, France, acel)

I was quite happy with the digital rip of the latest Christain Vander release that I received last week.
And I'm even more thrilled now that the actual CD arrived.

A beautiful tribute to the music of John Coltrane, by none other than Magma founder Christian Vander.
Recorded in 2002.
Released in 2026.

CHRISTIAN VANDER QUARTET - CONCERT RENNES 2002

• Christian Vander Quartet: Concert Rennes 2002
      (2026, cd, --, acel)

It is no secret that Magma founder, drummer and composer Christian Vander is a huge admirer of John Coltrane. He even did a project called "Offering" (named after a John Coltrane album) in the 1980s.

In 2002, Christian Vander gathered Eric Prost (tenor & soprano sax), Emmanuel Borghi (piano ), and Emmanuel Grimonprez (double bass) to perform a John Coltrane tribute concert in Rennes, France.

Pure energy.
Beautiful.

It even comes with a drum solo :-)

-- info & more: Danny Mathys

MAGMA RETURNS TO LE TRITON IN PARIS

After their success in January, Magma is returning in July for a new series of three concerts at Le Triton! 

From 2 to 4 July at Le Triton!

MAGMA CONCERT IN BRUSSELS ON MARCH 5, 2024

Magma, the French cult rock band, is coming to the Royal Circus in Brussels, BE, on 5 March.

Progressive rock band Magma will be on stage at the Royal Circus in Brussels on Wednesday 5 March. Since their inception in 1969, the French band has achieved cult status worldwide. After more than five decades, they continue to impress with adventurous live performances.

THREE AFTERNOONS OF MAGMA IN PARIS

Three afternoons of Magma at Le Triton in Paris, France, the next couple of months.
And the message also mentioned that day number 3, December 14, is already sold out.

For almost 25 years, Magma and Le Triton have been writing their respective histories together, in perfect symbiosis. And as always, there's no shortage of ideas to take this precious partnership even further. This year, we're inviting all Zeuhl fans to come and enjoy a unique experience over three days of ‘work in progress’.

From 2pm to 8pm, you'll be immersed in the very heart of Magma's Mekanïk. Three 100% Magma afternoons, at the tempo of the musicians, during which you will attend the band's rehearsals, as well as the screening of the film ‘Tristan et Iseult’ directed by Yvan Lagrange, whose soundtrack is none other than the mythical ‘Ẁurdah Ïtah’ then in its primitive stage. Three exceptional days to immerse yourself in the intimacy of the band, who will be working with the Triton's brand new immersive system. You'll be impressed by the immersive sound, moved by the warm atmosphere of the rehearsals, captivated in the courtyard chatting to the musicians, enjoying the film, and in the restaurant (open all day) for a drink and a bite to eat... All we can say is that you won't soon forget these three days. For your convenience, the number of places is limited.

MAGMA - STUDIO ZÜND

• Magma: Studio Zünd
      (2008, 12cd box set, France, seventh records / le chant du monde)

This beautiful box was on my want-list for quite some time. I was pretty happy when I finally got hold of it a couple of months ago.

10 albums. 12 CDs.
Presenting the band's first 9 studio albums, plus two CD's with previously unreleased music.

An unlikely amount of excellent music.

ONE SHOT - 111

• one shot: 111
      (2023, cd, france, le triton)

Last week, I mentioned One Shot, the band that consists of former Magma band members, and their recent "À James" album.
It turns out that "À James", their tribute to James Mac Gaw, wasn't their latest release.

March 2023, "111" saw the light of day, a 5-track album that will make fans of the jazzy side of Magma and Zeul music in general quite happy.
I sure like it.

COEUR MAGIQUE

Coeur Magique was an experimental prog band from France. They made one album: "Wakan Tanka" (1971).

The recording made it to Bandcamp.
It featured Claude Olmos, who also played guitar for Magma !

MAGMA RELEASED ITS VERY FIRST VIDEO

From GlassOnyon PR

French Music Legends Magma Release Very First Video “Hakëhn Deïs”

In their career spanning over 50 years, Magma had never produced a music video. At the request and with the support of Adami, a French organization who promote, career development and the promotion of performers, Magma has finally done it with “Hakëhn Deïs” directed by Nino Le Chenadec. Artificial Intelligence blends in with the subtle choreography created by two magnificent dancers of the Paris Opera, Loup Marcault-Derouard and Ida Viikinkoski’.

MAGMA - KÄRTEHL

• magma: kärtehl
      (2022, cd, france, seventh records)

Last month, Magma released "Kärtehl".
Recorded during Covid as the band was unable to tour, "Kärtehl" is a collective band project, with different members contributing compositions.

Beautiful repetitive patterns, combined with angelic voices.
I love it.

MAGMA TO RELEASE NEW STUDIO ALBUM

From GlassOnyon PR

French Music Legends Magma To Release New Studio Album “Kartëhl” on September 30, 2022!

2020/2021. More than 18 months without being able to do a concert. This space of time, this imposed “pause”, was used to prepare a new album, a group album, like Magma hadn’t done for a long time.

Following the creation of a new line-up in 2020, Magma once again offered to musicians to bring compositions, Christian Vander having never made the deliberate choice to be Magma’s sole composer. But de facto, none of the dozens of musicians who participated in this adventure had offered a new song for decades!

After “ZËSS”, which hinted at a rather bleak future, this luminous and resolutely optimistic new album is the result of collective work, an “Operation Kartëhl”.

In addition to the 6 tracks recorded in 2022, the album contains as a bonus, two demos recorded “at home” from Christian Vander’s personal collection.

NEW MAGMA ALBUM ANNOUNCED

 The new Magma album will be called "Kartëhl" and it will be released in September.

A SЮR BAND UPDATE

SЮR Band's 2017 eponymous album has just made it to Bandcamp.
A fine selection of songs.
The album also presents ' Zür sün dїhhёl', a fine tribute to Magma-founder Christian Vander.

MAGMA'S 1973 "MDK" ALBUM GETS A VINYL RE-RELEASE ON COPPER-COLOURED VINYL

from GlassOnyon PR :

MAGMA “MDK” Limited Edition Vinyl of 2000 Numbered Copies Available January 18th

Limited edition of 2000 individually numbered copies on copper-colored vinyl. The album is housed in a gatefold sleeve with a copper foil finish on the front of the sleeve.

The only survivors of the previous formation, Christian VANDER and Klaus BLASQUIZ, surrounded by a renewed team of musicians, invested in the studios of the Manor in Oxford in 1973, to record their “MEKANIK DESTRUKTIW KOMMANDOH,” the album considered by many to be the conductor of work of MAGMA. A long piece articulated in seven movements, “MDK” went through a long gestation period before reaching its final state of achievement. The progress made between the short 45rpm version of the previous formation, where brass work predominated, and the one presented on this album, is considerable. All the credit goes to Christian VANDER who, now alone, will irreversibly take charge of MAGMA’s artistic destiny.

If the group’s instrumental performance has gained even more power, notably with the arrival at the bass of Jannick TOP, whose playing is revealed in perfect symbiosis with the spirit of the music of Christian VANDER, what strikes above all on “MDK” is the epic breath that emerges from the masterful work accomplished by the section vocal. Propelled by an inexorable rhythm and reinforced by a female choir where Stella VANDER appears for the first time, the voices of Klaus and Christian come to haunt our minds with these magnificent songs that seem straight from our collective memory, giving MAGMA’s music a timeless and universal character.

MAGMA - KÖHNZERT ZÛND

• magma: köhnzert zünd
      (2015, 12cd, france, seventh records)

So here's the story:
We went to see Magma in concert in Leuven (BE) a little while ago. In-between Covid peaks, that is.
Before we went into the actual concert hall, we passed the table with the merchandise. Among the numerous albums, t-shirts, videos and other paraphernalia, the "Köhnzert Zünd" box, a collection of re-issues, 12 CDs in a box, decorated with a magma top. From 2015.

Köhnzert Zünd puts together in a sumptuous box set, all the band's official live shows, recorded between 1975 and 2000.
On top of which are two extra records made of excerpts from shows given between 2005 and 2011, as well as two unreleased records of the 2009 concert given at the Alhambra in Paris.
This release is limited to 5000 copies. Includes 80-page booklet, each disc is kept in its own digisleeve.

I felt tempted but decided to wait until after the concert to buy it. The decision scheme was an easy one: I didn't want to carry the box with me during the concert, and, even more important, I only would buy it if I would like the concert.
Fast forward to the end of the concert and the overcrowded merch table (Magma fans appear to be pretty obsessive when it comes to merchandise...). I politely waited my turn only to be notified that the "Köhnzert Zünd" box was sold out. Completely sold out. These had been the last copies.

Meanwhile, I did find the box online for about the same price but I did have to add postage and EU taxes (from Greece!).
Anyway, I'm glad the package arrived and I'm looking forward to dive into some more Magma. Something that I can only recommend.

-

MAGMA'S "BBC 1974 LONDON" IS GETTING A VINYL RELEASE

From GlassOnyon PR

MAGMA “BBC 1974 LONDON” 2 LP Red Vinyl Limited Edition Numbered Gatefold 180g Audiophile Now Available For Pre-Order!

Available November 26 For RSD BLACK FRIDAY
This high quality recording carried out on March 14th, 1974 in the London BBC studios, is here carefully remastered for a vinyl release. This double LP includes two Magmaian masterpieces in unique versions, performed by the group that was at the origin of their creation. If the completed versions played by the MAGMA of 75-76 are most familiar to us, those offered us here present a major interest on several levels: their structure first of all, which at that time was not yet finalized, and comprised sequences which were subsequently either re-arranged, thereafter in a different way, or deleted: THEUSZ HAMTAAHK whose pseudo-slowness of tempo is matched only by the contained violence that inhabits it, and KÖHNTARKÖSZ where the magic of the keyboards brings to this work an alternative just as bewitching as the one engendered at the Taverne de l'Olympia the following year, by the divine soaring of Didier LOCKWOOD’s violin.

• Klaus BLASQUIZ - vocals, percussions
• Claude OLMOS - guitar
• Michel GRAILLIER - Fender piano, keyboards
• Gérard BIKIALO - Fender piano
• Jannick TOP - bass
• Christian VANDER - drums, vocals

MAGMA

MAGMA Theusz Hamtaahk - Extrait de la Trilogie Theusz Hamtaahk - Concert Perpignan "El Mediator" 8 mars 2020 avec Stella Vander - Hervé Aknin - Isabelle Feuillebois - Sylvie Fisichella - Sandrine Destefanis - Laura Guarrato -Simon Goubert - Thierry Eliez - Rudy Blas - Jimmy Top - Christian Vander

MAGMA - ESKÄHL 2020

• magma: eskähl 2020
      (2021, 2cd, france, seventh records)

October 8, 2021, Magma performed at 'Het Depot' in Leuven.
An excellent opportunity to see the band in concert.
Besides two minor aspects (no seats available although it had been announced as a flex (standing + seated) concert, and Christian Vander's drums that were too loud to hear the vocals properly, it was a fine experience.
I had seen the band a couple of times at the Zappanale festival, but I really prefer to see them in a non-festival concert venue. It's easier to focus (and that's essential with Magma).

"Eskähl 2020" has none of the above mentioned disadvantages. Recorded in concert (subtitled "Bordaux - Toulouse - Perpignan"), presenting a a super performance in an excellent mix, this is a nice addition to Magma's extended discography.

My advice: try to catch them live and make sure that you take "Eskähl 2020" home with you afterwards.

Oct 15, 2021 Vitrolles, France - Salle Guy Obino 

Oct 16, 2021 Six Fours Les Plages, France - Espace Culturel André Malraux 

Oct 17, 2021 Montpellier, France - LE ROCKSTORE 

Oct 18, 2021 Valence, France - Auditorium Maison Musique et Danse 

Oct 19, 2021 Valence, France - Théâtre de la Ville 

Oct 21, 2021 Epinal, France - La Souris Verte 

Oct 22, 2021 Besançon, France - La Rodia 

Oct 23, 2021 Strasbourg, France - LA LAITERIE 

Nov 04, 2021 Brest, France - La Carène 

Nov 05, 2021 Rennes, France - Opéra de Rennes 

Nov 06, 2021 Rennes, France - Opéra de Rennes 

Jun 17, 2022 London, UK - The Garage 

Jun 18, 2022 London, UK - The Garage 

Jun 19, 2022 Manchester, UK - Band On The Wall

NEW MAGMA LIVE ALBUM ANNOUNCED

From GlassOnyon PR

MAGMA “ESKÄHL 2020 Bordeaux - Toulouse – Perpignan” 2CD Available August 27, 2021!

Music legends Magma will be releasing a new live album “ESKÄHL 2020 Bordeaux - Toulouse – Perpignan” on August 27, 2021!

February 29, 2020, like wild animals, we rushed to the Penmarc'h hall, the first concert of our tour.
Then came Nantes, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Perpignan and Saint-Étienne. Each evening, the group, sharp as a blade, asked only to “do battle”!
At Besançon, our momentum was broken by a setback, out of tempo.

ESKAHL is a testimony of these concerts, of this new MAGMA with a recomposed line-up, more alive than ever!

Magma is there, will always be there.
And nothing! No, nothing will stop us!

Christian Vander, December 2, 2020.