‘Worm’s Eye View’ by The New Magic | Interview | Album Premiere
Exclusive album premiere of ‘Worm’s Eye View’ by The New Magic, set to be released on October 18, 2024, via Zen Feedbacker.
The New Magic, the brainchild of Oslo-based visionary Martin van Houtum, is an auditory mosaic constructed from diverse sounds and the energetic vibrant contributions from a remarkable ensemble. With ‘Worm’s Eye View,’ van Houtum has created a rich auditory landscape that beckons listeners into realms of introspection and experimentation. Serving as a thoughtful companion piece to the critically acclaimed ‘Bird’s Eye View,’ this new album brings to life tracks initially set aside during earlier sessions, each carving out its own distinct narrative within an immersive experience.
Unlike its predecessor, ‘Worm’s Eye View’ embraces a more meditative and minimalistic ethos. This album is gentle yet peculiar, it dances between the ambient and the avant-garde. The intricate textures of double bass and ethereal drum patterns invite listeners to drift into a contemplative state, while playful elements keep them grounded in the present.
Featuring long-time collaborators like Filip Zenon Ramberg and Teodor Elstad, the album radiates a sense of collective exploration. The exhilarating journey feels both familiar and refreshingly new, striking a balance between the cerebral and the emotional.
For those who revel in ethereal soundscapes and immersive listening experiences, this album comes highly recommended alongside the works of Brian Eno, Tangerine Dream, Hiroshi Yoshimura, Cluster, and Philip Glass.
“To lock in together and create something special and unexpected.”
What is the main concept behind the band?
Martin van Houtum: In the studio, The New Magic is, in many ways, my own musical playground. I’m the writer and producer, and I also play several of the instruments. So it’s a platform to do whatever I want, with a great deal of freedom and control. The sound, and to some extent even the personnel, is never set entirely in stone. It all depends on what the current project calls for.
That being said, it isn’t really a solo thing. The people who feature on the studio recordings have a lot of space to impose their own ideas and angles, and the result is, of course, far better that way. This album features longtime friends and musicians Filip Zenon Ramberg (drums) and Teodor Elstad (double bass). The previous album features Per Kamfjord (vocals) and Morten Smith Lien (sax) as well.
These guys also make up the live band. The live band, compared to the studio outfit, is a different operation entirely. Several songs allow for stretches of improvisation. That’s when we really get into transcendental territory, or at least that’s the aim: to lock in together and create something special and unexpected.
How has that influenced the making of this album, and can they draw parallels to previous recordings?
Martin: The new album ‘Worm’s Eye View’ is a very close—but, in some ways, also distant—relative to our debut album ‘Bird’s Eye View.’ All of the material was recorded across the same time span. The more straightforward songs went onto Bird’s Eye View, where they fit and flowed nicely together. The more introspective, mellow, or out-there songs became ‘Worm’s Eye View.’ So in many ways, I consider the two to be one album split into two counterparts. I think they better showcase their merits that way.
What are some details about the recording and production process?
Filip Zenon Ramberg: The drums were recorded as a series of first takes, just improvising over various ideas, chords, basslines, and so on. All this material was then cut and edited by Martin as his ideas developed further, and eventually, what was initially one big album became two very different albums. The drums were recorded in a 3x4m practice space over a very intensive weekend!
Teodor Elstad: I remember tracking the double bass in Martin’s living room. Just a cozy, high-ceiling room with a nice condenser mic. The tracks were pretty sparse when we laid down the double bass tracks, so I was really psyched when Martin presented the rough mixes, showing me the full vision for the album.
Do you have a certain special approach when it comes to new compositions?
Martin: In recent years, I tend to write music mostly at the piano. It’s a very immediate way to explore different options. Earlier, I usually would take a single idea or element and then build the track from there, recording layer by layer. Now, I prefer writing a tune more or less from start to finish before recording any of it. I also prefer working out the arrangement in my head first, far removed from any instruments or studio environment, just to get a bit of an overview and not get lost in endless options hands-on.
Plans for the future?
Martin: First, we aim to spend some time promoting ‘Worm’s Eye View.’ We’ll all get together soon and rehearse for upcoming live shows. We’re playing the release party in our hometown, Oslo, next month, and plan for additional shows soon.
I am currently also working on new material. All I want to say for now is that it’s different and exciting. There’s a great artistic freedom in being with the Zen Feedbacker label—which, of course, is exactly how it should be!
Tell us what originally brought you together?
Filip: Growing up in a very small place, having long hair and sharing a fanatic music interest!
What are some of the earliest influences, and did they change over the years?
Teodor: Progressive rock bands like Yes, Camel, and Rush were a big influence early on, along with hard rock bands like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and Budgie. I remember really wanting to sound and play like Chris Squire, Geddy Lee, and Roger Glover. Another big influence was Frank Zappa—not so much for the bass playing, but I found his inventive compositions, virtuosic band, and use of humor endlessly captivating. Then I discovered Jaco Pastorius and fell down the jazz fusion rabbit hole, finding players like Stanley Clarke and Marcus Miller along the way. Fusion paved the way to jazz, double bass, and players like Dan Berglund, Reid Anderson, Charlie Haden, and Ray Brown.
Filip: Classic rock, then many years spent digging deeper and pulling the roots of that music—blues, jazz, folk, classical, improvisation, world, you name it. Now, writing songs and telling the story?
Martin: I tend to get obsessed with specific bands and genres for a period of time—until I’m exhausted and move on to some entirely different obsession. This all piles up to a great number and variety of influences. But if I had to pick a single artist who monumentally influenced me as a young musician and still finds his way into my music years later, I’d have to say Bo Hansson. I cannot emphasize strongly enough how deeply his records have shaped my musical sensibilities.
For ‘Bird’s Eye View’ and ‘Worm’s Eye View,’ though, I like to cite Brian Wilson and Brian Eno as particularly impactful figures, which I think is a pretty good summary. There are, of course, countless others too.
Is anyone involved with any side projects?
Teodor: I used to play with Wren, a West Coast/jazz rock group, with a particular fascination for vocal harmonies and ambitious chord progressions. The band was once described as a kind of garage band version of Steely Dan. I had fun writing, recording, and performing songs in and around Oslo until the band went on hiatus during COVID.
Martin: Plenty of other projects! Filip, for instance, is the leader of his own group, Zenon. That music has a very clear identity—a clever blend of psych, jazz, folk, and poetic imagery. I happen to play bass guitar in that group, which I suppose is kind of amusing! Like, obviously we needed both our separate acts, both of us playing in both of them, instead of just having one together. There’s been a lot of activity in the Zenon camp lately, and there’s more on the horizon.
And then there is Den Kosmiske Overorden, a psychedelic improvisation collective featuring Per, Morten, and myself, alongside our friends Pål Stefan Brekke and Per Christian Berg. There are some pretty wild recordings in the vault, waiting to be unleashed upon the world.
Per and Morten make music on their own too and feature in bands such as Dødsego and b0ka, respectively. So we all like to keep busy, I guess!
Before the formation of this band, were you part of anything else?
Martin: Many years ago, Filip and I were in a band named WIND—alongside Per Christian Berg (early days) and Fredrik Severin Torvik (later days). We played some seriously heavy and far-out psychedelic music, lots of shows; that was such a trip. Then eventually we went our separate ways for a while and did different things. Curiously, all these years later, we’re kind of back into that same vibe, striving to play loudly and heavily, and see what happens?
Thank you for having us!
Klemen Breznikar
Headline photo: The New Magic | Filip Zenon Ramberg, Martin van Houtum, Teodor Elstad | Photo by Knut Toft Ødegård
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