I have been meaning to post about Magnetic Man for a while now - and during that time every other blog has done the same - but they're making so much noise right now it's definitely still worth mentioning.I will always remember being at The Warehouse Project a couple of years back and watching Magnetic Man enter the stage...
The lights went out throughout the underground air raid shelter, except for a small ultra-violet glow which was emitting from the front, behind a seemingly smaller stage than I remember. Long, black curtains had deliberately been drawn in across the stage, and the screen lowered above the deck stand in order to create this tiny square of UV light - it was the focus of everyones attention.
Then, with no warning the three dubstep musketeers - Benga, Skream and Artwork - filed in. Appearing in almost military fashion one behind the other, all three in a perfect line and wearing striking, pure white hoodies which obviously caught the glare from the blacklights and created this almost sci-fi feel to what they were about to do.
They were in perfect sync, not only with how they looked and what they wore, but also with what they had in their hands. Their white Macbooks were clearly visible, and again with this jet-fighter precision they layed them on the table - in sync - and opened them up together. They connected them in unison and the first tune dropped...
It was way back then that it was clear Magnetic Man had a plan. Shortly after this I found myself in Brighton and recall a friend of mine, 'Figure Of Wax', bumping into Artwork and the gang outside his work. They were in town for a show, and from what Artwork explained to him it seemed like he already knew big things were on the horizon.
There will be many Dubstep purists who will listen to what Magnetic Man are doing right now and have a massive hate-up on them. Vocalists? Big, trancey synths? Music videos? "Dubstep has gone pop!" you'll hear them cry. Fuck them and the horse they rode in on. The UK has always, but always been about discovering new sounds and pushing them on. New genres break out and EVERYBODY has something to listen to. It's exciting. It's us.
What, it seems, Magnetic Man are doing - whether deliberately or not, is sending Dubstep into the stratosphere. It's no longer a genre for dimly lit underground caverns, or reserved for ravers bedrooms. It's the sound of now and the music of the people. It's become an event. If Daft Punk made Dubstep it would resemble something like Magnetic Man - huge stages, incredible light shows, thousands of unified music lovers, and a dramatic but effortless stage presence.
Get ready for chart attacks, get ready for sell-out shows, get ready for Dubstep-ageddon - because for Magnetic Man, the lights are now most definitely on.
Magnetic Man's album is out Oct 4th.
If you don't believe, then listen...
Also - they have just done an Essential Mix for BBC Radio1 - search it and you'll find it. It's there.
