Piano Magic

about

From its conception as a bedroom-studio hobby in Summer 1996, Piano Magic's trajectory has never been textbook - random at best. Originally, a self-confessed revolving door operation - musicians arriving, contributing and leaving as they pleased - they harvested a catalogue of varied singles, EPs and two albums by 1998. This convey-belt membership also resulted in a plethora of sonic stylings, from smallbeat Kraftwerkian Meccano Pop on debut album, 'Popular Mechanics' (1997) to the breathless, ethereal, multi-layered melancholy of 'Low Birth Weight' (1998). Only in 1999 did Piano Magic resemble anything like a conventional format group. Smooth-talked into playing a Dutch festival which actually turned out quite well, they decided to play anywhere they were wanted and began to build something of a cult following, particularly on the European Continent. They spectacularly showcased the post-modernist baroque sound of 'Artists' Rifles' (1999) at the Benicassim and BAM music festivals. Ironically, the band have never infiltrated the hearts of the British music press - out of time, unfashionable and kinda weird looking, its best not to stay home much. Tours of Germany, Holland, Italy, Belgium, France, Spain peppered the next few years. The band signed to 4AD Records in 2000 and delivered their most critically contentious work, 'Writers Without Homes' and the soundtrack to Spanish director, Bigas Lunas' 'Son De Mar' movie. Though oft-maligned, 'Writers Without Homes' was a parti