In this installment of our Artist Spotlight Series, meet Magma lows. A passionate artist whose love for music was nurtured from a young age, Magma lows has honed his craft studying Latin percussion in Cuba and Barcelona. Today, he is an active member of the Audius community, valuing the collaborative opportunities and camaraderie it offers. Join us as we delve into his musical journey, creative process, and thoughts about the potential of platforms like Audius.
▷ I have always been listening to music since I was a child. I was very lucky that my parents always had music playing and I could soak it up from a very young age. Groups like Pink Floyd, Metallica, Nirvana, Iron Maiden, Heroes Of Silence, were part of my childhood and early adolescence. At the age of 15, I made my first trip with one of my best friends to the Alpujarras of Granada and saw two kids playing percussion as a duo. As they say in English, I had my 'aha' moment! When I returned to Alicante, my homeland, I bought a Djembe and I began to learn percussion in a self-taught way without knowing at that time that I would end up dedicating myself to playing percussion professionally. At the age of 20 I went to Cuba to study Latin percussion and I also studied Latin percussion in the modern music and jazz classroom in Barcelona, where I was able to complement my percussion studies by also studying harmony and music theory, which allowed me to have tools to start to compose my own music. Electronic music was also always part of my roots and I was a DJ for a few years, of styles like techno, Drum and bass, or trance. Right now, I focus more on enjoying producing and composing rather than on focusing on a specific genre or style of music.🎶
▷ I got to know Audius through a good friend, who told me that it will be about a year since the platform was and would be the bomb! Completely different from all the other platforms where we have uploaded our songs. One of the things that I like the most about Audius is that you can breathe a real musical community atmosphere with its own independent policy both at the level of decentralized economy and at the level of treatment towards artists. It seems to me that the Telegram channels are a very important incentive where it is very easy to meet other musicians, producers and wonderful collaborations and friendships arise. The work carried out by the community managers on the Telegram channels is simply impeccable and they give a plus to the creators to continue creating with motivation which is something that I had not seen on any other platform. On the other hand, the remix contests, the Top 5 tracks of the week, the community playlist and all the opportunities that we can apply for as creators make Audius unique, while at the same time making artists develop their skills. I am personally very grateful to the platform for having created such an optimal space for any artist who wants to show their work!
▷ In each theme, I try to focus on something that I get excited about to continue adding other components. Although this is not always a fixed rule, I have to get something that makes me feel that it has the flow to develop the theme in one direction. Normally I focus on the melody and harmony first and then I look for a rhythm that accompanies it like a cushion. For example, for the song 'United State Of Freedom,' which is published on Audius, I started it by focusing on creating different layers of voices creating chords for the introduction. Once I had the main emotion of the song, I searched for a bass that accompanied the harmony. From there, the theme was practically structured. Creativity and the state of being able to fully concentrate on what we do also plays a role in terms of flow. Depending on the subject I'm working with, I can record my own tracks or not. Some of my songs I have created only using samplers, midi and effects. In other songs, I have dedicated myself more to focusing on the recording part. I usually record percussion, keyboard accompaniment, guitar or voices.
▷ The truth is that the concept of the Metaverse is completely new to me. I think that if it evolves towards creating spaces so large that they can accommodate thousands or millions of people gathered within a virtual space, it could be a very interesting way for musicians and artists, regardless of the style or discipline they practice, to make themselves known. If this evolves, I think the possibility of DJ'ing or playing your music for thousands or millions of people from your own studio is something incredible and at the level of reach that an artist could achieve if it evolves like this. I think it would be a great avenue for promotion and expansion for artists by being able to reach so many people at the same time.
▷ One of the parts of music that I like the most is collaborating with all kinds of artists and uniting our creativity and styles! As the saying goes, four eyes always see more than two! I love soundtracks and it has always been one of my goals and dreams to be able to collaborate on one. Being able to compose for images and emphasize the meaning of what we see through music seems super interesting to me. That's frankly one of the things I'd like to accomplish long term, while obviously continuing to write my music and collaborate with other artists. In any case, I am thankful for what I already have and I don't spend all day planning my future. I enjoy what I already have and the music I make! 🎶
