In conversation with: Magna Pia

Hüseyin Evirgen is a composer, producer and DJ. He is one half of Cassegrain and is working on his solo material since 2016 under the name Magna Pia.

I had the chance to sit down for a chat with Hüseyin recently, where we talked about sound, the creative process, the current landscape of electronic music, his experiences of the Berlin music scene, and his upcoming projects. The story of Magna Pia is diverse, exciting and most of all inspirational. Stick around to find out more about the person behind the music. 

The creative process

The creative process is the evolution of an idea into its final form through a progression of thoughts and actions. It involves critical thinking and problem-solving and creative individuals generally go through five steps to bring their ideas to fruition—preparation, incubation, illumination, evaluation, and verification. Surely in reality, artists rarely even think about these phases, they just happen naturally, and to us the fans of music and art it is always interesting to find out more about each step of the way or to even try and comprehend how the magic happens.

‘’I had different phases in my life. When I was teenager, I would just take the guitar and I would be in my room playing, writing songs, or even singing along, it is basically the first time I started creating music. Later on, when I was composing for acoustic instruments, I had to be able to hear the sound in my head before I put it down on paper. I had to hear how different instruments sound on their own and then combined together. This is how I was trained to create, but when I got into techno things changed. I had to learn all the structures. I thought I could do really good easily because of my previous knowledge, but of course, I learned the hard way that it wasn’t the case. Everything has its own art and specifics where you need to get deep to be able to have full understanding. After that the instruments – the synthesizers, drum machines, they gave me ideas for my creative process over the years. Since the absence of clubs and the need to keep the interest of people through your ability to make them dance, I have been feeling more like grabbing the guitar again and creating some music in my head. I guess this is more how I would like my next creative process or technique to be. Maybe I’m getting into a new age of my own creativity, which I’m still trying to understand myself. I’m feeling really good about it.’’

Analog versus Digital

In the electronic music industry there is often the question of analog versus digital when it comes to either production or performance. I find this to be a hard question to answer, because there is not only one truth to it, and it is nearly impossible to say that one thing is generally better than the other. Both mediums have their charm, advantages and limitations. Speaking to an artist like Magna Pia, who is mostly analog oriented I am curious about his take on the limitations of only digital production and if there are such at all.

‘’Definitely not. There is no difference, at the end, the music counts. Whatever you have, you have to just make music. If you feel more comfortable looking at a computer screen that’s okay! I’m feeling more comfortable with instruments, I need the haptic. I don’t see the computer as an instrument for myself, but if other people do, they should definitely go this way. At the end, there are many more important things in music than the way it was made like the expression, the dynamics, the length, the mood, the quality the musicality.’’ While I fully agree with Hüseyin, I try to challenge him and go a step deeper asking about whether or not one can create sounds like modular or synths in an entirely digital environment with the same success as the original sources.

‘‘I try to make electronic music, which sounds like real instruments, and I’m also trying to make acoustic music, which sounds like electronic music.’’

‘’I think I enjoy more analog sounding things and that is what I personally make. I try to make electronic music, which sounds like real instruments, and I’m also trying to make acoustic music, which sounds like electronic music. Both ways around I can express myself better when I use analogue, but then I also like a lot of reverb. You can have a spring reverb like a small box, but to get the type of reverb that I want, I need to go and record into a church. In that case of course I’m going to go digital. For every type of expression or mood anything can be interesting, and it doesn’t have to be one or the other. It’s about how you combine things. Everything can be interesting, you know? ‘’

For those of you who are not sure what a reverb is, well basically reverb occurs when a sound hits any hard surface and reflects back to the listener at varying times and amplitudes to create a complex echo, which carries information about that physical space. In terms of techno, hypnotic techno carries a lot of reverb.

‘’I like long decay and release, long and big Cathedral-like reverbs, and because of that people would call my music deep but actually it’s not, I just have a bit longer reverb. So this is just an element, but for me it’s like a mood-making thing. In the end whatever comes out if it’s dry or deep or upbringing, digital or analog, modular or synth it doesn’t matter, just do whatever you can and just put it out, but give it your heart and put your thoughts in it, your personality. Look for new things in yourself as a person and as an artist. ‘’

Current projects, inspirations, culture and sound

In 2019, Magna Pia released his first solo album ‘’Daiauna’’ on Feral Note, which he recorded in a completely isolated and gear-reduced studio, where the main instrument that he focused on was a piano. The result was a monolithic electronic album. Currently, the producer is busy with creating his second album, which will follow that direction sound-wise, but this time it will contain a bit more beats and less piano.

Part of Magna Pia’s current studio set up

‘’I moved to a home studio situation when the pandemic started and my set up has changed completely. I have some broken Austrian zither from the 50s, a frame drum and Indian tabla, a broken violin from my grandmother, a few silver and copper objects I own with special meanings, my own voice and got some new hardware like Soma Lyra 8 to support it. Playing instrumental music with not really working instruments and mixing this with certain types of electronics. Everything goes into ambient direction, and it does not have these extremely refined classical sounds that I had in my previous album. It’s going more into a tribal dirtier, trippier and sexier direction, some people might even call it shamanic in a way but I am personally very careful with that word. It has a lot of rhythms, also 4/4 kind of rhythms, which you wouldn’t go crazy unless you heard them really loud in the club, but they still make you move inside without really dancing kind of. It’s a feeling that I love.’’

Listening to Hüseyin describing his upcoming music, I get very excited not only because of the interesting set up that he is using, but also because he is a person who is deeply interested in history and culture. This has manifested in his previous works, so I asked him what was the thought this time? ‘’The upcoming album has lots of elements of the Uyghur music, which is coming from the northwest of China and is actually my mother’s culture. This culture is disappearing right now, they are being killed and it is devastating. I want to record this in a different context and make it timeless. I want to keep this alive, because I grew up with it and it influenced me a lot.’’

I find it amazing and worthy of respect, when artists try to express their feelings and emotions with regards to what is happening in the world right now. Being open to multiple cultures, points of view, ways of life is a crucial point of the electronic music culture, and in my eyes we should try to connect the world of techno with the rest of the world more often and ask critical questions, fight for different causes and be united as we are when we are dancing.

I personally am a big fan of ambient and experimental music. Events like Berlin Atonal or Arch Berlin are certainly my top choice when it comes to such experiences. I find this music great because I feel like it gives me even more freedom in my mind, and my creativity and imagination are sparked on a different level. I want to know about Hüseyin’s opinion on those genres from the listeners point of view rather than his own as a creator?

‘’ I was always interested in different things musically since I was kid. But I had this classical music education, which then became a composition education in the university. We were learning how to create artistic concepts and how to be experimental, with the instruments and fortunately I had two really open-minded professors, who motivated me a lot and made me end up in totally different scene at the end. So experimentation is my background and of course I really enjoy this kind of music. At the same time, I don’t really like music that is too predictable. I need something interesting that is going on in the music. ‘’

I am immediately struck hearing those last words about the ‘’interesting’’ factor in sound and I want to know more. ‘’I think personally, my first interest would be definitely sound design, the rhythmical aspect and how much details I can hear out of it. When I hear pop music, there’s also something interesting for me to listen to. I don’t ever look down or up to any kind of music. There’s always something interesting for me to hear, but I am very drawn by darker sentiments, driving music, groovy, something that I can get hooked on and lose sense of time. It needs to put me in a trip. I am really interested when there is also something ancient, not nostalgic, but just out of this time like imaginary sounds of instruments from 7000 years ago. I also love a lot of futuristic sounds.  This is what I can mostly enjoy listening to.’’ Hüseyin often mentions ancient instruments and music, and it makes me think what is so special about that sound that he is pursing it so much in the present day.

‘’Lots of things happened back then and the world was a very different place. As I am fascinated by history, I am really curious about everything that happened before. I also always try to find the roots of things and I think this is also reflected in my approach and interest towards music.’’ For an artist like Magna Pia it is not hard to get access to excellent music at all times, but it makes you wonder, when you can have everything how do you choose what you want to hear?

‘’ When I was younger, I used to go to record shops2-3 times a week. I would spend 3-4 hours in there and just dig and dig, talk to people and the staff, and this was way more fun. Right now, I kind of have to open my email. It's very difficult to find the right music for myself and I have to spend a lot of time looking. There is a big ratio of non-electronic music in what I listen to normally, and I am more interested in looking things up like where does the groove come from or how did frequencies change over time in different cultures.’’

The most enjoyable aspects and lessons of having a life of a musician

With so many years of experience in music, Hüseyin had the chance to try a bit of everything. In techno, he released for some of the most influential labels of our time, and had the chance to tour the world. When you have ‘’done it all’’ and seen so much, what stays with you?

‘’I had lots of fun from playing and traveling and meeting incredible people. Of course, my whole life changed after that because I used to travel for fun, but then it became like a lifestyle. I think I was playing in Lithuania at a festival in the woods and a guy came and spoke to me and he said that he likes people that make the world small for themselves. Basically the more you travel, it does not seem so big anymore. This really stuck in my head and it is actually very nice to be able to understand how big the world is. It definitely changes a lot in one’s mind after multiple experiences. I also like that you kind of give up on the things that you learned conventionally, the traditional constructs that you have been believing, or even conservative ideas or prejudice. I’ve always been open-minded as I was raised that way, but travelling opened my mind even more in every direction and made me aware of many things and how life works. That ultimately influenced me musically as well.’’

‘‘I’ve always been open-minded as I was raised that way, but travelling opened my mind even more in every direction and made me aware of many things and how life works. That ultimately influenced me musically as well.’’

Sadly, right now this is the one thing which we are not free to do, and hopefully over time things will develop into a better situation for everyone. For me personally, the pandemic has been an extreme learning experience, which made me realize that some of my ‘’old ways’’ weren’t that great and that to some extent the intensity of my life in Berlin, was not right. I am curious to find out how is Magna Pia affected and how does he cope with not being able to travel.

‘’I am definitely thinking about the old days a lot like everyone does. But, the travel and everything that comes with it is not what everyone thinks. At 7 AM all you care about at some point is a hotel breakfast, because you have to get up in two hours and get on a plane and be somewhere else and function. You don’t have fun in the same way everyone else at the party does, but of course I miss life pre-corona a lot.’’

Given the fact that Hüseyin is active in techno since many years, I cannot help but think whether he has the same passion for producing and playing this music as he did on day one? ‘’Absolutely. It's the best place for me to be – on stage. It’s my comfort zone. I’ve been on stage since I was 7 years old, and this is where I can fully disconnect and not care about anything else. It’s my safe space.’’ Hearing this, I completely empathise with that feeling. Even though I am participating in the music scene from the perspective of a fan, I can confidently say that the dancefloor is my happy place, my safe space. The scene is in turmoil and we are experiencing a really hard time for culture right now in every aspect.

The current landscape, life in Berlin, the mass club closure around the world and what happens next

‘’I am pretty sure that lots of clubs I played around the world are not coming back. In Germany, I think they are a bit luckier, but all around the world there is no money for our scene. As an example, I know how my friends from Vurt in Seoul are fighting so much only to stay alive, and it’s very difficult for everyone right now. We are the people who don’t have jobs for a year now. Still, everyone somehow had a job but it’s about trying to survive. I think when everything comes back, the big massive names in techno with the biggest crowds will be the ones that kind of ‘’own it’’. There will be also newcomers who will play for free. But a lot of the artists who don’t have commercial benefit like myself, in this time they had to find a way to survive or they tried to enter the mainstream industry either by providing services like music for film or commercials. It’s all we have left right now. Those are the people that I am worried about.’’

Do you think that perhaps some artists might lose their motivation to create electronic music if they forced to live this ‘’alternative life’’ for too long? ‘’Of course, it’s about surviving. They are not going to have enough time to create music.’’ Is it about time though, or also about inspiration and impulses that the environment, the club, the scene gives? ‘’Both, but I also haven’t been doing much techno or dancefloor-oriented music in this time either. It kind of did good to me, I am not really complaining, but I am scared that the whole scene might disappear at some point.’’ I am not sure if there is a real danger of that. Whatever contribution there is, it is helping to keep the scene alive and could give a new point of view to someone. ‘’The only thing I can do now is to try and teach people. I am doing it for my income of course, but I also really enjoy it because I am training a lot of new artists, and they are getting very encouraged and they are learning a lot of things in a very short time, and it’s a good feeling if I can share my wisdom and my knowledge. Then we can create something, even a new scene maybe with a better appreciation for music. Before corona, the last years of techno and club culture, it felt like the focus was not so much on the music anymore. ‘’

‘‘I am training a lot of new artists, and they are getting very encouraged and they are learning a lot of things in a very short time, and it’s a good feeling if I can share my wisdom and my knowledge.’’

 I completely agree with that, as I have been primarily experiencing club life in Berlin the past couple of years, where definitely the focus is more on the experiential part rather than the music. It was all about getting lost, and I never really understood this emphasis. ‘’I think it’s just the flow of life or some dynamics. Things get a momentum and people start needing different things.’’

And speaking of life in Berlin, I was really curious how did Hüseyin see things in the local scene. ‘’I am someone that had a very settled experience, but at the same time I would go to Berghain or about:blank on a Sunday noon and stay till the evening to just enjoy the music. I have always been more on the calmer side of things, but I did meet a lot of interesting people who don’t just want to die in the rave, but actually really come for the artist. It was very nice, but things got kind of misunderstood. Everything became too popular.’’

What about the extreme at which techno is experienced in Berlin? ‘’Techno culture is not about an extreme and the music doesn’t have to be, but it can be and I kind of enjoy being around that sometimes, but I don’t have to be extreme myself, but I could, if I wanted.’’ While I agree with Hüseyin mostly based on my own experience in this city, I share how addictive this lifestyle can be in a city where on a normal weekend as a true music lover you must divide yourself in 3 and go to 3 different clubs because there are insane artists playing everywhere. ‘’If you are true to yourself, there is nothing wrong with letting yourself completely go. If you start lying to yourself, this is where the lifestyle might get too destructive.’’

‘’I hope that clubs open again. We don’t know how it is going to be. Maybe it’s going to be different but we will get used to it, because as humans we get used to things very quickly. Just like we got used to what is now, we will quickly get used to the old or new way.’’

With that, on a hopeful note we concluded our conversation. Hüseyin gave me a lot of food for thought and I am happy that artists like himself are in the heart of our scene – creating and giving their genuine contributions! To give you a glimpse of Magna Pia’s sound click below and listen to the incredibly dynamic and trippy journey he recorded for me. Enjoy!