Mixtapes have undergone a significant transformative musical journey since their inception. From homemade cassette tapes passed around classrooms in the ‘80s to a Limewire burned CD; NOW That’s What I Call Music compilations and curated Spotify and SoundCloud playlists, the humble mixtape is an art form widely practiced by professionals and amateurs alike. Whether gifted as a romantic gesture, kept as a personal memory or listened to in celebration, a mixtape can soundtrack every occasion. For Belgian electronic producer The Magician, the mixtape also played a central role in his career as he curated the sentimentality we feel for these compilations through his world-famous Magic Tape mixtape series.
An appetite for music discovery rests at the core of The Magician’s decade of Magic Tape journey. From the shiny new promos he receives from bushy-tailed artists each month to long lost vinyl records collecting dust in crates, The Magician has a knack for sifting through genre-defying music and shaping it into delectable, dance floor ready, sonic concoctions. Inspired by the power that music has to connect people and their emotions, the Belgian house maestro is no stranger to collaboration as he celebrates the 100th installment of his refined mixtape project with Magic Tape 100.
Now, ten years into his globally lauded Magic Tape series, The Magician dug deep into his industry rolodex to bring us a one-of-a-kind, celebratory mixtape. Featuring 15 exclusive and unreleased tracks from international tastemakers that have helped him shape his sound, Magic Tape 100 is both a gift for his fans and a thank you to his peers who have supported his career to this day.
While a magician never shares his tricks, we caught up with The Magician ahead of the mixtape’s release on his very own imprint, POTION Records, to get a glimpse behind the curtain and chat about what this milestone means to him.
Can you take us back to the first Magic Tape—what was the goal of recording it and where were you at as an artist?
Magic Tape One was the first music related thing I did after Aeroplane split up. The goal was to let people know what sort of music I’m into with my new project as The Magician. As an artist, it was the early beginning of the project and Aeroplane was at its peak when we split up.
How was music selected when you first started the Magic Tape series? How does this compare to how Magic Tape 100 was curated?
Magic Tape 100 is a bit different than the 99 others because all the tracks were exclusively made in advance for it. I also shared the tracklisting for the 100th in advance, which is something I usually never do. As it’s typically a monthly mixtape, the music selected is what I find each month. I also receive a lot of promos. Artists know I like unreleased/unplayed tracks and they send it to me as a premiere (hidden because I don’t give the tracklist).
When an artist selects music before and during a DJ set there is always a sense of creating a moment, setting a vibe, picking music for a certain moment in time. What setting or moment did you imagine when curating the Magic Tape 100?
I did a list of artists I like and I’m friends with and gave them carte blanche, the only requirement was that the tempo needed to be between 115 and 125 (so a disco-house tempo), because Magic Tape 100 was supposed to be played live on a world club tour after the release. Most of the artists then sent me some demos to pick from, and I chose one for each and gave my input where I felt it was needed.
What were you listening to when you curated the Magic Tape 100?
A lot of 80s Disco, Italo-Disco-New Wave-French Touch late 90’s era.
There seems to be a certain element of music fans listening to different music than they usually do while in lockdown this past year. Some people are listening to more chilled out tracks than usual, others rediscovering music from their past. Did this factor into your curation of the Magic Tape?
I rediscovered music from my vinyl collection, from the past, made 40 different playlists, classified by genre, etc. But this had no factor as artists made their own track for Magic Tape 100. I hadn’t many choices like a usual Magic Tape where I have to choose between 60-80 tracks.
Can you tell us about the ethos and direction of POTION Records? What does it represent to you sonically and where would you like to see it head?
At first, POTION was an imprint that I created to release my music, and then I started to sign music I like. There is no particular genre. I work on a crush. It can be a dance-pop song, an 80’s disco influenced track, something more electro, urban-funk or even deep techno.
Musically or otherwise what are you looking forward to this year beyond the Magic Tape 100 celebration?
I look forward to releasing the music made the past weeks. Hope to be able to play some shows in the Summer 2021. But more importantly, I really want to write an album. I was never ready for this, but now I think I am.
Who is your dream collaborator?
Soulwax & Guy-Man from Daft Punk
How will you celebrate the 100th anniversary?
We are going to live stream it from Paris with some producers/DJs (featured in the Magic Tape 100), and then me. I’ll be mixing the whole Magic Tape 100 on a Tuesday, like all 99 before. And make it available straight away.
Will you continue to release the Magic Tape as an album / compilation? any other plans for evolving the project?
After 100, back to “normal”. The Magic Tape 101 will be available on Soundcloud like all of them. There is also my playlist Magic Tape on Spotify where you can find the music unmixed.
