magas: explanatory denial

Magas's limited-to-200 4-track spring 2017 12" EP Explanatory Denial opens A1 with 'Shipping Container', a rough, minimal stomper, offering plenty of bounce, but no padding or instructions. A2's 'New Dawn' opens the door to a brightly-lit and concrete alternate reality. B1's 'Sky Castles' keeps bodies moving while synthesized strings whisper false reassurances of easy days and high pay. The closer, 'Indelible Mark' is an atmospheric lo-fi Casio and Rhodes lounge-funk spy groover that smells of Holiday Inn wood-paneling, dripping with Benson & Hedges Ultra-lite 100s. Deploying a variety of primitive electronic techniques, Explanatory Denial is a testament to the power of diligent synth-hunting and decades of basement refinement. Explanatory Denial is the 7th record by Chicago-based electronic producer Jim Magas under his longtime Magas moniker. In the '90s, he fronted unconventional 'no wave'-ish bands Couch and Lake Of Dracula. In the early 2000s, he recorded for material for Ersatz Audio and did a few remixes. In the Twenty-teens, he focused on instrumental productions for his own Midwich imprint and composing music for director Asia Argento's 2014 film, Misunderstood. In early 2017, Magas premiered new material during a U.S. tour in support of band Joan of Arc. Explanatory Denial is the first entry into Midwich Red, a series of no-frills, minimally-packaged, club-friendly, limited edition 12"s.