Interview

DJ / producer Maga Bo does not define himself as an urban musician. But his sound has the taste of international city music: hip hop, kwaito, kuduro, baile funk, ragga, dubstep, jungle. The work of this New Yorker, based in Rio de Janeiro since 1999, is an eclectic mix of worldwide sounds with electronic music, cooked up in his home and on his wandering laptop studio. Maga Bo is one of the main names on what has been dubbed the ‘global ghetto-tech’ scene - a new generation of DJ producers which includes Diplo, DJ /Rupture, Dolores, Ghislain Poirier and Radioclit. Inspired by sounds from around the world, their various dancefloor productions and remixes shoot off in diverse directions but share digital methods and, crucially, a collaborative approach. Maga Bo travels, listens and mixes, making musical and personal connections along the way.

You are quite critical of the ‘world music’ tag. Why?
‘World music’ is a marketing term which means any music which is not from North America, Europe or Australia. It is not only inaccurate and general to the point of being useless, it also promotes separatism and inequality. It puts the vast majority of music in the category of music from ‘other people’.

What is the importance of traveling in your work?
I make my living traveling, performing and producing music. It is an essential part of the process of research, collaboration and production. I am hugely inspired by my experiences getting to know new people and places. Certainly, it is a more profound method of incorporating elements which are not available locally as opposed to simply using samples. It has become increasingly common for producers to use samples of ‘ethnic’ sounds as sort of cultural signifiers. This is another way that ‘the other’ is disembodied without doing anything to promote understanding and communication.

Maga Bo - Fire feat. Xuman

Now you are in Ethiopia. What is the importance of Africa in your research work?
Right now I’m in Addis Abeba participating in the Ethiopian Music Festival. I have been traveling, performing and producing music all over Africa for many years. I’m most interested in the music of Morocco, South Africa, Ethiopia and Tanzania. I’m also very interested in music from the African Diaspora - particularly in the Americas. There are many very direct and visceral connections between African-American musics (North and South) and Africa.

Maga Bo - Nqayi feat. Teba

You are settled in Rio de Janeiro. Why?
It is where I always return to after being away. It is the place I call home and do the majority of my composition and production work. Brazil is incredibly rich in creative energy. I have long relationships with quite a few MCs, musicians and producers like BNegão and Marcelo Yuka. I am currently in the process of putting together a full length album based on my work in Rio de Janeiro.

When did you discover the so-called ‘ghetto sound’?
Whether a music is from the ghetto, slum or favela or not, is totally immaterial to me. My concern in working with any given music or musicians is whether or not I feel a connection in my heart and soul. The musical scenes which celebrate violence or exoticism are not interesting to me. That a particular music originates in the ghetto does not inherently make it more interesting. For me, music which comes from the heart, manifests truth and explores the human condition can just as easily originate in a middle class bedroom as it can in a slum.

So, could we talk about a global ghetto-tech movement or is it artificial?
‘Global ghetto-tech’ is a tongue-in-cheek term invented [by Wayne Marshall] to describe the phenomenon of computer-based music being produced around the world. This ‘movement’ is internet based and very small. There is, however, a much wider community of people making music on computers out there.

You always say that the computer is the most important folk instrument…
There are more people creating music on a computer than any other musical instrument. This is a recent development that has come about with the proliferation of inexpensive computers and recording equipment. The computer is not necessarily the most important instrument, but it is certainly the most widely used instrument.

How does Maga Bo remix?
I often record live percussion in my productions. My DJ sets are composed of many small pieces of audio, sometimes from my own recordings. I never simply play a track from beginning to end. I am always remixing, mixing, editing and re-contextualizing sound. As my background is as a percussionist, I'm very focused on rhythm and the beat is very important to me. Rhythm is a sort of conversation and I look to create an intelligent and heartfelt dialogue between different grooves.

Would you define yourself as an urban musician?
Only when I'm in the city! Yes and no... I love organic, acoustic, traditional music just as much as I love bass bin crushing electronic music. I love big city life as much as I love being in remote natural places. Lately, I've been doing quite a few remixes of ‘roots’ music for the dancefloor....I'm not sure where that puts me...

Which is the most interesting place in the world for music?
Wherever you are at any given moment… New York City for the intense ‘entire world in one city’ vibe. Could be anywhere, anytime but, yeah, NYC, Rio de Janeiro, Kingston, Cape Town, Barranquilla (never been there!)…

Maga Bo - Outras terras mixtape
(free download at http://fairtilizer.com/track/outrasterrasmixtape)

www.magabo.com

Bernardo Gutiérrez

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