Young Magic is an American

electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...

group from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2010. The project consists of multi-instrumentalists and producers Melati Malay and Isaac Emmanuel. The group is known for their percussive musical style, often incorporating field recordings made by band members. The duo have released

mixtapes In the modern music industry, a mixtape is a musical project, typically with looser constraints than that of an album or extended play. Unlike the traditional album or extended play, mixtapes are labeled as laid-back projects that allow artists mo ...

in collaboration with London-based visual artist

Leif Podhajsky Leif Podhajsky is an Australian graphic designer and art director, well known for his distinctive album art working with artists such as Tame Impala, Bonobo, Foals, Kylie Minogue, Of Monsters and Men, Lykke Li, Toy, The Horrors, Mount Kimbie, ...

, who is also responsible for the band's album cover artwork. They have collaborated with American composer Kelsey Lu, UK

trip hop Trip hop is a musical genre that has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop and electronica with slow tempos and an atmospheric sound. The style emerged as a more experimental music, experimental var ...

pioneer Tricky, and have been sampled by

Purity Ring Purity rings (also known as promise rings, abstinence rings, or chastity rings) are rings worn as a sign of chastity. Since the 1990s, Christian organizations in the United States used the purity ring as a symbol of commitment. In particular, Cat ...

and

Playboi Carti Jordan Terrell Carter (born September 13, 1995, or 1996), known professionally as Playboi Carti, is an American rapper. Known for his eccentric vocal style and fashion, he is considered an influential figure in modern Hip hop music, hip hop a ...

History

Formation

Original members Melati Malay, Isaac Emmanuel and Michael Italia met in New York City during 2010. Malay was born in

Jakarta, Indonesia Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

, Emmanuel and Italia in Australia. After separately traveling abroad and recording material, the group rented a space above a speakeasy in Brooklyn during 2011 and began collaborating. Their debut 7" single, "Sparkly/You With Air", was released on February 8, 2011, by

Carpark Records Carpark Records is an independent record label based in Washington, D.C. History Carpark Records was established by Todd Hyman in 1999 in New York City. In 2005, the label relocated to Washington, D.C. Carpark has subsidiary labels. Acute Re ...

, followed by "Night in the Ocean/Slip Time".

''Melt''

Young Magic's debut studio album, ''Melt'', was released by Carpark on February 14, 2012. The LP was recorded in Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, United States, Spain, Germany, Iceland, Australia and the UK. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' described the music on ''Melt'' as "Lush and immersive, on Young Magic's debut the reverb ripples, synthesizers swoop, quasi-tribal percussion crunches and plinks and voices ooh and ah in washes of harmony." The

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

described the debut as "music that waxes and wanes, and explodes; and a great spirit which, rather than confine itself to basements and bedsits, aims its sights on the heavens". The band released the limited-edition ''Maps'' mixtape later that year, consisting of recorded material which did not fit on ''Melt''. In 2012

sampled the lead vocal from Young Magic's ''You With Air'' on their song "Grandloves" from the album ''

Shrines A shrine ( "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor worship, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, Daemon (mythology), daemon, or similar figure of respect, wh ...

'' (

4AD 4AD is a British record label owned by Beggars Group. It was founded in London under the name Axis Records by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent in 1980 as an imprint of Beggars Banquet Records. The name was changed to 4AD after the release of th ...

). During 2013, Young Magic toured with Purity Ring and also made festival appearances at

Lowlands Upland and lowland are conditional descriptions of a plain based on elevation above sea level. In studies of the ecology of freshwater rivers, habitats are classified as upland or lowland. Definitions Upland and lowland are portions of a ...

Austin Psych Fest Levitation and Austin Psych Fest are two annual multi-day music festivals developed and produced by The Reverberation Appreciation Society. Starting out under the name Austin Psych Fest as a single-location, three-day festival, the festival was r ...

and

The Brooklyn Museum The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 500,000 objects. Located near the Prospect Heights, Crown Heights, Fla ...

''Breathing Statues''

Following the departure of Italia, the band's second album, ''Breathing Statues'', was released on May 6, 2014, by Carpark Records. One week prior to its official release, a stream of the album was announced by ''

the Fader ''The Fader'' is a magazine established in 1999 as an outlet for Cornerstone Agency, a marketing and public relations firm established by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. History and work It is owned by T ...

'', which also noted that it was made "in Morocco, France, the Czech Republic, Australia and Iceland. The duo recorded while on tour, finishing up in their New York studio".''Breathing Statues'' was mixed by engineer Sean Maffuci

Gang Gang Dance Gang Gang Dance is an American band based in Manhattan, New York City. They are known for their distinctive sound which blends elements of psych-rock, ambient electronics, hip-hop, and Eastern music influences with the vocals of singer Lizzi ...

and signaled new ambient directions for the project.' The ''NME'' described the album's style as "Hypnotic. Primarily, it relies on metallic-sounding percussion, synth motifs, brittle and recurring samples" and ''The 405'' as "a more cohesive body of work, it demonstrates maturity, and a confidence in their passion for detail, preferring to construct layers, textures and cinematic soundscapes". '

''Remixes Vol. 1''

On April 23, 2015, the group released the compilation album ''Remixes Vol. 1'', with contributions by Matthewdavid,

Teebs Mtendere Mandowa, better known by his stage name Teebs, is an American record producer and visual artist from Los Angeles, California. He is a member of the My Hollow Drum collective. He is also one half of the duo Sons of the Morning. Life and ...

the Acid The Acid are an electronic music quartet consisting of British DJ and record producer Adam Freeland; Californian producer, composer, and professor of music technology Steve Nalepa; American singer/songwriter Jens Kuross; and Los Angeles–based ...

, Mark McGuire and Gray. All proceeds for the album were donated to the Aboriginal Benefits Foundation.

''Still Life''

On May 13, 2016, Young Magic released their third studio album, ''Still Life.'' The album was inspired by Malay's travels in her birthplace of Java, Indonesia. In ''

Interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" re ...

'' magazine, the singer explained, "''Still Life'' can be one version of yourself, still like a painting, but on the other hand constantly recreating that version of yourself according to environmental, social, political influences in this world...a world where people constantly tell you who to pray to, what to buy into, and who your enemies should be. It's my reaction to that. Life, and yourself within it, is constantly going to be recreated, so there's no point in being steadfast in one ideology". Bolivian-born, New York City–based percussionist Daniel Alejandro Siles Mendoza, a contributor to the album, joined the band's touring line-up. The album also featured contributions from producer

Rioux Rioux () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France. It is best known for its Romanesque church, particularly its fine corbel table. Population See also * Communes of the Charente-Maritime department * Rio (dis ...

and cellist and composer Kelsey Lu. In May 2016 the group supported New York experimental band

Yeasayer Yeasayer () was an American experimental rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2006. The band consisted of Chris Keating, Ira Wolf Tuton, and Anand Wilder. They announced their split on December 19, 2019. History Formation The band's thr ...

on their North American tour.

Collaborations

Kyp Malone Kyp Malone (born February 27, 1973) is an American multi-instrumentalist and member of the bands TV on the Radio, Iran, Rain Machine, and Ice Balloons. Biography Malone grew up in Moon Township, Pennsylvania and moved to New Jersey for High Scho ...

TV on the Radio TV on the Radio (TVOTR) is an American rock music, rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2001. The band consists of Tunde Adebimpe (vocals, loops), Dave Sitek (guitars, keyboards, loops), Kyp Malone (vocals, guitars, bass, loops), and ...

released a remix for Young Magic's "Default Memory" in 2016. In 2018 the band supported Tricky on his North American tour. The following year Tricky recorded and produced a new version of Young Magic's song "Lucien," which was released on his False Idols/

!K7 Records !K7 Music is a music company based in Berlin, Germany that focuses mostly on electronic music. The name is an abbreviation of the company's original Berlin address, Kaiserdamm 7 (it has since relocated, first to Heidestrasse 52, and currently hea ...

label on August 2, 2019. Young Magic has a writing credit on American rapper

's 2019 single "Fell In Luv".

Associated projects

Melati Malay is also a member of Asa Tone, a collaboration with New York electronic music producers

Kaazi Kaazi, Uganda is home to a training ground for The Uganda Scouts Association and is located south of Kampala and on the shores of Lake Victoria Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. With a surface area of approximately , Lake Vic ...

and Tristan Arp. The group released their debut album ''Temporary Music'' on Leaving Records on January 31, 2020. Malay also releases solo music under the moniker Melati ESP and is set to release her debut album ''hipernatural'' on April 28, 2023 via

Discography

Studio albums

*''Melt'' (2012,

) *''Breathing Statues'' (2014,

) *''Still Life'' (2016,

)

Singles

* "You With Air" 7" (2011,

) * "Night in the Ocean" 7" (2011,

)

Mixtape albums

*''Maps'' (2012,

)

Compilation albums / features

*''Lucien (Tricky Remix)'' (2019, False Idols/!K7) *''Remixes Vol. 1'' (2015, self-released)

References

{{Authority control American electronic dance music groups Musical groups established in 2010 Musical groups from Brooklyn 2010 establishments in New York City Carpark Records artists