Please note this is an old page and Fly Global Music has now moved. Please follow this link and search for the entry in the new site.

Magik Johnson (aka Dick Johnson) made his name at Manchester’s Hacienda as the Saturday night resident before going into production for Olympic, Pleasure and Paper Recordings as well as forming Shaboom Records.

With a move from Blackpool to New Zealand, it has meant that he’s now even more widely known as a producer and remixer and 2005 saw NRK release his debut album, Cardboard Journey.

Last year, he linked up with Darren Emerson’s Underwater Records and the release of ‘Malone / Jump’ on 12” and the compilation Episode V on which ‘I Give Up’ turned up as an exclusive track.

The original version is much more of a post-punk acid job but it’s the Deepgroove (Grayson Shipley & Lee Pattison) remix that’s the one. It gets rid of the vocals and gets all clicky ping pong under the deep synths before going off to the samba. It is the time of year for it after all and this is definitely my kinda house.

The ‘07 Mix has a deep thunderous warehouse echo with the synth that is so 2007 as the rave revival just keeps getting bigger since last year. The vocals are of the Justice vs. Simian ‘We Are Your Friends’ school of anger management so our friend Daedelus is going to love it.

John Dahlbäck is a new name to me and on his remix he decides to keep the vocal and strips it down to the bare bones before building up to a climax.

It’s a long time since the “acid house madness” of the Hacienda but who better to catch the nu-rave wave to surf right outta Piha? This is out on Monday and it’s guaranteed I’ll be dancing to it this weekend. I wonder what he makes of A Certain Ratio’s reforming and the nu-rave scene?

Hectic Mix nomination - Deepgroove Remix

Reviewed: Magik Johnson - I Give Up (Underwater Records) Cat. No: H2O 077 Released: 26th Feb 2006
Tracklisting:
I Give UP (Magik’s ‘07 Mix) (7:38)
I Give UP (John Dahlback Remix) (6:49)
I Give Up (Original) (6:44)
I Give Up (Deepgroove Remix) (6:26)

Links:
www.magicjohnson.org
www.underwaterrecords.com
Darren Emerson & Magik Johnson — Underwater Episode V
www.deepgrooveworld.com
www.johndahlback.com
www.globalarrangements.de/artists/john.html
www.myspace.com/huggotron
www.magicjohnson.org
www.piha.co.nz
Gilles Peterson :: Thursday 1st February :: Aloe Blacc live in session
My Kinda House Volume 2mix
Subliminial Kid — ‘The Chord Song’ (Test)
Tokyo Blackstar — ‘Baby Powder’ (Test)
Thom Yorke — ‘The Crow’ (Casamena Bassment remix) (XL)
Todd Sines- ‘Rive Gauche’ (Scale)
Timmy Regisford — ‘Africa’s Calling’ (Shelter)
Greg Gauthier & Tony L- ‘Niokolo Koba’ (KIF)
Trus Me — ‘Still Love 4 Music’ (Still Music)
N-Danbli — ‘Can’t Change Me’ (Ron Trent Mix)