Now less a side project and more a fusion of the disparate, complimentary talents, Magnus is the semi-regular rendezvous of Barman – dEUS’ talismanic frontman and Bolland – the legendary producer of floor-buckling electronic classics such as It Ain’t Gonna Be Me (used to dazzling effect in the film Human Traffic) and the colossal club track Sugar is Sweeter. Having first worked together in 2004 on their first collaborative album The Body Gave You Everything – a record that Barman described as sounding like “JJ Cale meets Kraftwerk” – the duo returned to the studio with a host of collaborators following the surprise 2012 release of dEUS’ Following Sea.
Thankfully, the new Where Neon Goes To Die is no fleeting reunion for Barman and Bolland. This time round, the once-a-decade studio partnership of two of Belgium’s most endearing, forward-thinking musicians takes to the live stage for a series of shows. The duo are working as a five-piece band, amongst them Tim Vanhamel of Belgian band Millionaire and legendary Palm Desert rockers Eagles of Death Metal. Hearing that live set up tear through Where Neon Goes To Die – an album that’s wild-eyed with frenetic creativity and very much created in the studio – well, that’s where the fun really begins.
