Balamb Garden Q&A

Your name:
Magnus Dagon.

Where are you from?
We are from Madrid, Spain.

Name of band:

Balamb Garden.

Who else is in your band?

Balamb Garden is composed mainly of Alfonso de Lucas and me, Magnus Dagon. Sometimes we are helped by other musicians. In the early stages of the band we were three, because a common friend of Alfonso and mine, Pilar Barba, was the female singer.

How would you describe yourselves?

An experimental band that works in studio and love electronic music but not only works with synths. We love guitars (both electric and acoustic), sax, harmonica... Because of my experience as a fantasy writer in Spain, we also care a lot about the lyrics, and try to talk about unusual topics in the world of music.

Who are your main influences musically?

I completely love Hooverphonic and Garbage, and also the music from videogames and animes. Alfonso is a big fan of Lacrimosa and Mike Oldfield, and we both adore Depeche Mode. I would also say that Muse is the kind of band we try to be similar.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

This is difficult to answer. We love what we do, but here in Spain is almost impossible to live being an artist (of any kind), and it's even worse if you sing in English instead of Spanish. We would like, more than anything, recognition for all the hard work. And personally, I would like that people everywhere would know about our videoclips, because the director has put a lot of effort in them and I'd like that this could be appreciated in a way or another.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

When our music was selected to be heard in shops of the country. Of course we are an indie band and we don't sound in big stores, but this was a great step for us.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

The day we released a cover of Losing My Religion because fans demanded it. It was so different from our style... our songs have a very dark pitch and my voice is similar of Dave Gahan's, and recording this was just... well, it's better to forget it.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

The Ghost. No doubt about it. It represents what I said about mixing rock with electronic, I love the lyrics and the vocals are among my favourites as well as the guitar solo, and it was also our first videoclip, recorded in my own house because there wasn't another place where to do it.

Where can we listen to it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kWY7De-Hy8

Where can we find out more about your music?

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/balambgardenband
Twitter: @BGardenMusic
Official site: www.balambgardenmusic.blogspot.com
Bandcamp: www.balambgarden.bandcamp.com

Anything else you’d like to say about your band/music that I forgot to ask?

'Do you believe your music is the best thing you have ever created?' Yes, we do. I've written several fantasy books, I like them a lot and I have get paid for them, but music is for me something at the next level. I don't live off music, but music has made my life happier in almost every possible way.