Magnus announces The Body Gave You Everything 20th Anniversary Edition, shares Amber Broos remix

They had a lot of explaining to do, Tom Barman and CJ Bolland, back in 2004, when they entered the musical arena together as Magnus. One an accomplished songwriter and frontman with, at the time, three celebrated albums under his belt with the alternative rock band dEUS. The other an acclaimed producer and dj in the techno sphere, with numerous club classics to his credit. By melding their different worlds together, in a time when the separating walls between ‘dance’ and ‘rock’ were still solidly standing, they were met with some confusion.

‘It has to sound like JJ Cale with Kraftwerk’ (Tom Barman recalling his original pitch to CJ Bolland, in De Standaard, 2004)

Rhythm as the starting point, bluesy or jazzy structures, straightforward lyrics, electronic beats: that was the blueprint for Magnus. ‘Eclecticism is the key’, the original press release read, when they put out their first offering with The Body Gave you Everything. And although singles such as Summer’s Here and French Movies were spun on high rotation, some press outlets viewed the combined musical forces of the pair as a novelty.

‘The first person calling this an in between ditty, I’ll punch in the face’ (Tom Barman in De Morgen, 2004)

Looking back on the somewhat defensive comment today, Barman clarifies: ‘Of course Magnus was very different from both our main projects. And yes, it was mostly curiosity driving us, making us thread uncharted territory. But we also breathed and lived Magnus to the fullest, back in those days. Day and night, for almost three years. CJ Bolland concurs: ‘That is the biggest thing we have in common: we both always go all in, in whatever we do’.

‘It was tinkering and screwing, grinding and sweating too’ (CJ Bolland in Knack Focus, 2004)

‘Maybe we were a tad too honest about the recording process, back then’, laughs CJ, while Tom adds: ‘Yes, it was a hard, and sometimes crazy endeavour. Adding a real life string quartet to electronic beats, using drum machines together with live drums, adding guest musicians like Tim Vanhamel to the mix... but: you don’t notice, you can’t hear it, all the tinkering and sweating! The electronica and analogue/acoustic blend is exactly what made these tracks stand out. If the album still sounds fresh 20 years later, it’s because of the amount of time and effort we’ve put into it’.

‘Est-ce un gag?’ (first sentence from a Magnus review in Liberation, 2004)

‘That must’ve been the coldest review I ever had’, laughs Barman. ‘Not everyone got it. Some struggled with their own perspective on who we were and what we did. But I’ve said it twenty years ago, and I say it again: CJ and me wanted to make a sweet, fresh fucking dance record, something to start a night out with. And that’s what it is, no more, no less. And I am honestly still very proud of it’. Bolland adds: ‘Even though at the time we came from totally segregated worlds, and some in our respective demographics were confused, the record eventually found its very own niche audience’. So can we say that, 20 years on, The Body Gave You Everything is a cult album? ‘Sure, why not?’, says Bolland, to which Barman adds, grinning: ‘better cult than nothing!’.

The announcement comes with a first remix from Amber Broos, a new young Belgian DJ that brings a refreshing touch to a classic Magnus track: "Assault On Magnus". It's the perfect remix to introduce Magnus to a new audience while keeping the old fans stimulated. This summer Amber Broos is curating a stage at Tomorrowland and she invited Magnus to play there after they got to work together on this remix. Listen here.

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