Natural Magic: Dive Bars, Cosmic Consciousness and 1 Billion DJs

5 Minute Read

Music

Written by Wil

Some records arrive with context that makes them impossible to separate from the moment. Natural Magic II is one of those records.

The sophomore album from Portland-based duo Matthew Quiet and Mike McKinnon – born from late-night live sessions in the same space they host their legendary Limited Edition parties – was the final vinyl release put into production by Keith McIvor (JD Twitch) of Optimo Music before his untimely passing in September. That it should be this album feels profound: a west coast road trip through krautrock, space rock, shoegaze, and deep psychedelia, all rendered with the kind of magic that resists easy categorisation.

Natural Magic have always operated outside the algorithm. The duo make records the way they make conversation – following threads wherever they lead, trusting the flow state. In their own words, the process begins before a single note is played: a cup of tea, a wide-ranging conversation about multiple dimensions, apocalyptic scenarios, the precariousness of reality. Only then does the music start. What emerges, Matthew explains, is a kind of “spiritual remedy” – a way of doing something in the face of powerlessness.

Natural Magic II is the sound of that remedy in full bloom. Seven tracks culled from dimly lit live sessions, with overdubs of guitar, synths and percussion layered after. The Pacific Northwest – its majesty, its myths, its rolling green hills – seeps into every corner. From the monolithic drive of opener “Galaxy Builder” to the organic, grounded warmth of closing track “Chugsby’s Theme,” this is an album that moves like a road trip: purposeful, unhurried, and quietly revelatory.

In lieu of a standard interview, the duo agreed to interrogate themselves. Separately. Without conferring. What follows is a portrait of a creative partnership held together by shared loves and beautifully irreconcilable worldviews – from the five classic Natural Magic edits each would claim, to the precise cigarette-to-drink ratio one of them adheres to, to the dive bar bathroom neither of them named correctly.

<a href="https://naturalmagic.bandcamp.com/album/ii">II by Natural Magic</a>

What are your all-time five Natural Magic classics?

Matthew:

Velvet Season & Hearts of Gold – Afro Symphony

Steve Miller Band – Serenade (NM Edit)

Dead Can Dance – Song to the Siren (NM Edit)

Gloor – B1

Womack & Womack – Drive (NM Edit)

Mike:

Dave Lasley – Saved By Love

Flock of Seagulls – Lost Control

Prince – The Future (Remix)

Zane Griff – Ashes & Diamonds

Dead Can Dance – Song to the Siren (NM Edit)

One overlap. A good one.

Do you believe in magic?

Matthew: No.

Mike: Of course — how else do you explain the ultimate non-dual reality whose infinite, formless consciousness transcends time and space and is simultaneously the innermost Self and the grounds of the entire universe.

How many cigarettes?

Matthew: One per drink.

Mike: Depends on my mood.

Ever had a table shower?

Matthew: No.

Mike: Working toward it.

Favourite dive bar?

Matthew: Tony’s Tavern.

Mike: The Checkered Flag II.

Five things you like. Five things you don’t.

Matthew: Like — Amando de Ossorio’s Blind Dead Series,

the Matson logo, Yo La Tengo, spaghetti and meatballs, my best friend Michael Bryan McKinnon. Don’t like — reality TV, other drivers, plugging in cables behind your home stereo when you can’t see back there and it’s really tight and you can’t turn it because there’s so many things already plugged into it, dirty bar tap lines, late 80s/90s Aerosmith.

Mike: Like — Beans, bidets, beers, buds, and Brahman. Don’t like — bad water pressure, a warm martini, absolutes, black holes, fascists.

Got a light?

Matthew: Yes — and although to you it appears to just be a disposable Bic, it actually has special meaning to me so please don’t accidentally pocket it.

Mike: No.

What were the names of your first five bands?

Matthew: Lawn Fish, Rustic Jive, The Tea Company, Flushing Gus, Spider Trap.

Mike: The Buffoons, The TMAs, Mr Wrestling, DAMNESIA, Wet Confetti.

What do you think the sonic palette will be for Natural Magic III?

Matthew: Strawberries and cream. Wizards.

Mike: More boots, more grits, more coffee, more whiskey. Sundown to sunrise on the painted hills.

How many DJs do you think there currently are in the world?

Matthew: One billion.

Mike: One billion.

If you wish to bake an apple pie from scratch, what must you do first?

Matthew: Create the universe.