DIRTY SOUND MAGNET Talks Philosophy Underlying Their Music, Football & More

With an impressive track record of over 500 shows throughout Europe, the UK, and Mexico, three studio albums, and a captivating live record since 2017, Switzerland’s Dirty Sound Magnet is an unstoppable, unbreakable force of rock. The uniqueness of their mesmerizing music and kinetic live performances has won audiences the world over. Their show is unpredictable; shamanic stage presence, rock star charisma, instrumental prowess, poetic vocals, and tantalizing dynamics. Expect the unexpected.

The band will perform in Romania in three locations:

Stage Pub, Timisoara on March 18
Atelier, Cluj Napoca on March 19, and
Expirat, Bucharest on March 20 (Event booked by OneDay)

We’re thrilled that the band took the time to answer our burning questions!

Hi, and thank you for your time! I’m sure fans would be interested in knowing more about your backstory. How did you start the band?

Marco (bass), Maxime (drums), and I, Stavros (guitar, vocals), met as teenagers in 2006. Very quickly, we became obsessed with music. We decided to dedicate our lives to music. The rule was: no plan B.

We’ve spent the first ten years rehearsing every day for hours, playing local gigs, and listening to a lot of music. In 2017, we released our first album, “Western Lies.” And here we are today, still together and enjoying every moment on stage, in the studio, and on tour.

For newcomers to your music, if you had to pick one track that shows people who you are as an artist, which one would it be?

The tricky thing with Dirty Sound Magnet is that our philosophy is that we have no musical boundaries. Therefore, every song has a different vibe. I think that it is impossible to present the band with one track.

If I had to choose one single track, I would choose ‘The Sophisticated Dark Ages’. It’s a weird choice because it’s an instrumental track. But it’s the intro of all our shows and the first track of our first record. It’s a good way to enter the magnet.

Is there a specific philosophy or worldview underlying your music?

Yes. I believe that music is medicine for the soul and that music brings people together all over the world. It’s the universal language. I view music as a spiritual key to our humanity. We go from town to town to spread our love for music to the world and a positive message.

The lyrics have several angles: philosophical, political, personal, emotional, and sometimes sarcastic.

In all things, I value depth. Therefore, it usually takes time to grasp the message behind songs and albums.

How do you think your sound has evolved over the years? Did you always have in mind to sound the way you sound today?

I think that I had an aesthetic idea of the music when we started the band, just had no idea how to get there. It’s getting closer but there’s always things to improve.

In some aspects, we went beyond what I had imagined stylistically but on a technical level, I think that we will never be fully satisfied. As long as we have the urge to improve, we are in a good place. I hope the time when we think that we’re doing everything perfectly never comes.

Take me through your sound design process. Does the conception come first or do the songs evolve naturally – do you have a clear idea of what it will be before you start to make it?

I start writing songs with my acoustic guitar. Then I take the songs in the rehearsal room and we work on them together as a band. Once we feel that a song is ready to be recorded, we start thinking about a studio version.

This process can take up to ten years. On our last record, there is a song called ‘Insomnia’; the basic idea stems from a band rehearsal in 2009. We recorded the studio version in 2022 and released it in 2023. Between 2009 and 2022 we played the song every now and then but there was always something missing. And all of a sudden everything came into place and we were ready to record it. Today it’s become a fan favorite track. This is the magic of music, you never know.

On the same album, ‘Melodies from Distant Shores’ was written in the morning, rehearsed for a week, and recorded the week after. It’s a complex song with some unconventional melodies, yet the magic happened instantly.

There are many descriptions of the ideal state of mind for being creative. What is it like for you? What supports this ideal state of mind and what are distractions? Are there strategies to enter into this state more easily?

I prefer not to think about it and let things happen naturally. Has worked for me so far.

Now in general, I think that smartphones and social media are a negative distraction for an artist. It keeps you from being bored and I think that creativity happens when you’re bored; not when you’re overstimulated.

In how much, do you feel, are creative decisions shaped by cultural differences – and in how much, vice versa, is the perception of sound influenced by cultural differences?

I think that we don’t realize how rich our cultural heritage in Europe is. I’m convinced that the future of Rock Music is European. Because we’ve grown up with this amazing melting pot of Western Music. The blues was born in America when the African slaves mixed culturally with European settlers. Rock was born when the British reinterpreted the American blues.

And now we can add our rich European roots to this music. I believe that music is movement and Rock music for instance is travelling Eastwards.

In Dirty Sound Magnet, Maxime is Swiss, Marco is Italian and I’m myself Greek-Hungarian. I grew up with Hungarian music from my mom’s side, Greek music from my dad’s side, and a hell lot of rock music.

I truly believe that European bands should not try to emulate the American ones. We should add our roots to it. That’s the key.

How do you know when a track is ready? Does it ever become difficult to refine ideas or stop perfecting?

It’s an endless process. There are many songs that we would like to re-record, but for now, we also have to learn to accept imperfections. Perfection is boring anyway.

Do you have certain rituals to get you into the right mindset for creating? What role do certain foods or stimulants like coffee, lighting, scents, exercise, or reading poetry play?

For creating none. Just an empty head. For getting on stage yes. Exercise, water, and stretching. Getting ready to explode on stage.

Guilty pleasure time. What would you say are some of your current most guilty pleasures? All is fair: games, food, books, video games, whatever floats your boat. Let us have it.

Football. The team I support (Olympique Lyon) is actually playing FCSB right before we play in the city.

Since childhood, I’ve liked football and my favorite team as a little kid was actually Romania’s. Somehow, I identified with the team probably because of my Hungarian roots. I loved Gheorghe Hagi.

I’m kind of intrigued by Romanian culture. I love ‘The Lark’ by Dinicu and my roommate is a Romanian famous pianist named Teo Gheorghiu.

To wrap it up, what do you hope to do with your art in the future?

Well, our wish is to never retire. Find ways to keep recording and touring. The most important thing is to make people happy and to inspire them. I believe that our role in this society is to spread some love and passion.