Review Fix Exclusive: Computer Magic Talks ‘Dimensions’ And More

Review Fix chats with singer/songwriter Computer Magic, who discusses the influences and goals for her new single “Dimensions” and her upcoming EP.

Review Fix: How did you get involved in music?

Computer Magic: Growing up I immersed myself in music itself, but never knew I could play anything until I was 21. That’s when I sat down and wrote my first song by ear. I never knew I would be successful in making music, so the fact that anyone enjoyed it initially was beyond me. Now I couldn’t see myself doing anything else other than writing and producing.

Review Fix: What makes you special as a performer?

Computer Magic: That’s a hard question to answer. I would like to think my music is unique in a way that it’s a representation of myself.

Review Fix: How was “Dimensions” written? What inspired it?

Computer Magic: The song “Dimensions” was inspired by my recent endeavors upstate combined with my watching Hayao Miyazaki films. I wrote it upstate and would go down to my studio in Bushwick, Brooklyn to put finishing touches on it. I mainly used the M-Tron Pro plug-in, Sequential Prophet 6, and Moog Minitaur, in addition to some drum samples. I never start a song with a specific intention in mind, they sort of just happen as a direct result of my current primary influences, which are always changing.  I was happy with the way this one turned out.

Review Fix: What are your goals for your upcoming EP?

Computer Magic: I’m going to be playing a couple release shows and going on tour in February. I think we’ll probably tour Japan again next year as well.

Review Fix: How are your live shows different from your studio work?

Computer Magic: One main difference is that I have a live drummer, Ignacio Rivas Bixio. I use drum machines on the majority of my songs, so I think the live drum element makes things really interesting. My studio work is set in a very controlled environment. Songs will always sound a little different live, and I can be a little more expressive and in the moment.

Review Fix: Who inspires you musically?

Computer Magic: My inspirations definitely vary. For the Obscure but Visible EP specifically, Broadcast and Stereolab were big influences. Overall I would say Belle & Sebastian, Radiohead, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Gary Numan, Kraftwerk, Giorgio Moroder, Talking Heads. I listen to everything from Dorothy Ashby, Astrud Gilberto and William Onyeabor, to Krautrock stuff like Can. Right now I’m listening to a lot of Dunedin sound bands like The Clean and The Chills and I’m really into the new Angel Olsen album.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Computer Magic: Probably another album, I can’t stop writing music.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13821 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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