Hailing from the Polish underground, the prolific Magic Man has conjured many disco hymns and has thrown many castle raves, where mystical melodies are blasted in a vibrant and tongue and cheek way. There’s a uniqueness to his music, yet a nostalgic familiarity that conjures a mystical view of the past. Both digital and fantastical. With a long list of releases, Jasna Strona Mocy was one that stood out to me the most. It blends well harsh atmosphere with punchy beats and familiar melodies that take you back to old techno tracks from the 00s with the beat drops and all.
Magic Man captures this ironic musical underground that has been festering in the underground since 2020. This post-ironic state of nostalgiacore drenched in blown out basses and classic Eurodance style beats with lifted melodies from various classics. While, on the service, one may take a look at it and scoff at how silly and ironic it is, but its just infectious fun. The beats have this fantastical presence to them that really captures as you listen to it and the moody atmosphere builds this sense of pride that’s weirdly fitting for this style of music. Sure there’s goofy references to Agartha and pagan pride, but why wouldn’t it be there? It’s supposed to be there because the very essence of the music evokes an ancient magical blood that Magic Man taps into. Perhaps my rose-tinted glasses are firmly implanted into my skull, but I think Magic Man captures that mystical nostalgia in a glass bottle and is presenting it to us for the first time like a musical time traveling returning from the past.
Jasna Strona Mocy is one of the earlier releases. Over time, his albums have changed, each release experimenting in different sounds, techniques and aesthetics, but one thing kept true all the way through: magical authenticity. I can see each album being someone’s favorite. Different moods and settings for their dungeon disco. For me, though, Jasna Strona Mocy remains the purest distillation of the Magic Man spell—the one where the nostalgia hits hardest, the beats land punchiest, and the fantasy feels least self-conscious. It’s the gateway potion: start here if you’re new to the castle and wish to become king of the raves.