Aside from having awesome taste in music [see final question] and being a real cool guy, Adrian Michna is an incredible musician with over a decade of experience under his vinyl studded belt. His debut solo album, Magic Monday, dropped late last year on Ghostly International (School of Seven Bells, Matthew Dear, Cepia, Mobius Band, etc) and since then has made its way into XLR8R, FADER and even iTunes Spotlight on Indie: Dance and Electronic (then made it into the top20). If you’re in New York Michna will be playing live with Raw Paw THIS FRIDAY at The Studio at Webster Hall, opening bands include the always colorful Woodhands and Red Wire Black Wire [flyer at bottom of post].
FMLY: Magic Monday is dubbed an “electronic” album. Now that’s a pretty vague term, especially when it comes to this album, what do you feel better describes your sound?
Michna: I think the easiest way to describe it is as instrumental music created with organic and electronic instruments
FMLY: What sparked the switch from Egg Foo Young to Michna and will you still be working with the EFY moniker?
Michna: Egg Foo Young was the joke that went to far and just stuck. Doing Michna is me being able to come fresh and establish myself first and foremost as a producer. I’ll always be able to DJ ridiculous events (such as Dre Day) under the name Egg Foo Young
FMLY: How long did it take for you to put together Magic Monday and was this studio recorded or worked on in your apartment?
Michna: Magic Monday was worked on steadily from 2004-2007. It was recorded in various home studios.
FMLY: Tell me about the instruments you’ve used on the album. Did you play them all? Did friends help? Which instruments did you play and when did you learn how to use them?
Michna: I play trombone, synth, drum machines, guitar, bass, and found sounds. I went to college for trombone but taught myself everything else just by experimenting. In addition to my own playing I had about 4 different musicians/friends play on the album. John Gaviglio was my roommate and played some cool guitar – he used to play in the famous screamo band Bear vs Shark. Matt Friedman is a childhood friend and played rhodes and guitar. He and I have made many records together in the past under the name Secret Frequency Crew. Now Matt is producing for LL Cool J under the name Illfonics. Lastly I met a really great double bass player in Vienna named Martin Mittelsteir. He played on 2 songs.
FMLY: Do you feel that your environment affected Magic Monday? Could you have made this album in Miami?
Michna: I could have made this album in Miami but it definitely would have come out sounding different. There would be Metromovers, parrots, cafe con leches, and lots of Cuban audio.
FMLY: How many songs didn’t make the cut and will you be releasing them?
Michna: About 3 or 4 didn’t make the cut, I think a few will be released as b-sides.
FMLY: Who made your album art and what do you think it evokes? Does it complement or contrast the album, or is it autonomous?
Michna: The art was done by the Miami based duo, Friends With You. There was a lot of work that went into it, and one of the great things they achieved is that you discover something new every time you look at it. (This is also one of my goals when producing the audio). Another thing which they have told me numerous time is that they had FUN making the art, and I think that shows. They took some of the ideas I threw at them and put their own twist on it. Manholes in the sky, catching the bus, palm tree in times square, and Epcot Center circa 1989. I feel that if you never get to see the CD booklet you are missing out on 50% of the album.
FMLY: Tell me about Secret Frequency Crew and what inspired it.
Michna: In 1995 me and friends took mushrooms and came up with the name to describe the frequency we were all on. This crew of close people were sharing the same secret frequency. We were all in a band but had numerous other hobbies going on at the same time
FMLY: Tell me about your producing credits and your work with Diplo and Bonde do Role.
Michna: I dj’d with Wes Gully back when he was doing Hollertronix. At the time I had just released a heavy electro bass 12″ called Miami Eyes, and I think the nasty bass tones caught his ears. So he took the Fung Wah to my studio and we worked on the song “Way More”, which came out on his Florida album. When the album dropped, Money Studies pressed up a limited bonus 12″ that featured his crazy joint “Thingamajawn Part III” and an Egg Foo Young remix of “Way More”. A few years later Bonde do Role got signed to Domino, and they finally had the budget to afford me, so I produced the song “Quero Te Amar” for them.
FMLY: Ghostly International is a very interesting label, how did you become involved and why did you decide to release your album with them?
Michna: Ghostly was familiar with the albums I released with Secret Frequency Crew, so I was already slightly on their radar. I wanted to get signed to Ghostly cause they are an A-Class top shelf record label. I shipped them numerous cassette demos (to prevent leakage) and finally negotiations were made. I couldn’t have picked a better label.
FMLY: Appearing on iTunes’ Top 20 Electronic Albums isn’t an easy feat, especially being alongside heavyweights like A-Trak, Cut Copy, Ratatat and M.I.A. (for readers, I also want to point out the appearance of Portishead, Crystal Method and Daft Punk on that list). Since this, have you received a flood of requests whether it be collaborations or remix work from artists of this globally acknowledged caliber?
Michna: Yes, a lot of requests have been coming in. The hard thing is there is only one of me.
FMLY: If you could curate your own show, who would you put on the bill and where would it be?
Michna: In 1996 me and Secret Frequency Crew started “curating” a party that was to be held in the middle of america from 12/30/99 – 01/01/00. We called it “Meet in the Middle” and the idea was for the west coast and east coast to have the ultimate festival. It never happened, but we planned for acts like the Beastie Boys, The Orb, Primus and Sonic Youth.
FMLY: Do you give any credit to your musical ability and [partially] success from your time spent working at Turntable Lab? Or were your skills this dope before?
Michna: I’ve been playing in bands since I was 15, and I feel getting started at that age is very important to anyones musical ability. When I worked at Turntable Lab I was kind of a dinosaur cause I was already stuck in my ways of production. Still on OS 9 and using mostly analog gear and outboard equipment. Thru Turntable Lab I got to see many trends in music come and go, and this solidified my original plan: to just make music that is me and what I want to hear.
FMLY: Are you still remixing? If not, will it be something that you come back to from time to time?
Michna: The world is flooded with C-rate remixes, and your sisters friend is making a Jonas Brothers one right now. Not saying I won’t turn out a few Jonas Brothers remixes.
FMLY: I enjoy the way that you speak of cassettes, will you just talk about your relationship with them as well as Magic Monday’s?
Michna: The thing about cassettes is that everyone who did grow up with them had some personal shit. You had FM radio you recorded, or your mom yelling at you, or tapes from answering machines, or a fisher price joint, or a tape of your high school choir. Rather than sampling another persons music, I just sampled my own shit for Magic Monday.
FMLY: Jandek is certainly fascinating in his own right. Did you go through him in regards to the remix or was it “unofficial?” Has he given you feedback?
Michna: The remix was 100% official. We included a xeroxed copy of the letter in the 7″ release. One fan was so impressed he scanned it and put it up here: http://grimshaw.jeff.tripod.com/BlueCorpseNote.jpg
We later asked Jandek “what he thought” of the remix but he never wrote us back.
FMLY: Having lived in NY and Miami, are you a fixie kinda guy or do you enjoy the feel of a road bike? I personally refurbish and ride ten-speeds which is why I ask.
Michna: I actually always stuck to BMX. In Miami I got my first 24″ Cruiser and got around the city with that.
FMLY: Musicians that you’re really into right now or albums that you’re pumped about?
Michna: I’m still bumping Dear Science and Merriweather Post Pavilion…
Michna – Triple chrome dipped
