Yes. We all know the tune. I had been listening to it for about the 3rd time on Nova one particular day when a friend of mine (who may or may not be in the 50 plus age category), excitedly exclaimed “Hey – that’s Yes, but faster!” The voice of Jon Anderson flew around the world when it was first released by Yes in 1983 on their album 90125. It has been performed by the London Philharmonic, sampled onto many a hip hop album, given a flamenco flavour on Versao Acustica and even featured on the soundtrack for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
Most recently, Owner of a Lonely Heart was the song for 2005, having been reformed, rehabilitated and renewed by Max Graham, and thus propelling his name into the global limelight. Now, not only has Max Graham cemented the adoration of his fans on dance floors and club systems, the former devotees from the 1980s when Yes had first hit the airwaves have also joined the fold. However, there is far more to Max than a well received and illustrious hit. Max is a musician and the proof is in his universal appeal and savvy in keeping ahead of trends and pre-empting the audience’s tastes.
Born in the United Kingdom, Max moved to Spain, New York City and Los Angeles in the States, then to Ottawa before choosing to call Montreal home. Known as ‘the Paris of the North’, the benefits of Montreal are not exclusively limited to the scores of beautiful French Canadian women. It is the hub for Max Graham, his musical thoughts and processes unleashed into the studio and his love for peace and quiet achieved from the sanctuary that is his home. This Aries boy is a huge NBA fan, who loves nothing better than to be in the company of his friends and enjoying the tranquillity of his house. While he isn’t a gigantic Playstation fan, he still can not deny the wonders of Grand Theft Auto – especially the soundtrack.
Max Graham has traversed the many paths of music: attempting to evade the piano lessons inflicted upon him by his father from a young age and ultimately getting excited about the turntables at 15. He started in hip hop as a cut and scratch DJ before moving to house just as it was in its blooming stages. The early 1990s then saw Max evolve toward the progressive side of house, with BT and Underworld being largely inspiring factors. When he was exposed to the trance wonders of Paul Oakenfold and Sasha, Max embarked upon the rather lonely though significant quest of liberating their sounds across the whole of Canada. It was in 2000 while still living in Ottawa, that Max established a small studio, with the intentions of entering the world of production. The release of Air Tight (his own composition) and Tell You were indications that Max had indeed successfully opened that door. His trance-mission also proved to be a success as Kinetic records (the same label to release Air Tight) came to the vanguard, handing him the controls for Volume 4 of their Transport series a year later.
Thus began two years of a careening climb up the hierarchy, as Max assumed a multiple of roles as producer, production assistant, remixer, production concept and of course DJ, for a load of albums. 2001 was indeed a pivotal year, as Transport Vol 4 met with wild accolades and the culmination of a world tour. Max also featured in DJMag’s Top 100 DJs at position 23, the highest new entry for that year. For two years, Max was remixing and releasing tunes on albums with such titles of That Trance Mix or Progressive Trance America; albums that seem largely trance oriented if one were to judge on the titles alone. However, while Max was being booked to perform in trance clubs and remixing tunes for trance albums, he confirms he wasn’t a trance DJ. Max’s bio quotes him as saying: “I was feeling disjointed and slightly out of control, flying from gig to gig without taking the time to make sure I was making the right decisions.” The move to Montreal appears to have been the answer, with the subsequent two years serving as unyielding platforms to higher stratospheres. 2004 was a year for Max to regain his hold on his musicianship, culminating in the release of Shine – a personal project with “art point of view” to it.
“Music is my outlet,” Max explains to me over the phone, his accent delicately American and his voice pleasantly smooth to my ear. I am quietly hyperventilating, finding it difficult to believe that I am speaking to such a notable personality. I find Max to be rather charming and friendly with no sign of bluster or ego as his mature sounding voice belies the youthful countenance of his press images. “If I had a marketing department,” he laughs, “it would be telling me I’m too diverse for my own good.” To look at his resume, one might be inclined to agree. Hip hop, house, progressive, trance, remixer, producer, DJ – what music could Max possibly not turn into a gem? “Country and western,” he laughs. “We don’t work together terribly well. Besides, I don’t fit into the one genre,” he outlines. “To me, it’s about the music. It’s about what turns me on. Journalists and humans like their labels too much. For me, it’s all about a great party.”
And according to Max, the greatest party to be had is in the club. His answer is out of his mouth before my question of his preference for the club or studio, has been asked. “I love the studio,” he immediately states, “but when you’re plugging in those headphones and see a crowd of 8,000 before you, the excitement of performing and taking control is overwhelming. Being a DJ and being a producer are so different from each other, yet they’re so intertwined in this industry. You have to figure out both. I have a background in music sure. It just makes it a bit easier for me to lay down tunes. Anyone can be a DJ really. But not everyone can be a musician.” The musical concepts existing within the music of Max Graham truly is an acknowledgment to this statement. Be they remixes or his own compositions, the beats, melodies and colour he infuses into the original structures always works, because it comes from deep seated musical instinct. His piano skills, while acquired perhaps hesitantly and from a young age, must have established inherent foundations for his musical career. “If you stay true to your music, you can never go wrong.” Max has been quoted as saying. “I love what I play, and I’m lucky that I can find enough people who like it.” I tend to agree somewhat. We are in a world where groups of people have similar tastes and follow similar paths, with certain individuals particularly standing out because of their phenomenal skills. So really, rather than Max’s humble and modest waver that he is a recipient of good fortune, it is more a matter of him recognising quality and then projecting its universal appeal through broad channels.
“Yes, I love my studio because it’s also at my home,” he continues to articulate, just in case his Mackie desk and Roland modules are shuddering in disillusionment, “but I truly love the connection with an audience. I prefer the 6 hour set where I can shift through the different sounds – really lay down the beats that cover the spectrum, hip hop, trance, prog… whatever. I can’t do this forever, so I will enjoy it now while I can.” “Why can’t you do this forever?” I interrupt worriedly, remembering that Max is only in his thirties. Thoughts of maladies and illnesses quickly flash through my mind but he offers me a good natured laugh yet again. “It’s not a matter of not wanting to; it’s a matter of being physically able to. I had 140 flights in 2004 and 160 flights in 2005. That works out to at least two flights a week!” A busy person, Max Graham is, as his schedules shows he will be boarding planes yet again, to tour Japan, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand, before heading to South America. “What can we expect to hear when we see you?” I ask, curious. “I don’t really know,” he answers. “I’ll have to wait for the crowd. But I do have a new EP coming out with Jessica Jacobs.” Singer/songwriter Jessica Jacobs, (also known as Jessica Riddle before her recent marriage) released the hit Even Angels Fall, which features on the Ten Things I Hate About You soundtrack. The EP featuring the single I Know You’re Gone, is, Max claims, “more like downtempo Dido” and sure to be pulled from his record bag while travelling to all the major cities in Australia.
“What have you learnt from the success of Lonely Heart?” I finally ask him, hesitant to harp on about a tune I’m sure he has spent more than enough time mulling over. Another of his wonderful laughs reaches my ear. “Watch what you wish for, because you might just get it,” he states. “I had only played around with Lonely Heart for fun. Warner got excited, realised its potential and came on board and the rest you know. I didn’t want anyone to think of it as a 70s track. I also didn’t want it being labeled as a Max Graham Remix either. I wanted a title that was relevant; had a cutting edge underground appeal: and so it was Max Graham versus Yes. It was so amazing. It opened up new boundaries for me. Some of my peers weren’t so supportive – but that doesn’t matter. There are artists out there who are pushed onto the market, pulled into the spotlight. I call them Boardroom Artists, because they are created in the boardroom of a record label, rather than in the studio or on the stage. Grass roots artists like Sarah McLaughlin and many others, defy labels because their talent comes before them.”
With an impressive resume fortifying him and continuous traveling ahead, Max Graham is the DJ/producer for the moment. His universal appeal is irrefutable, as his music crosses barriers and obstacles -as good music always does. Whether you attach tags of house, trance, pop, underground, writer, DJ or producer to his name, there is one constant and inherent brand he can not escape: Max Graham, Musician.
Be sure to catch Max Graham on tour this February and March:
Fri Feb 24 – Two Tribes, Brisbane (BUY TICKETS)
Sat Feb 25 – Two Tribes, Melbourne (BUY TICKETS)
Sat Mar 4 – Future Music Festival, Sydney (BUY TICKETS)
Sun Mar 5 – Two Tribes, Perth (BUY TICKETS)
