Magik J

Dick Johnson, who records as Magik J or Magik Johnson, is an English-born house DJ and producer who has made Auckland his home. He started in the late '80s as a resident DJ at Manchester's Hacienda. From there he moved into the studio, making tracks and remixes for UK independents including Olympic, Pleasure Recordings and Paper Recordings, before starting his own label, Shaboom. He first toured New Zealand in 1995, spent more and more time there, and moved there for good in late 2001.

Auckland didn't slow him down. "Piha," recorded in early 2001 with Ian Pooley in a studio near that North Island beach, became a global club hit in 2002. His debut album, Cardboard Journey, came out on Bristol's NRK Sound Division in 2005, and You Are Sound followed in 2008 on Darren Emerson's Underwater. He has worked with Joeski & Onionz, Fred Everything, Doc Martin and DJ Sneak, and he runs the Magiktrax and Neat labels. From 2007 to 2017 he hosted The Magik Sessions on Auckland's George FM. In 2000 and 2001 Shaboom released three Troffman singles, his collaboration with Auckland producer Soane Filitonga, and after the move he ran a regular club night called Electric around the city for several years. He has also remixed Kimbra, Shapeshifter and The Naked & Famous, started Weird Together with Nick Dwyer, and formed the nu-disco group Clicks with Anna Coddington. He is now a naturalised New Zealand citizen.

On Red Melon, Magik J teamed up with Rob Salmon for Transit in 2004. It is travel-minded tech and deep house, with filtered airport and pilot-radio chops floating as texture over dubby minor stabs and swung 909 hats. Dano answered with his remix, rebuilding the track with dub-house chord stabs and a long subtractive outro for the booth.