In their boutique studio, Magic Mountain Records, in Mount Eliza, brothers Matt and Jack Harrison offer a full service to singers and musicians who want to record their music, have coaching, or co-write. The musicians, singers, songwriters, producers and recording technicians revel in cooperating with other creatives. Both have taught music, and Matt still teaches guitar, voice, and drums.
Their attitude to music-making is community-centred and cooperative. Matt says, “My philosophy about music is about expression… what you’re feeling and how you express it. Both of us are songwriters so we look at music from a very creative songwriting perspective so in the writing of a song I think an idea is very elusive, and once you have the initial idea you have to let your intuition guide you more than trying to morph the idea into something you want it to be.”
Jack says, “For me, it’s about emotion processing. I feel the best writers and the people who I take the biggest inspiration from are just people who put their raw emotions into their songs and are able to channel them, there are no barriers there between the emotions and the music, it flows freely and when you reach that level it is a very special thing and that’s where some of the best music comes from. You’re constantly trying to get to that place. It’s a flow state. It’s difficult to get to if you’re stressed.”
It brings you closer to yourself, your self-identity and what is important to you.
Is making music and expressing emotions especially important for men? Jack says yes. “I have a personal connection with that. What we’re seeing at the moment is young men who are really confused, and they don’t know what to feel, what’s right to feel and what’s wrong to feel, because there’s such a collection of misinformation and people online spreading weird stuff. I think it’s incredibly important. When I sit down and write something, I realise, ‘Wow, I didn’t need to know I had to get that off my chest.’ It brings you closer to yourself, your self-identity and what is important to you.”
If you want a song from scratch or to co-write one with you, you’re in good hands. Jack says, “That’s something that we really love doing, is having someone come in, and maybe they struggle to access that creative flow. It’s about imagination and creativity, which are elusive things. It’s tough for some people even if they’re great musicians.”
Matt and Jack have recorded around 40 artists now. They’ve developed a community network of musical creatives. “It’s a judgment-free zone,” Jack says. “When someone steps into our studio, it’s like chilling in their lounge room. If they want advice, we will absolutely give it to them, but we’re not the type of people who go, ‘Here’s what you’re doing wrong.’ We’re not that type of business. It’s more about nudging. ‘Maybe you could try this.’ Matt adds, “We understand it’s a very emotionally charged industry and consent is the number one factor, but if someone wants a complete, raw, honest opinion, then of course, we’ll give it. That’s what I would want.”
Matt and Jack will also write and record music for podcasts. Matt has been writing music for a role-playing podcast, writing themes for each character, and says,” It’s been really liberating writing for a character rather than something personal. It was almost easier, because you’re taking your ego out. It’s a lot of fun.”
What do Matt and Jack think about the impact of AI on the music industry? Matt says, “The dangers can come when people are just trying to go viral on the internet, and what I’ve seen a lot of in the last few years, particularly since Covid, is you get these very individual little bubbles, a solo person on their own trying to go viral. What we’re trying to do at Magic Mountain is create a counter movement to that and bring it back to a sense of local community instead of just a single person in a bubble. We’re trying to grow as a team with a whole community of people. The vision is that it will translate to the internet as we’re raising each other up as a group.”
Jack says the garage band is still alive and well. “I did that here last night with a few mates and it’s so much fun. There’s nothing better than getting in the studio with a bunch of equipment and having no time limit, having no ideas, and just hanging out and seeing what comes, what flows. Matt and I have been doing that for years.
Do Matt and Jack have disagreements? “Of course,” they laugh, “we’re brothers.” They confess to being almost blunt with each other. “You have to be, in order for things to be out in the open and understood, and I think in the creative process you have to be able to remove yourself and your own ego from an idea,” says Matt. “If you attach yourself to an idea, you can get really hurt if someone doesn’t like that idea, whereas we’ve been doing this long enough now to know that when someone has an idea, we try it and if it doesn’t work, it’s nothing personal. You just have to drop it and move on.’
Matt and Jack work with a variety of musicians across the Peninsula and beyond, as well as a variety of musical genres, but the overarching ones for them are Indie folk, rock and pop music, and electronic music. People find them primarily through word of mouth, a testimony to their professionalism. Matt says, “You cannot rush this, and you cannot do it for the money – it’s not a get-rich-quick scheme, it’s building a community, which can take years. It’s a really beautiful thing to watch flourish.”