The enigmatic music of Magazine owes as much to one Dave Formula on keyboards as it does to Howard Devoto. DAVID BLAKE coaxed his secrets out of him-

As much as - any single person - it was Howard Devoto who ushered in the second new wave when he left Buzzcocks to form Magazine. Their first LP on the Virgin label was acclaimed by the critics and' takes its place as an influential contribution to contemporary music - even though it had less commercial success than it merited. The album was called "Real Life" and included the writing and keyboard playing of one Dave Formula. It is good stuff.

Formula is representative of the Second New Wave (sorry about all these labels) in the same way as the band Landscape is they both prove that musical movements are a matter of spirit rather than styles of technique. The capsule. definition of new wave might encompass such terms as "crude" but no one could accuse Formula of musical crudity and yet no one cold deny him a place in the new wave.

Formula lives in Manchester and calls himself a hard Mancunian "even round the edges." Unlike many musicians - he doesn't see London as the Universal Pot at the end of the Rainbow. "It's very hard work in Manchester" - he says"but it's not really necessary to get to London. It's competitive here - and fairly incestuous - but no more so than in London. There is humour here - and the people work hard. Ideally I'd like to have two residences - here and in London."

"Next week we go into Virgin's new and fabulous front parlour studio to do a single. Possibly the title will be 'Give Me Everything' but anything could happen. We've just returned from Europe and later this month we'll be off to Munich and Brussels to do some television and concerts - then a new UK tour in November."

Formula finds the keyboard technoflashisms of bands like the Strawbs and Renaissance "boring - although Wakeman is interesting as a personality." And yet - while his own playing does not depend on velocity of notes - it might seem to some that he has fallen into the same banks and banks of keyboards trap. Onstage - Formula uses a Yamaha YC45D organ recommended to him by John Lydon ne Rotten - a Leslie 145 - a Yamaha electric grand piano - and ARP Odyssey - a Solina string synth - a 200w Kustom amp and cab - Peavey Meridian amp and cab - Roland Chorus Echo - a Crybaby wah on the piano - and a Lamb 4 into 2 mixer. The Yamaha grand is a recent acquisition - replacing a Fender Rhodes which he liked but which "wasn't quite right for what we're doing. I - also have a Vox Jaguar single manual - a black and red horror which I generally direct. inject. But I used a Steinway on the album."

Formula on synths: "Fabulous machines - but you have to treat them as you'd treat - your best girl. I hate all this over the top wailing and distorted noise. A lot of taste is required - not just sound screaming at you 'This is a synthesizer!' You have to use them as musical instruments - not noise makers. I'm very' interested in the Oberheim range because they produce sweet Sounds not sticky sweet - but fine Sounds I can use".

"Musical influences? Many and various - you don't want me to be specific - do you? To name names? Well - there's Joe Zawinul who plays with Weather Report and I like Ian Dury's keyboard man as well."

When asked whether he thought the increasing use of keyboards in new wave bands would necessitate increasing sophistication and dilute the spirit of the music - Formula came down hard in reply: "We're not musically sophisticated. Sure - there are some refinements - but the band is a combination of musical personalities with an affection for the earlier new wave. The very nature of keyboards and the vast number of different kinds available means a vast potential - but there's no need to become over embellished. We like to put down - play - record whatever gets the feeling without unnecessary musical decoration. The thing is deliciously open there's no betrayal of the early New Wave in having good keyboards; you're only betraying a label. You can still have rotten keyboard players in bands - but you don't have to. Good technique in now way betrays the spirit of the earlier music."

And his own feelings about musicianship and personal creativity? "The dream is happening now The great thing is writing a song and honing in on it - knowing that we don't need too many explanations within the band to get exactly what we want out of our music. If I find that something's buzzing around - I'll go down to the studio and sit down and get the skeleton 'out of my own way. Every song is a personal statement it has to be unless you're a song factory but not personal to the point of exclusivity. It's originally personal but it develops with everyone else involved."

At which point the telephone line started to go bad and his livestock began to bark a lot - so we said our farewells and promised to meet for a wee wet at the Live Music show in Harrogate. In the meantime - we await the next Magazine LP which is in gestation and should be out in the New Year.