DYNAMO is a major creative force in magic today. His approach combines music, street culture and jaw dropping closeup illusion in a way never seen before. It has been his ability to transcend the magic scene that has made him one of the most relevant magicians of his generation.
From starring in music videos alongside ‘The Raconteurs’ and Kanye West, to having Snoop Dogg rhyme about him and performing for the likes of Coldplay, Prince Charles and Paris Hilton, it’s been a long journey for Bradford’s favourite son.
Growing up on the rundown Delph Hill, West Bowling and Wyke Manor estates, a young Steven Frayne was able to amaze his local community. At an early age he was inspired by the impact of hip hop culture, local break-dancers who fused many styles to create something unique, and MC’s who promoted themselves through the use of the mix tape circuit. Having learnt basic magic techniques from his Granddad he made a plan to modernise the magic scene by combining his skills with dance elements and promoting himself like his rap contemporaries.
Word soon spread about the 19 year old magician with unbelievable skills and the bookings started to roll in. Local performances turned into national bookings and eventually saw him performing across Europe and the U.S. He performed for celebrities such as Pharrell Williams, Busta Rhymes and Gwyneth Paltrow, realising that his association with celebrities only added to the appeal.
During his travels he saw the amazing response his magic created, from pulling a skipping rope through his body on the streets of Harlem to levitating cards in front of Prince Charles at Clarence house – magic was the great leveller.
It was at the New York Hilton during Houdini’s centenary celebrations that Steven finally had the opportunity to perform in front of his peers including acclaimed magicians Aaron Fisher and David Blaine. After a stunning display someone in the audience declared “this Kid’s a f***ing DYNAMO!” the name stuck and the legend was born.
In 2004, after moving to London, Dynamo set out to fulfil stage one of his plan – the creation of the first ever ‘magic mix-tape’. Along with a small team he filmed his performances on the streets of Walthamstow and backstage at events he had either been booked for or simply hustled his way into.
Although it was filmed on a cheap hand held camera the results were better than he could have imagined. Within a year he had footage with the likes of Chris Martin, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ian Brown, Mike Skinner, Lil Jon and Snoop.
In 2005 Underground Magic was released through Dynamo’s website dynamoworld.com. Within 2 months it was sold out and the media frenzy had started with articles in The Sun, The Observer, NME, the Sunday Times, Metro and the cover page of the Guardian guide as well as appearances on ITN news, TRL and Richard and Judy.
By the end of the year Dynamo had shows in production for MTV worldwide and Channel 4 (UK) and was fast becoming the hottest performer on the party circuit. His appearances included backstage magic at the Coldplay tour at Crystal palace, The Gorillaz shows at the Harlem Apollo in New York, and a performance on stage at the TED conference in California on the same bill as Matt Groening (creator of the Simpsons) and ex vice president Al Gore.
The corporate bookers were also hot on his tale with work flooding in from the likes of Sony Ericcson, Motorola, Adidas, Vauxhall, Myspace and Google. He was made the face of the Big Smile Day campaign alongside French International footballer Thierry Henry and Little Britain stars David Walliams and Matt Lucas.
Dynamo’s Concrete Playground is out now on general release. In 2006 Dynamo became one of the few British magicians who could demand a five-figure performance fee when a Canadian millionaire booked him to perform at a private function in Montreal. This was followed by other lucrative bookings in New York and California for some of America’s business elite.
Dynamo’s TV show aired on Channel 4 in May and doubled the ratings for its slot beating all other channels during it’s broadcast. At the star studded launch party, Manchester Rock legend Ian Brown performed a specially written track about the young magician to a packed audience at the Café Royal in London.
The following month Dynamo was flown to Oslo to star alongside Jack White’s new band ‘The Raconteurs’ in the video for their single, ‘Hands’. He played the part of an escapee from a juvenile detention centre who seeks refuge in a school for deaf girls by performing magic to them.
Dynamo has subsequently founded his own film company ‘Inner Circle Films’ and signed a deal with Warner Vision International for the release of his latest DVD ‘Concrete Playground’. He is also in production for a feature film and will be the face of Adidas’ new ZX range of trainer.
www.dynamoworld.com
www.myspace.com/dynamodynamo
David Jensen Photography:
https://www.davidjensen.co.uk/
