New Interview with Bassmusic-God Martyn on German Blog: http://ntropy.de/?p=1859
Martyn about Producing, his new Album and his fear about the Release, Thoughts on Japan and much more
New Interview with Martyn - The Next Step
Re: New Interview with Martyn - The Next Step
i'll have to google translate this later.
so martyn held a lecture and after it they met him on the balcony of robert johnson..
automat: you seem to be very relaxed!
Martyn: i have already done a few lectures like that. although the topics are always different, i got used to such situations, that`s why i'm not stressed anymore. it's real fun actually. tomorrow i'll give another lecdture on sardinia, before that i've been to lisbon, london and the u.s. i get around a lot these days.
automat:
the robert johnson is a small club but well known in the local scene. have you heard about it?
Martyn:
in 2005 i've played drum and bass here and i remember it beeing pretty good. at the end of the night we all were standing on the balcony partying until the rising sun enlightened the harbour and the water. i love that! generally i like playing in germany. sometimes i'm at the rote sonne club in munich. it's a very small, cool club. i like playing at the panorama bar too. in germany there are a lot of places to party which is caused by the easy rules of opening hours and the open minded people.
automat: speaking of berlin: you have produced a track named friedrichstrasse (street in berlin). what inspired you to do so?
Martyn:
i often run around with a recorder to record sounds, for example in the berlin subway or high speed railway. i recognized a sample which i've recorded in the friedrichstrasse and thought that it its a good sample. berlin is simply a good influence. the clubs are brilliant, the fans are cool and i know a lot of people there. there are a lot of dutch people in berlin which produce and deejay aswell. for example 2562 and stephie (check it!)
automat: you once said in an interview that you need "tranquillity" or even melancholia when producing. how do you manage to get such a feeling with all the stress respectively how is it currently?
Martyn: for the last five months i havent been around as a dj so much and therefor was able to spend a little bit more time in the studio. now i have made a lot of new music and that`s why it`s getting time to spin again. by the way i'll give a live pa this summer. that way i can present my own music in a different way. when i'm spinning it's all about the vibe. sometimes i forget to play my own stuff and play tracks from other people. when i finished producing a track i fastly start to forget about it and focus on other things. that's the reason why i'm so stoked about playing a live set. that way i can use my own music and present it for a whole hour, which i've never done before.
automat: that way you can rediscover old tunes of yours.
Martyn: J. exactly! i can take old parts of a track, use a different tempo, build different beats to the melodies, remix something live and so on. i have worked on it a lot at home and its incredible fun. my music contains a lot of "sound", meaning a lot of melodies, basslines and beats. they are not minimal and therefore i have a lot of material to work with. i have made sessions without recognizing how fast time passes. now i have to try to press 3 to 4 hours into one so that it becomes interesting and exciting. that's my current project. the first live set i'll play at Graz and then a few in belgium and england. at the end of the summer i'll come to germany with it.
automat: you just said that you have made a lot of new tracks. is your second album coming out soon?
Martyn:
Yes! i have completely finished the tracks and the album is coming out in august. let's see what people will think abot it. it is very scary. with my first album i was nothing but happy to gather so many tracks. it was beautiful to release a whole album and it turned out good. this time it's a totally different feeling. i have started my second album and a lot of times and quitted with it again. you just have to take the time i guess. i hate to wait, i'm really bad in that. i alway want everything to go fast.
Phire: is the album going to be released on an own label?
Martyn:
no its gonna come out on the brainfeeder label of flying lotus. when my music should be recognized by more people then i have to take the next step. and for me brainfeeder is a good step , cause a lot of people who know me aswell know brainfeeder or flying lotus and that way i can reach more people. it just fitted good this time. maybe i'll make the third album on another label again. but damn sure it was fun to work for someone else. with my first album i have critized myself and know there are other people who listen to the stuff and say yes or no. it's really different but interesting.
automat: has your style changed a lot since the last album?
Martyn:
on the first album there were more variations, for example with the tempo. something was 140, but one thing even 115. this time everything is around 125-130 bpm. some things are really straight four-to-the-floor and some rather into the break direction. you guys can get excited. now i try to focus on other things until the release comes out.
automat:
a lot of people wanna tell a story when playing a set. do you have a certain goal or programm that you wanna bring close to the people?
Martyn:
Especially the last months i have played a lot of old chicago-house, because i think that i has a lot to do with the current music. in a lot of instrumentals you can hear a strong chicago influence. if one listens to a juke it is the perfect combination of chicago and bassmusic. it is interesting to hear what people make out of it. i dont like everything but some guys have made really gut stuff like joy orbison.
Phire:
how do you prepare for a set. do you have a preconstructed selection of tracks or do you make it in impuls?
Martyn:
i actually make everything very spontaneously. i tho work a lot on my sets but especially at home and not when i'm on tour. i listen to a lot of music, choose potential tracks and even mix a lot just for fun. but when i spin at a club, then i start with nothing and let it evolve. sometimes its great and sometimes not so great, but i think its good like that.
automat:
in the recent lecture you said that you actually don't wanna talk about styles anymore. all the hybristyles make it almost impossible to talk about music genres these days. people always invent new names like post step, blub step, or tribal step. is there a connection to concepts of humanities science like the postmodern. do you think about things like that? does it mean anything to you?
Martyn:
no! i concentrate on the art of making music, not on the theory behind. this was something i wanted to point out during the lecture.
Phire:
which program do you use to produce?
Martyn:
usually logic
Phire:
in a lot of those programs you are forced to enter a certain tempo at the beginning. do you feel thats restrictive?
Martyn:
not really. if you have a white silver screen, to go with this metaphor, there are aswell certain basic conditions, for example the size of the silver screen. you are never totally free running around with a bongo drum on the field to produce your own music. certain borders are okay. its about what you do with your possibilities in between those borders. my music for example is totally electronical too.
Phire:
do you have a certain approach to produce? do you start with a beat or with a melody? i feel that the melodies in your music play a primary role.
Martyn:
like i said earlier i use a lot of audio recordings. i run around outside and on certain places. what actually really works for me when producing is that i listen to the recordings later in the studio and think back to the point in time, how i felt there, if it was cold or warm, if i was tired and so on. i associate very much with those sounds. from this point i start and evolve the track. so its actually not like i'm in a certain mood and say "now im gonna make a sad track!".
automat:
you have worked a lot with kode9. he tho is an example for a type of musician who not only produces but more thinks about it.
Martyn:
yes thats true. i talk a lot with him but not about theory. i belive he has two relatively seperated lifes. he is kode9 as a musician and he is aswell steve goodman the scientist and he keeps that seperated. sometimes he crosses this seperation in interview. if you work with him he tho really is like me, very artistic and not a theorist.
automat:
you have made an exclusive mix for japan with kode9. on your twitter account you have envinced sympathy for the people in japan. do you know a lot of people there?
Martyn:
we both worked with the label beatink. they care about the distribution of hyperdub, warp, ninja tune and other good labels in the asian region. thats why we know some people there. last year i was together with kode9 on tour in japan and its just a incredibly beautiful country. i love japan a lot, the food too by the way. the japanese are exceptional people. its interesting how composed the people there react to the catastrophje. they wanna prove to the rest of the world how strong they are and that they can deal with their problems bettet than other ones. and i believe thats true. if you look at the pictures of people in emergency accomodation who have lost their houses it is astonishing how calm and organised they keep. nobody is screaming and rioting. thats sick! in america, germany or france people would behave different. its fascinating who this culture works. there is this organised, calm side and on the other hand there is a totally crazy over-the-top side. the day is structured from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. and after that they party...
automat: you seem to be very relaxed!
Martyn: i have already done a few lectures like that. although the topics are always different, i got used to such situations, that`s why i'm not stressed anymore. it's real fun actually. tomorrow i'll give another lecdture on sardinia, before that i've been to lisbon, london and the u.s. i get around a lot these days.
automat:
the robert johnson is a small club but well known in the local scene. have you heard about it?
Martyn:
in 2005 i've played drum and bass here and i remember it beeing pretty good. at the end of the night we all were standing on the balcony partying until the rising sun enlightened the harbour and the water. i love that! generally i like playing in germany. sometimes i'm at the rote sonne club in munich. it's a very small, cool club. i like playing at the panorama bar too. in germany there are a lot of places to party which is caused by the easy rules of opening hours and the open minded people.
automat: speaking of berlin: you have produced a track named friedrichstrasse (street in berlin). what inspired you to do so?
Martyn:
i often run around with a recorder to record sounds, for example in the berlin subway or high speed railway. i recognized a sample which i've recorded in the friedrichstrasse and thought that it its a good sample. berlin is simply a good influence. the clubs are brilliant, the fans are cool and i know a lot of people there. there are a lot of dutch people in berlin which produce and deejay aswell. for example 2562 and stephie (check it!)
automat: you once said in an interview that you need "tranquillity" or even melancholia when producing. how do you manage to get such a feeling with all the stress respectively how is it currently?
Martyn: for the last five months i havent been around as a dj so much and therefor was able to spend a little bit more time in the studio. now i have made a lot of new music and that`s why it`s getting time to spin again. by the way i'll give a live pa this summer. that way i can present my own music in a different way. when i'm spinning it's all about the vibe. sometimes i forget to play my own stuff and play tracks from other people. when i finished producing a track i fastly start to forget about it and focus on other things. that's the reason why i'm so stoked about playing a live set. that way i can use my own music and present it for a whole hour, which i've never done before.
automat: that way you can rediscover old tunes of yours.
Martyn: J. exactly! i can take old parts of a track, use a different tempo, build different beats to the melodies, remix something live and so on. i have worked on it a lot at home and its incredible fun. my music contains a lot of "sound", meaning a lot of melodies, basslines and beats. they are not minimal and therefore i have a lot of material to work with. i have made sessions without recognizing how fast time passes. now i have to try to press 3 to 4 hours into one so that it becomes interesting and exciting. that's my current project. the first live set i'll play at Graz and then a few in belgium and england. at the end of the summer i'll come to germany with it.
automat: you just said that you have made a lot of new tracks. is your second album coming out soon?
Martyn:
Yes! i have completely finished the tracks and the album is coming out in august. let's see what people will think abot it. it is very scary. with my first album i was nothing but happy to gather so many tracks. it was beautiful to release a whole album and it turned out good. this time it's a totally different feeling. i have started my second album and a lot of times and quitted with it again. you just have to take the time i guess. i hate to wait, i'm really bad in that. i alway want everything to go fast.
Phire: is the album going to be released on an own label?
Martyn:
no its gonna come out on the brainfeeder label of flying lotus. when my music should be recognized by more people then i have to take the next step. and for me brainfeeder is a good step , cause a lot of people who know me aswell know brainfeeder or flying lotus and that way i can reach more people. it just fitted good this time. maybe i'll make the third album on another label again. but damn sure it was fun to work for someone else. with my first album i have critized myself and know there are other people who listen to the stuff and say yes or no. it's really different but interesting.
automat: has your style changed a lot since the last album?
Martyn:
on the first album there were more variations, for example with the tempo. something was 140, but one thing even 115. this time everything is around 125-130 bpm. some things are really straight four-to-the-floor and some rather into the break direction. you guys can get excited. now i try to focus on other things until the release comes out.
automat:
a lot of people wanna tell a story when playing a set. do you have a certain goal or programm that you wanna bring close to the people?
Martyn:
Especially the last months i have played a lot of old chicago-house, because i think that i has a lot to do with the current music. in a lot of instrumentals you can hear a strong chicago influence. if one listens to a juke it is the perfect combination of chicago and bassmusic. it is interesting to hear what people make out of it. i dont like everything but some guys have made really gut stuff like joy orbison.
Phire:
how do you prepare for a set. do you have a preconstructed selection of tracks or do you make it in impuls?
Martyn:
i actually make everything very spontaneously. i tho work a lot on my sets but especially at home and not when i'm on tour. i listen to a lot of music, choose potential tracks and even mix a lot just for fun. but when i spin at a club, then i start with nothing and let it evolve. sometimes its great and sometimes not so great, but i think its good like that.
automat:
in the recent lecture you said that you actually don't wanna talk about styles anymore. all the hybristyles make it almost impossible to talk about music genres these days. people always invent new names like post step, blub step, or tribal step. is there a connection to concepts of humanities science like the postmodern. do you think about things like that? does it mean anything to you?
Martyn:
no! i concentrate on the art of making music, not on the theory behind. this was something i wanted to point out during the lecture.
Phire:
which program do you use to produce?
Martyn:
usually logic
Phire:
in a lot of those programs you are forced to enter a certain tempo at the beginning. do you feel thats restrictive?
Martyn:
not really. if you have a white silver screen, to go with this metaphor, there are aswell certain basic conditions, for example the size of the silver screen. you are never totally free running around with a bongo drum on the field to produce your own music. certain borders are okay. its about what you do with your possibilities in between those borders. my music for example is totally electronical too.
Phire:
do you have a certain approach to produce? do you start with a beat or with a melody? i feel that the melodies in your music play a primary role.
Martyn:
like i said earlier i use a lot of audio recordings. i run around outside and on certain places. what actually really works for me when producing is that i listen to the recordings later in the studio and think back to the point in time, how i felt there, if it was cold or warm, if i was tired and so on. i associate very much with those sounds. from this point i start and evolve the track. so its actually not like i'm in a certain mood and say "now im gonna make a sad track!".
automat:
you have worked a lot with kode9. he tho is an example for a type of musician who not only produces but more thinks about it.
Martyn:
yes thats true. i talk a lot with him but not about theory. i belive he has two relatively seperated lifes. he is kode9 as a musician and he is aswell steve goodman the scientist and he keeps that seperated. sometimes he crosses this seperation in interview. if you work with him he tho really is like me, very artistic and not a theorist.
automat:
you have made an exclusive mix for japan with kode9. on your twitter account you have envinced sympathy for the people in japan. do you know a lot of people there?
Martyn:
we both worked with the label beatink. they care about the distribution of hyperdub, warp, ninja tune and other good labels in the asian region. thats why we know some people there. last year i was together with kode9 on tour in japan and its just a incredibly beautiful country. i love japan a lot, the food too by the way. the japanese are exceptional people. its interesting how composed the people there react to the catastrophje. they wanna prove to the rest of the world how strong they are and that they can deal with their problems bettet than other ones. and i believe thats true. if you look at the pictures of people in emergency accomodation who have lost their houses it is astonishing how calm and organised they keep. nobody is screaming and rioting. thats sick! in america, germany or france people would behave different. its fascinating who this culture works. there is this organised, calm side and on the other hand there is a totally crazy over-the-top side. the day is structured from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. and after that they party...
Last edited by roland on Tue Apr 26, 2011 3:41 pm, edited 5 times in total.
