ROB CHADWICK talks to the Scandinavian spinner about his upcoming gig at Fabric and his recently released album The Paradigm Shift…
His fans include Steve Bug, Sven Vath, Silicone Soul, DJ T and Matthias Tanzmann, but his reputation is starting to stretch far beyond the reach of the DJing cognoscenti. In fact, it’s fair to say that Martinez is on a bit of a roll. Born Martin Swanstein, in the south of Sweden, Martinez has been producing music and promoting beach parties since his school days. It was after a move to Danish capital Copenhagen in 2000 that people start to take notice of his production skills, and it wasn’t long before he was putting out records for the likes of Dessous, Get Physical, Moon Harbour and his own imprint, Re:connected. Sets Cocoon, Amnesia, Space, Panoramabar and Fuse have helped cement his reputation for quality sounds, and earlier this year, he put the icing on the cake with the release of his excellent new album, The Paradigm Shift. Now he’s heading back to the UK for a set at Fabric. EQTV finds out more…
How has your summer been so far?
Amazing. I can’t believe the great weather we’ve had in Copenhagen – it’s been fantastic to experience some real summer vibes in my Scandinavian home town. It’s also been a very busy summer, travelling a lot and playing loads of gigs, which has been great. I spent a lot of time in Ibiza this year as well, and at the end of September I’m renting a house for 10 days to enjoy the closing week and maybe even some days holiday time too.
You brought out your album The Paradigm Shift back in May. How was it making that album and weaving a story throughout it?
It was a cool experience, and this album came very easily and naturally for me. I’ve made a few albums before and always felt much more pressured about the fact that it was an album. But this time I just went with the feeling and idea I had from the start and just tried not to think too much about the final result. I’m really happy with it, and it feels really like a complete story of the sound I’ve been putting out for the last couple of years.
Did you approach the project differently to how you would a single track or a remix?
Well, I always had this idea about making an album with this sound in the back of my head, so while I was working in the studio I just saved material that I felt would fit into that idea. When I had about 20 tracks ready, I started to reproduce them again with the idea of an album in mind. Eventually I ended up with about 15 tunes, and from there I put together the strongest ones into a final full story.
You work very closely with Moon Harbour, the label that put out your album. What’s it like working with Matthias Tanzmann and his team?
Moon Harbour is pretty much my home base and main label these days. I’m very happy working with them. I’ve been a friend of both André [Quaas] and Matthias for a while and I like their attitude and style.
Fabric have called you in for deck duty. What’s it like when you get the offer to play a club of Fabric’s stature?
I really enjoy Fabric as a club. I’ve played there a few times before, and I’ve visited it so many times as a guest. It’s definitely right at the top of my list of favourite clubs. But I’m very excited about September 4 because I’m playing in Room Two. I love Room One – I’ve played there a few times before and it’s absolutely amazing – but I always had a little interest in what Room Two would be like. This room has such a dirty and rough feeling to it. It really makes me want go in more of an old school, Chicago house/Detroit techno route. So I might pull out some classics – and I’ll most definitely spend a lot of time preparing for that evening.
What are your best memories from your past visits to Fabric?
As a guest, it was definitely the last birthday party I was at – I think it was the 10th year. Ricardo Villalobos played like three different sets that weekend and it just went on and on and on… I walked in at around 10am on Sunday after a disco nap, and Ricardo was playing the most crazy breakbeat, old school house I’ve ever heard. It was magical. And with Room One’s sound system, it just took the music and the different levels of bass into a new dimension.
And, as a DJ, my first time playing at Fabric is my best memory. It was a Saturday in December and I played before John Digweed. It was such a fantastic experience. I was super nervous, but it went very well and I ended up having an amazing night. And I’ve been happy to come back any time since!
What can we expect from Martinez next?
Right now I’m working in the studio again after a little break to gather some new inspiration. I just finished some tracks for a new 12” which will be out on Cadenza Records towards the end of the year, and I also made a new track for the Moon Harbour 10-year anniversary. Me and Matthias Tanzmann also did a new tune together which will drop on Moon Harbour later this year. Plus there are a few remixes here and there, otherwise I’m just travelling and gigging a lot.
Martinez plays Fabric on September 4. His album, The Paradigm Shift is out now on Moon Harbour. Visit www.myspace.com/martinezreconnected, www.fabriclondon.com and www.moonharbour.com
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