The Mix
Talk us through the track selection of the mix.
"I gathered up a ton of tracks that I’ve been playing and listening to, then started to fit them all together. I love making mixes with longevity, rather than just a bunch of club bangers, so I tried to pick songs that evolve and reveal their beauty over multiple listens."
Where and how was the mix recorded?
"In my studio and on my travels, in Ableton."
What are the musical influences that have allowed you to arrive at this mix?
"Melodic house and techno all day! DJ Koze, I:Cube, my brother Justin, Catz 'n' Dogz, Herbie Hancock, Clams Casino, Mathew Jonson, Harry Fraud..."
The Plug
What is keeping you busy at the moment, production wise in particular?
"Lots of originals, lots of travel! This summer has been bonkers. Secret Garden Party last weekend was a huge highlight."
OK, so you have a well know brother. I guess you talk about this a lot, but just quickly; how has he helped you along your career? Do you get to work or play with him often, I know you have in the past under the moniker ‘The Martin Brothers’?
"He’s helped me enormously! I took him to to his first rave, he taught me how to DJ years later. He’s my best critic and greatest ally, his musical advice is always crucial. We play alongside each other a lot during Dirtybird events, but our travel schedules make it kind of tough to collaborate these days. Our last project was a remix of Kill Frenzy’s ‘Make That Booty Clap.’"
Listening to some of your productions and mixes, the style is quite different to that of some of the other Dirtybird artists, moving towards D’n’B and Jungle. Did you always want to step away from their ‘sound’ to create an image for yourself?
"I just follow the music I love, and try to make music that I want to hear.. It always comes back to soundsystem tracks that give me goosebumps. I think the musical differences within the db crew are a crucial part of what gives our nights such variety."
You have only your second Dirtybird Ibiza gig tomorrow, which is a really cool progression for you I’m sure. I’m sure you’re pretty excited?
"Last week was killer! I’m so ready to get back to it, the crowd at our night has been phenomenal. The Void system at Sankeys sounds like thunder!"
What does the future hold after your Ibiza gigs then?
"Heading to Kazantip with a bunch of the db crew on August 10, then we have a day party in Berlin on the 11th. After that, back to the USA for our San Francisco quarterly dirtybird residency at Mezzanine on August 16. Then a few days in Detroit, and off to Burning Man!"
Finally, you have a weekend off. What do you do? Where do you go?
"I’ll be sitting by the pool or at the beach! Catching up on reading, listening to promos, and enjoying the summer."
Tracklist
1. Cesare vs Disorder - Chacha Malaga
2. Freska - Doves on My Window
3. UZ - Trap Shit v13 (Justin Martin rmx)
4. Toyc - Keyframe
5. Kill Frenzy - Make That Booty Clap (Martin Brothers dub)
6. Shadow Child - 23 (Kry Wolf rmx)
7. Rumah - Stutter
8. Tough Love - Tough Love (MANIK Summer Skeleton Dub)
9. Eli & Fur - Nightmares (Huxley rmx)
10. Ian Pooley - I Got You (Matthias Vogt rmx)
11. Makes No Sense - Group Therapy
12. Simon Shackleton - Angelhead
13. Hobo - Blackwell
14. Sinden - Ring Around the Groove
15. Nima G - Cat Eats Bird
16. Zed's Dead - Mr. Sub
17. Bearight - Buoyant
18. Lorca - Searching
Biography
Since 1995, Christian Martin has been exploring electronic music from one end of the earth to the other; from full-moon parties in the deserts of California to the thumping, dark corners of the London club scene. Christian followed his love for spleen-rattling bass to San Francisco in 2000, where he met up with the now legendary dirtybird crew. The dirtybird BBQ was the brainchild of the four original members – Christian & his brother Justin Martin, and friends Claude VonStroke and Worthy. They had a personal mission to change the landscape of San Francisco house music by throwing an epic free party in the park, based on their new signature sound.
In 2003, with nothing to lose and everything to gain, Christian bought a massive yet necessary sound system on his credit card. This set the standard for a new era of die-hard dedicated DIY producers, all with productions based on heavy bass-lines, smiling faces and dance floor delights.
In 2006, Christian began releasing a steady stream of tracks, first collaborating with Justin under the “Martin Brothers” alias, as well as Claude VonStroke. The Martin Brothers partnership has produced such hip-hop influenced hits as ‘Duckface’, ‘Stoopit’, & ‘Dum’, as well as remixes for Ed Banger and Fool's Gold. On his own, he's released his own brand of bassy house music on labels such as dirtybird, Trapez, and Anabatic. His low end take on tech house has led to remixes for musical heavyweights such as Chromeo, Underworld, L-Vis 1990, and many more.
Christian's devotion to large scale bass has allowed him to champion the dirtybird sound out of the park and onto giant soundsystems at clubs and festivals worldwide. From Fusion (Germany) to Shambhala (Canada), to Coachella & Symbiosis (US), there's a constant demand for what he describes as “bass from the ground up.” In San Francisco, Christian is a resident at dirtybird's raucous quarterly party at Mezzanine; and also at Monarch, the newly opened marvel of a club. His new musical alias Leroy Peppers has recently roared to life, offering an even heavier take on hip-hop influenced bass music. Whether it be Leroy or Christian behind the decks, if your hands aren't clapping your ass surely will be.
