Martin please introduce your self...
i am martin landsky, born in hamburg germany moved to berlin 5 years ago. i started doing music in the early 8
s, beiing into funk and rap, i used to do breakdancing and started with my first rude dj activities...later when house music was invented i started to get more and more into that electronic music...i´ve been djing professionally for more than ten years now...my first record was released in 1997....
A number of cities in Germany are perceived to have their "own sound" - i.e. people
(like dj linus) talk about the "berlin house" sound, "minimal from cologne" etc. How would you breakdown/describe the music coming out of Germany at the moment?
i think there´s a wide variety of music coming from germany..i also think there´s no really typical sound from one or another city...sure there are some labels which are definitily related with certain cities, but these are always just ONE part of the cities´ sound. there´s more behind the curtains. for the so called berlin sound i really don´t know what it should be. there are so many different djs and labels based in berlin, and it´s getting more and more everyday, so which is the "real" berlin sound? :-)
Do you have any theory why there is so much good music coming out of Germany at the moment or has this always been the case but its now getting the attention it deserves?
germany was and is one of the biggest and most important markets for electronic music. you have a big club structure here, many djs, many record buyers and so it´s too logical to have many producers followed by many labels...there was always alot of music coming from germany but in the last years it got more and more internationally recognized. and this is motivating the german producers scene to fuel the machine again. and there´s a whole new generation of artists that have followed their own sound, creating an own identity, away from the "old" heros...maybe this is THE german sound of now....
A lot of well known producers have relocated or base themselves in Berlin (Richie Hawtin, Magda, Villalobos, Ewan Pearson, Luciano) at the moment and people talk about it as having the best nightlife in Europe. What is it that makes Berlin special?
i think it´s not the nightlife that makes the city so special..sure you have many possibilities here to go out..there is something everyday of the week, all different styles, so that´s in a way a metropolitan way of nightlife...but the city has to offer so much more..it´s a melting pot of all different influences..a lot of creatives here, everything is moving and changing on a daily basis, it feels so fresh and you can feel the energy of creating. the city is really big (in terms of germany) but not so hectic as london or new york, berlin is a mosaic of all the small spots that grew on their own (because it has been parted for so long), like little villages but you still have that cosmopolitian spirit around...that is providing a special atmosphere....it´s an own charm...i think that makes the city so attractive to a lot of (creative) people...i fell in love with berlin...if we would have the mediterian weather, the city would blow away any other..;-)
And what is "special" in Berlin at the moment?
there´s is more or less something new every week...some hyped places, some unknown places, that are cool...and even a lot of places i never heard of i think...famous at the moment is still cookies, a incredible tuesday night, the new panorama bar, watergate, weekend (to be opened these days), still wmf and and and.....
How would you describe:
- the music you produce?
groovy minimal house to techno-house with an old school american influence....
- the music you play?
groovy minimal house to techno-house with an old school american influence....
- the difference between the two (if any?)
as djing is not limited to own productions, the music varies a lot from time to time, as i think that certain different artists have definitily a very own style/sound that makes their music a lot different sometimes...
Name 5 desert island discs (i.e. records you couldnt live without)?
- grandmaster flash "the message"
- carl craig "et las"
- d.h.s. "house of god" (the original from back in the days of course)
- fatback "is this the future"
- rocker´s revenge "walking on sunshine"
And your favourite 5-1
records at the moment (top ten?)
- losoul "you know (down dry dub)"
- sleeparchive
2
- john tejada "mono on mono"
- dj minx "walk in the park (wink remix)"
- samim & michal "dirty big mouse"
- sten "bluebell"
- b "minikool" (yeah still)
- michoacan "2 bullets"
- justin harris & lil mark "crackiceboom ep"
- jovonn "old man groan"
What about other musical influences - from a breakdancer to what you are today they must be quite varied?
there´s alot...but some names that must be dropped are: grandmaster flash, fatback, quincy jones, herbie hancock, all the prelude stuff, carl craig, rob hood, todd terry, roger s, jovonn, chez damier, one way etc etc..but i am sure i forgot the most..;-)
Who are your favourite producers at the moment? Could you also say why?
there is alot stuff i like today, too much to name here and not to forget someone..but you will know when you hear me playing ;-)
If you could get anyone in the studio to work with you or into anyones studio who would it be?
oh that´s always a tricky question for me...i respect a lot of people for what they´ve done and what the´re doing...but that doesn´t have to mean that it would be creative to work with them....i think creative cooperations are always a product of accidents...you should not wish to meet someone particular or to work with someone in particular...what will happen will happen, then you know..so i don´t have special wishes regarding this...
If you could choose your dream line up, who would you play with and where?
similar thought here...you never know what will work when where how and if...so a dream constellation could easily turn into a nightmare constellation..;-) but one of my dreams would be to have very good djs playing, but nobody cares, no body knows...all it´s about that night is the music, the people could get lost into...no hypes no groupies no nothing, just a dark room you and the music....
And if you could get anyone on the guest list, alive or dead, fictional or real who would be there?
this question must be asked the other side..i don´t know who would like to be on my list...but maybe no guestlist is the best solution..if the people have to pay you can be sure they really want to be in there... - we like this answer too
A lot of very good producers are not very good dj"s. As a dj that started producing music what is your take t
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