Airports, festivals and labels...
Since kickstarting his career over a decade ago, Denmark-based producer Martniez has established himself as a respected creative force in house and techno. From the downtempo future-jazz of his Laidback Grooves EPs to the jacking dancefloor friendly material on Moon Harbour Recordings, Martin Swanstein, as he’s known to his mates, has managed to stride confidently between genres, keeping the bar high throughout.
The 29th of September sees him fly in to play a headline slot for Art of Dark’s Summer Closing Party, so we had a chinwag with him in preparation.
How have the summer months been for you this year, anything that’s been particularly memorable?
The summer has been great! They’re always some of the busiest months in the year and I've travelled very much, but definitely played a lot of fun gigs.
I had very good one for ViVa Music's residency at Sankey's in Ibiza at the beginning of the season. That club is really special for Ibiza, it’s a bit more intimate, smaller and darker with a very powerful sound system. Also, I did a small South American weekend tour in July, in Lima (Peru) and Medellin (Colombia) which was insane. The scene over there is really on fire now!
Besides that I did a very memorable 3-hour set at Germany's Fusion Festival as I returned there for my 4th time. That festival is something very unique, as they do not have big sponsors and they don’t announce their line up beforehand. People simply come there for the free spirit vibe and to have fun, also they trust the music selection of the people behind the festival. It’s a special vibe there.
You’re playing alongside Desolat wonderkid Hector and Cocoon’s Sante for AoD. How much does the rest of the line-up influence your approach when going into a performance, if at all?
In the end I always do my thing, but you might adapt a bit when playing in certain situations or line-ups. I’m very much looking forward to hearing Santé live as well. Hector is always a sure shot and a fun party is guaranteed when he's around, so should be a good one I am sure.
Following a year of sold out parties here in London, Art of Dark have recently launched their own label. What advice would you give to the boys on making sure they carry their success as a party over to the label?
Well, my advice is simple: just be yourself with the releases and try to stay unique. Don't go for the obvious names or hype at the moment, just to sell records or get high chart ratings, it’s more important to build your own profile and sound that you stand for, it lasts much longer.
You’ve long been a firm favourite on London’s house music circuit. Is it a city you particularly look forward to visiting?
I must admit I really love London – there’s a unique vibe there, and from the party/music perspective it’s as multicultural as it is on all other levels. There are so many cool different parties and clubs in London and I always have a great time playing for the crowd there.
The party is happening in the shadows of the Olympic Stadium. If you were to create your own event to compete in, what would it be?
I would make an event for getting through an airport in the fastest and most efficient way. I bet I could beat a few people in that!
What does the autumn and winter season hold for you?
Lately I've been working on quite a lot of remixes for various acts. You should see these over the coming months on various imprints.
I am also slowly getting more and more done on my new album and expect to finalise it during the end of 2012. Besides that there are some new 12" and EPs in the pipeline but I can't say too much right now, but for sure we're trying to get together a new EP for Moon Harbour very soon, so keep your eyes and ears open for that.
Art of Dark's Summer Closing Party takes place on 29th September at The Colourworks, Hackney Wick.
Click here to listen to his Art of Dark promo mix!
Click here to see last week's Dancefloor Bombs
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