Setlist Essentials: Martyn, XLR8R podcast

Setlist Essentials: Martyn, XLR8R podcast

5 April, 2010 | 7.45AM

• Written by: Zack Rico
• Filed under: Music News: 3024, martyn, setlist essentials

Martyn’s unique and eclectic approach to electronic music has seem him tagged as one of dubstep’s boldest explorers, but as his recent mix for Fabric proved, the Dutch producer is infinitely more complicated.

Whilst his productions have for the most part, skulked the thin grey line between Berlin techno and moody dubstep (although his UK funky flourishes on his debut album ‘Great Lengths’ offered some surprising rays of warmth), as a DJ Martyn’s multifarious approach is closer aligned to leftfield and ambient hip hop DJs such as Flying Lotus.

His recent mix podcast for XLR8R is a prime example of the kind of complex smorgasbord of sounds Martyn likes to flirt with in the DJ booth, which he has shared with artists as diverse as Hudson Mohawke, Skream, Rusko, and Marcel Dettmann.

On the mix, Martyn’s constructs a lucid journey of beats and drifting atmospherics that quite happily jump from instrumental hip hop, to new wave pop, house, garage, techno, and even ambient.

Sometimes hot and funky, sometimes cold and lonely, Martyn’s mix is one of the best we’ve heard all year.

With so much quality alternative dance music crammed into just one hour, we had to take a peek under the hood to see how he built his mix.

Martyn, XLR8R podcast

Kicking off with gently euphoric new wave by Washed Out, the mix drops into drifting hip hop from Lukid, before it works its way into funky rhythms by King Midas Sound and Anthony Shake Shakir.

Martyn then twists the mix on its head, using Robert Owens’ Trax classic ‘Bring Down The Walls’ to push in some four four, which is brilliantly juxtaposed with smooth indie grooves from Lone and Jacob Korn.

We find ourselves in more familiar dubstep territory with Actress’ stripped back remix of Joy Orbison, but it isn’t long before Martyn lands a unexpected hit by mixing in Prince’s pop classic ‘When Doves Cry’.

All in all, it’s an odd ball mix from one of electronic music’s most interesting characters.

Martyn XLR8R podcast: Tracklist

01 Washed Out ‘Get Up’ (Mexican Summer)
02 Lukid “Veto” (Werk)
03 King Midas Sound ‘Lost’ (Hyperdub)
04 Rotating Assembly ‘Orchestra Hall’ (Sound Signature)
05 Anthony Shakir ‘Shake it Up Dub (Remix)’ (KMS)
06 Robert Owens ‘Bring Down The Walls’ (Trax)
07 Lone ‘Once In A While’ (Werk)
08 Jacob Korn ‘Grosskariert’ (Permanent Vacation)
09 Joy Orbison “The Shrew Would Have Cushioned the Blow (Actress remix)” (Aus)
10 Prince “When Doves Cry” (Warner Bros)
11 Dez Williams ‘Abandoned Emotions’ (Cheap)
12 DJ Duke ‘Future Blast’ (Music For Your Ears)
13 Glass Domain ‘Interlock’ (Clone)
14 Drexciya ‘Lost Vessel’ (Tresor)
15 The Future ‘Daz’ (Black Melody)
16 Aardvarck ‘Tulti’ (Eat Concrete)
17 Motor City Drum Ensemble ‘Raw Cuts #5’ (Faces)
18 Basic Soul Unit ‘Hope.Unity.Vision’ (New Kanada)
19 Adonis ‘No Way Back’ (Trax)
20 K-Alexi ‘Vertigo’ (Transmat)
21 J Dilla ‘Nothing Like This’ (Stones Throw)

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