Martin Solveig

Martin Solveig
Solveig
Background information
Born	1976
Origin	Paris, France
Genres	House Pop Funk
Occupations	Producer, DJ
Instruments	Turntable, Vocals
Years active	1994-present
Labels	Mixture Stereophonic
Website	www.martinsolveig.com www.myspace.com/martinsolveig www.youtube.com/tempsdavance

Martin Solveig is a French electronic music DJ and producer from Paris. He also hosts a weekly radio show called ‘C’est La Vie’ on stations worldwide including FG DJ Radio in his homeland. His label is called Mixture Stereophonic.

Early history

Born 1976 in Paris (France), Martin was raised on classical music by his parents. He was drawn to electronic sounds at the age of thirteen, having been given a set of turntables. His first residency was at the Le Palace club aged 18 where Claude Monnet mentored him. Martin then switched to Les Bains Douches and played alongside the likes of Todd Terry, Roger Sanchez and Bob Sinclar.

Solveig started to edit old tracks and loop percussions to add something different to his dj sets, then at 21 he took advantage of an internship while studying at business school to start up his own label Mixture Stereophonic. He released ‘Heart of Africa’ which he took inspiration from the ‘twangy’ voice of his English teacher. The record went on to sell 10,000 copies and acted as a catalyst for Martin’s career, attracting the attention of his peers and resulting in Bob Sinclar asking Martin to join the Africanism project. As part of the project, the collective released ‘Ebony’ which thrusted Martin in to an elite group of producers from France that had broken into the global market. Following graduation, Solveig ditched the books and donned the headphones, touring multiple countries around Europe.

Later Career

In 2002, Martin Solveig released his album Sur La Terre, which contained hits ‘Heart of Africa’ and ‘Ebony’ and was released internationally on Universal Music. ‘Madan’, which went on to sell over 100,000 copies, and ‘Rocking Music’ featured on the frenchman’s second album Suite. ‘Rocking Music’ established Martin’s identity as an energetic,funk producer who experimented with electric vocals, something that was quite scarce in electro music at the time. Success in the U.K was quick to welcome him, BBC Radio 1 had the track on constant rotation and you could not escape the record in nightclubs. Far from sitting back and resting on the success of ‘Rocking Music’, Martin set about working on his following album, ‘Hedonist.’ The album was released in 2005 and tracks such as ‘Everybody’, ‘Jealousy’, ‘Something Better’ and ‘Rejection’ helped to make it a big success. Learning a lot from Arno Bani and Tristan Séguéla, Martin developed an interest in the visual elements to his music. He wrote the story of the video for “Jealousy” and finally directed “Rejection.” “Rejection” proved to be a milestone as Martin decided to move away from the conventions of electro videos that had preceded it. Appearing on screen himself, he deliberately chose to mock himself, emphasising his personality and music, ‘from geek to chic.’ Released in 2008, ‘C’est La Vie’ has produced another succession of hits for the Parisian, the title track from the album, ‘I Want You’ and ‘One 2.3 Four.’ The album is rumoured to be inspired by The Strokes and their work, highlighting Solveig’s board taste in music. The title track, ‘C’est La Vie’ was born from a funk beat played by a rock drummer, a nod to Prince and his album ‘Parade’, a synthesizer Juno 106 and a phone call to Jay Sebag (singer on ‘Rocking Music’, ‘Something Better’ and ‘Rejection’).

Another interesting twist to the album was the introduction of Martin’s own vocal performances, specifically on “Bottom Line” and “Beauty False”. He uses the microphone as a tool or instrument, singing, doing sound effects and beat-boxing bass line’s and rhythms.

Off the back of the success of ‘C’est La Vie’, Martin decided to reward fans by releasing a collection of remixes of tracks from the album on ‘C’est La Vie Remixes.’ It featured versions of familiar favourites from Laidback Luke, Felix Da Housecat, Popof, Les Petit Pilous, the Bloody Beetroots, Tiger Stripes and Fedde Le Grand. Rejection the norm, Solveig decided to release the album via free giveaways on magazine covers to say a thank you to fans that have supported his career. It featured on the cover of DJ Mag in the UK in October 2009 and Deejay Spain in the same month.

The ‘Remixes’ CD had one addition from the original album; ‘Boys and Girls’ generated huge hype across 2009. Originally selected by Jean Paul Gaultier, the track was used to celebrate his Ma Dame Rose ‘n’ Roll fragrance and to mark Ma Dame’s 1st anniversary.

Following an infamous meeting in a bar, Gaultier told Solveig of his admiration of his work and how he would love to use a track in some way. ‘Boys and Girls’ was born; the video was shot at the legendary “Maison De Couture” and has received just under 1 million hits on Youtube to date.

The track was also available as a free download on the Ma Dame website and it’s success has lead to a full release scheduled for the end of 2009.

Laidback Luke, Les Petit Pilous, Bart B More and David E. Sugar have remixed ‘Boys and Girls’, with plays from Pete Tong, Kissy Sell Out and Andy George and Jaymo on BBC Radio 1.

A songwriter, composer, dj, producer and even singer on rare occasions, Solveig’s well behaved manner and unconcerned looks, couped with his sense of self mockery has endeared him to many across the world. In 2009, he was awarded the Chevalier Des Arts et Des Lettres from the French Minister of Culture to recognise significant contribution to the arts, literature or the propagation of these fields in France. Solveig further solidified his position as one of France’s most revered producers by receiving the Artiste de Musiques Electroniques de l’Annee at the French Victoires de la Musique this year. His popularity is not confined to his homeland; huge success across Europe has confirmed Solveig’s longevity and talent for making music. In Belgium and Eastern Europe Martin enjoys a high level of respect, as he does in the U.K.

Discography

Studio albums

• 2002 Sur la Terre
• 2003 Suite
• 2005 Hedonist
• 2008 C'est La Vie
• 2009 C'est La Vie Remixes

Compilations

• 2006 So Far (France only)

Singles

• 1996 "Satisfied"
• 1998 "Break Da EP"
• 1999 "Heart of Africa/Afro Deep"
• 2000 "Come with me"
• 2000 "Destiny"
• 2000 "Edony (Clap Your Hands)", as Africanism
• 2001 "Mr. President"
• 2002 "Linda"
• 2002 "Someday"
• 2003 "Madan" (vs Salif Keita)
• 2003 "Rocking Music" #35 UK, #39 Australia
• 2003 "Heartbeat", as Africanism
• 2004 "I'm a good man" #57 UK
• 2005 "Everybody" #22 UK, #33 Australia
• 2006 "Jealousy" #1 Lebanon, #62 UK, #30 Belgium
• 2006 "Something better"
• 2007 "Rejection" #4 Lebanon, #6 UK Indie
• 2008 "C'est La Vie"
• 2008 "I want you" (Feat. Lee Fields)
• 2009 "One 2.3 Four"
• 2009 "Boys & Girls" (Feat. Dragonette)

References

External links

• TwistedHouse.com Martin Solveig Interview
• Martin Solveig Interview (Ibiza,Spain)2006
• Martin Solveig biography
• Allmusic article
• Top 40 charts record for Martin Solveig
• Martin Solveig İstanbul