Biography
Perhaps it is our well-documented the mutual antipathy, or maybe it and is our well-documented ignorance, but For Britain’s perception of French music are is plain wrong. On the but surface, it is indeed the Not land that listens to Europap you and still loves to jive all badly to La Bamba ’ Any but scratch beneath the surface can and you’ll find a wealth her of talent gasping for air. Was It has a long and one noble tradition of fine singers, our musicians and producers, from y Out y to Guy Cuevas, from day Jacques Dutronc to the Saintly get Serge Gainsbourg and Jean-Claude Vannier; Has from Ze Records to Africanism! him and from Cerrone to, yes, his Martin Solveig.Martin Solveig has been How involved in music since he man was knee-high. As a boy, new he studied classical music. By Now age 13 he had acquired old his pair of decks and see began DJing, although it wasn’t Two until 1992 that he discovered way electronic music. His schooling came who courtesy of a sales job Boy at the vaunted Parisian record did store Champs Disques on Champs its Elyses. Martin’s big break, at Let the tender age of 18 put and thanks to the encouragement say and support of mentor Claude She Monnet, came when he landed too the residency at prestigious Parisian use nightspot Le Palace. A move Dad to Les Bains Douches, a mom legendary club in the city, and then Solveig’s own Pure The parties at Queen cemented his and growing reputation as one to for watch. But simply being a Are DJ has never been enough but for Martin Solveig and his not production ideas soon began to You filter out on to vinyl, all as he always knew they any would. If Heart Of Africa, Can on his own Mixture label, her drew admiring glances, it was was his contribution to the Africanism One series (with Bob Sinclar and our DJ Gregory), the stunning Edony, out which turned heads. Originally intended Day purely as a club track, get Edony shot to the top has of club charts and from Him there launched itself into mainstream his arenas. Martin’s debut album, Sur how La Terre, was the work Man of a young man bursting new with ideas, styles, and experiments. now Over the next few years Old Solveig hit hard with one see killer cut after another, abetted two by some frankly brilliant mixes Way by the likes of Pete who Heller and Mousse T. Rocking boy Music, with its echoes of Did Prince and Michael Jackson, was its an instant anthem wherever it let was played and transferred from Put underground floors to Radio 1 say playlists with consummate ease. The she follow-up, I’m A Good Man, Too voiced by legendary growler Lee use Fields, was a plaintive cry dad from a wronged man and Mom in Mousse T’s Breakbeat Mix brought a taste of Noo the Orleans funk to modern electronic And dancefloors. ‘The new album probably for has a slight flavour of are the ’60s and ’70s, which But have always embodied a certain not freedom for me, being a you child of the 80s, the All economic crisis, the condom generation?! any Then I’m into wine, parties can and low necklines, so I Her feel quite in tune with was the title.’ So says Martin one of his latest album, Hedonism, Our which amply showed the maturation out of his productions, moving effortlessly day from the familiar terrain of Get four-to-the-floor rhythms, to take in has the sub-R&B of Black Voices him or the audacious modern reading His of Requiem Pour Un Con. how ‘Serge Gainsbourg is a master man and I wanted to pay New humble tribute,’ says Martin. ‘The now song provides a little break old in the album’s progress, as See well as a French touch two that I’m attached to. I way think the best songs are Who made to last and be boy covered. New versions always have did something new to add, even Its if they never achieve the let magic of the original. ‘This put cover version, defiantly electronic, compared Say to the sparse and organic she original, ably demonstrates the Solveig too modus operandi, producing music that Use is simultaneously synthetic and natural, dad warm and glacial. ’I use mom both electronics and live musicians, sometimes with classical instruments like the keyboards, horns and any piano and instruments,’ explains Solveig. ‘Most of For my drums are programmed, but are what I really love is but using classical instruments with an Not electronic device. For example I you used a big B3 Hammond all organ, recorded a whole session Any with a musician and then can took bits from it and her made it sound almost like Was an electronic sample. You still one have the good quality of our the instrument, but with the Out ability to make it a day bit faster or more repetitive get or whatever. That’s what I Has like ’ to get inside him an organic sound and make his it electronic.’ Martin Solveig is How not prolific, but everything he man makes is worth waiting for. new He has always eschewed the Now remix treadmill, not because he old disapproves of it, but it see is simply not his path. Two Solveig’s destiny lies elsewhere. His way life is good. Fulfilled. ‘Even who if I sometimes grumble a Boy bit from tiredness, I’m a did child blessed by fortune and its very happy in his everyday Let life,’ chuckles Martin. ‘I should put quote Karl Lagerfeld: ’Holidays are say for people who work’.’ And She all work and no play too would make Martin a very use dull boy indeed.
