Martelo, Santogold's DJ
Published 30 months ago
Expect a mixtape for Trinotron and a studio collaboration with Hervé.
- Text by Joseph Patterson
Martelo, 23, grew up in Glasgow then moved from Jersey to Kensal Green, London. He is now Santogold's UK tour DJ.
Dazed Digital: When did you get into DJing?
Martelo: When I was around 15 I used to save my lunch money and make mixtapes with records and CDs I had bought with it. Plus my cousin (Chris Aidy) is a DJ and my dad was too.
DD: What genres do you specialise in?
M: I play across the board really, mostly uptempo club music and party tunes. Lots of 4x4 stuff but I'll go up to juke, soca and drum'n'bass.
DD: How did you hook up with Santogold and London club night YoYo?
M: The Santogold gig was through Diplo, he suggested me when she told him she needed a UK DJ and he told me to email her, I did, she called, we spoke and that was that. YoYo was because I hung out there and still do near enough every week, I used to take CDs of mash ups for Seb Chew, Leo Greenslade and Mark Ronson or whoever was there playing and try and get them to play my bootlegs - eventually they asked me to play.
DD: Is touring as glamourous as people think it is for a DJ?
M: Not really, I don't know how glamorous people think it is. I mean, it is fun, I get to travel the world and meet cool people, play in amazing clubs. Although I don't think the world or scene I play in is very glamorous, that kind of stuff is more for those "superstar DJs".
DD: You had a successful mixtape out with Kesh a while ago. Do you have any plans to make a new one?
M: Yeah definitely, we kind of started a second one but we never finished it, I think we were moving house or something. I'm sure there was a good reason why it never got done, but I am doing a mixtape for Trinotron and one for clothing label Trapstar that should both be out soon and another full length monster one for myself. I really need to get back on that because I love doing mixtapes, I try and make them so you can't date them, and I usually put stuff on there that might not get played in a club set.
DD: Now that you are a famous DJ do you get the perks, i.e. free clothes, gadgets and ...Ladies?
M: I wish, I'm not a famous DJ! The perks are being paid to travel and play your favourite songs and party with new people all the time, I don’t really get any freeness from anywhere, I get some free T-shirts every now and then but that’s about it. No gadgets, I pay for all that. As for the ladies, I always miss the boat on that one, I'm either too busy dancing or hanging out in the DJ booth being a geek and before I know it, whichever ladies were there are all long gone.
DD: What are your plans for the future?
M: The future is bright, I am about to go into the studio with Hervé to work on a project called "Firebeaters" which is mostly going to be fun stuff for DJs and ravers, I'm also working on my "Bassface EP" which should hopefully be out in time for an xmas number one! Then back out on tour with Santogold doing Oz and New Zealand, maybe back out to Japan too I think. After that more DJ stuff, I'm working on some remixes too for a few people so stay locked for that.
