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Biography
The young Martin Solveig grew up singing in the choir of the Petits Chanteurs de Sainte-Croix de Neuilly, where he was the soprano soloist and received classical music training. It wasn’t long however before Solveig took to electronic music and by 13 the Frenchman had his first pair of turntables and enjoyed playing his compositions to friends.
After honing his skills for a number of years whilst working in a record shop, at age 18 the producer became a DJ in many prestigious Parisian nightclubs including L’Enfer, Le Queen and Les Bains Douches. In contribution to Bob Sinclair’s album “Africanism”, Solveig crafted the track "Edony” which soon became a dance hit in France. The DJ and producer’s next release was his debut album “Sur la Terre” in 2002, issued on his own label Mixture, which spawned the hits “Madan”, and the funk and rock hit “Rocking Music” – using a combination of live and electronic instrumentation. The full-length was followed by “Hedonist” in 2005, which peaked at No. 43 in the French Album chart, succeeded by “C’est la Vie” in 2008, his most popular album to date.
In 2011 Solveig released the appropriately named album “Smash”, as it represented his breakthrough into the mainstream. Led by the smash hit “Hello” featuring Drogonette, the single peaked at No. 5 in the French single chart, however topped the charts in Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands. The album’s subsequent singles “Ready 2 Go” featuring Kele of Bloc Party and “Big in Japan”, again featuring Dragonette, cemented the producer’s success, and contributed to the DJ working with Madonna on her 2012 album “MDNA”.
Live reviews
Martin Solveig was a totally new name to me. His show opened up with a phrase being looped over and over, with strange sound effects and a subtle drum beat backing it all up. The crowd began crowd surfing and climbing all over each other, pumping their arms in the air like crazy animals. The mood was intense and out of control. Then, suddenly, the bass dropped, and everything was slow motion.
The heat in the audience was causing a chaotic, clustered feeling, and the fast dancing and intense music made everything feel even more insane. It was surreal, and a ton of fun.
Martin's drum-and-bass-influenced sound made it impossible not to dance. The environment was just so fun and open, you really did feel completely free to do anything you wanted to do. I began singing along to the samples, and everyone around me joined in, and I felt like I was in a huge, absurd choir.
Martin's music really does make time slow down, and it creates a really cinematic feeling, but his drops are also incredibly intense and full of aggression and energy. The audience may be party-oriented, but Martin Solveig is truly where the party is at.
French electro musician and producer Martin Solveig is a household name now on the dance circuit due to his increasing commerciality and true staying power in a career that now spans over fifteen years. As he has been playing the live circuit since the early 2000s, Solveig has had time to develop a really intelligent and considered live show which is not only about the music but the overall genres of electro and dance.
Beginning with bizarre visuals, Orwellian video interludes and a hypnotic repetitive drum beat, the audience is prepared to be transported into the alt-disco world of Martin Solveig. He does not disappoint, matching large production values with even larger tunes in the form of 'Everybody' and 'Rocking Music'. The screens behind are continuously changing which keeps the crowd engaged and allows the man himself to focus on the expert mixes. He drops a brilliant mash-up of his three collaborative singles with Dragonette, including the international hit 'Hello'. The cheers are deafening and the DJ has well and truly cemented his reputation on the circuit.
sean-ward
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