- The chopping-n-dicing aesthetic is nothing new. One could even say that fragmentation has been at the heart of the poetics of deejaying since its very beginning (and this process starts at home: when packing their vinyls to play on a specific night, DJs are already segmenting their own discothèque, thus orienting their creative end result), making it a definitely modern art form. Recent offerings from Richie Hawtin (the ‘DE9’ series), Magda (‘She’s a Dancing Machine’), or even Matthew Dear (‘Fabric 27’, under his Audion moniker) were all done with the intent of blurring the lines between fragments, rejecting the Cubist-like patchwork ethos of regular DJ mixes in favor of impressionistic, more abstract outcomes. Copenhagen-based producer Martin Swanstein, aka Martinez, is adhering to these principles on his second, most recent mix, aptly titled ‘Restructured Layers’. Here, it is the Out of Orbit Recordings back catalogue that is being submitted to the shred then re-assemble method, and it makes for an effective yet frustrating listen.
‘Restuctured Layers’ is composed of bits of Martinez’s own tracks for the label (about half of the stuff here), two pre-Poker Flat Trentemoller’s from 2004 (the still visceral ‘Beta Boy’ and ‘The Forest’), and some obscure producers that might or might not be part of Denmark’s tech house mafia (Ibn Al-Khimyia or Nima Gorji anyone?). Bits and pieces are used to create a whole, restored sentence, and the new results, at times, wouldn’t be out of place in the middle of a Get Physical-sponsored set: bouncy, fresh-sounding, and pristine. That said, what Martinez himself gains in creativity (the album could be seen as Swanstein’s latest one-hour song), individual tracks lose in personality: sampling-recognition makes for a pleasurable experience for the listener, but blend too much and you get bland, indistinguishable baby purée.
Thus, what was announced to be a state-of-the-art, all-encompassing DJ mix turns out to be the exact opposite: a producer’s plea for creative narcissism. Martinez’s craft is impressive (the whole thing sounds immaculate and clean, and his mastery of studio trickeries is obvious), yet counterintuitive: the accent ends up being on the actual agent of the process (the DJ himself) instead of the objects it is supposed to enhance (the Out of Orbit stable).
This might sound reactionary to some, but the idea of DJ mixes is about finding the right balance between discrete pieces of music and the connective powers of the art of deejaying itself, something even Richie Hawtin at his most experimental (i.e. anal) seems to always be aware of. Here, unfortunately, the very concept of ‘Restructured Layers’ ends up being more successful and engrossing than the actual upshot, which is something that even the most modernistic art forms never fall away from anyway.
Tracklist1A Phil Stumpf - Borderline
1B Willie Graff & Kyle Errison - Synergetic
1C Robert Babicz - The Cloudpainter
1D Martinez - Like Dust On The Road
2A Phil Stumpf - Borderline
2B Martinez - Like Dust On The Road
2C Robert Babicz - The Cloudpainter
2D Nima Gorji - Determination
2E Lowtek Soundsystem - Digital Dirt
2F Zvukbroda - Br (Martinez Central Europe Express Mix)
3A Martinez - Like Dust On The Road
3B Nima Gorji - Determination
3C Lowtek Soundsystem - Digital Dirt
3D Zvukbroda - Br (Martinez Central Europe Express Mix)
3E Martinez - Chordripper
3F Dibaba - Lovetrain (Martinez Triple-O Adjustment)
4A Dibaba - Lovetrain (Martinez Triple-O Adjustment)
4B Zvukbroda - Br (Martinez Central Europe Express Mix)
4C Nima Gorji - Determination
4D Reynold - Abstract Cream
4E Nima Gorji - French Connection (Original Mix)
4F Felix Houzer - Mandolina (Original Mix)
4G Willie Graff & Kyle Errison - Synergetic
4H Lowtek Soundsystem - Digital Dirt
5A Jussi Pekka - Stereo Interleaved (Martinez Triple-O Adjustment)
5B Willie Graff & Kyle Errison - Synergetic
5C Lowtek Soundsystem - Digital Dirt
5D Nima Gorji - French Connection (Original Mix)
5E Martinez - Eternal Mind
5F Martinez - Forever Whatever
5G Robert Babicz - The Cloudpainter
5H Martinez - Like Dust On The Road
6A Martinez - Eternal Mind
6B Martinez - Forever Whatever
6C Robert Babicz - The Cloudpainter
6D Martinez - Like Dust On The Road
6E Nima Gorji - Determination
6F Robert Babicz - Cristal Garden
6G Zvukbroda - Br (Martinez Central Europe Express Mix)
6H Willie Graff & Kyle Errison - Synergetic
6I Martinez - Chordripper
6J Mars Fellows - Sin
7A Robert Babicz - The Cloudpainter
7B Nima Gorji - Determination
7C Robert Babicz - Cristal Garden
7D Martinez - Chordripper
7E Mars Fellows - Sin
7F Cantrip People - It Went On For Days
7G Felix Houzer - Mandolina (Original Mix)
7H Lowtek Soundsystem - Digital Dirt
8A Nima Gorji - Determination
8B Mars Fellows - Sin
8C Robert Babicz - Cristal Garden
8D Cantrip People - It Went On For Days
8E Trentemøller - Beta Boy
8F Martinez - Dark Moon Rising
8G Martinez - Waiting For Now
8H Martinez - Mount Lao
8I Martinez - Snorkel Safari
8J Willie Graff & Kyle Errison - Synergetic
8K Felix Houzer - Mandolina (Original Mix)
9A Martinez - Snorkel Safari
9B Mars Fellows - Sin
9C Martinez - Waiting For Now
9D Ibn Al-Khimiya - Randez-Vous At Night
9E Willie Graff & Kyle Errison - Synergetic
9F Dalminjo - Love Affair (Martinez 4AM Eternal Longue-room Killer Mix)
9G Martinez - Temple Of Dawn
9H Martinez - Minimal Deepness
10A Martinez - Temple of Dawn
10B Martinez - Minimal Deepness
10C Martinez - Snorkel Safari
10D Mars Fellows - Sin
10E Ibn Al-Khimiya - Rendez-Vous At Night
10F Willie Graff & Kyle Errison - Synergetic
10G Felix Houzer - Mandolina (Original Mix)
11A Martinez - Temple Of Dawn
11B Martinez - Snorkel Safari
11C Martinez - Chordripper
11D Nima Gorji - Determination
11E Martinez - Desertsweeper
12A Martinez - Stratocaster
12B Martinez - Temple Of Dawn
12C Nima Gorji - Determination
12D Martinez - Chordripper
12E Martinez - Cloudstepping
12F Trentemøller - The Forest
12G Lowtek Soundsystem - Swamp Thing (Dub)
13A Martinez - Cloudstepping
13B Trentemøller - The Forest
13C Lowtek Soundsystem - Swamp Thing (Dub)
14A Martinez - Cloudstepping
14B Trentemøller - The Forest
14C Ibn Al-Khimiya - Conference Of The Birds
14D Phil Stumpf - Who Told You?
14E Lowtek Soundsystem - Digital Dirt
15A Lowtek Soundsystem - Digital Dirt
15B Phil Stumpf - Cut
15C Trentemøller - Beta Boy
15D Nima Gorji - Welt
15E Cantrip People - The Fundamentalist
15F Cantrip People - It Went On For Days
15G Martinez - Like Dust On The Road
16A Phil Stumpf - Cut
16B Trentemøller - Beta Boy
16C Martinez - Like Dust On The Road
16D Cantrip People - It Went On For Days
16E Mars Fellows - Sin
16F Nima Gorji - Determination
16G Robert Babicz - Little Moon
16H Phil Stumpf - Borderline
17A Robert Babicz - Little Moon
17B Cantrip People - It Went On For Days
17C Phil Stumpf - Borderline
17D Nima Gorji - Determination
17E Cantrip People - Fool For A Night
17F Willie Graff & Kyle Errison - Synergetic
17G Zvukbroda - Br (Martinez Central Europe Express Mix)
17H Lowtek Soundsystem - Digital Dirt
17I Felix Houzer - Mandolina (Original Mix)
17J Martinez - Snorkel Safari
18A Phil Stumpf - Borderline (Martinez Triple-O Re-Adjustment)
18B Nima Gorji - Determination
18C Cantrip People - It Went On For Days
18D Martinez - Snorkel Safari
18E Willie Graff & Kyle Errison - Synergetic
18F Willie Graff & Kyle Errison - Synergetic (Martinez Remix)
18G Martinez - Desert Sweeper
19A Willie Graff & Kyle Errison - Synergetic
19B Phil Stumpf - Borderline