The Martinez Brothers

The Martinez Brothers
Background information
Also known asMartinez Bros, TMB
OriginThe Bronx, New York, U.S.
GenresHouse, techno, tech house, hip hop
Years active2007 (2007)–present
LabelsObjektivity, Tuskegee Records, Cuttin Headz
MembersSteve Martinez, Chris Martinez
WebsiteWebsite

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The Martinez Brothers are a duo of disc jockeys, music producers, and remixers from The Bronx, New York known for their long-term residencies at clubs in Ibiza. In 2014, they were named as DJs of the year by Mixmag,[1] who wrote that "no other DJ or DJ duo encapsulates house music in 2014 like the crown princes of DC10."[1]

History

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Early years and founding

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The Martinez Brothers are a house music DJ/production duo born and raised in the New York borough known as The Bronx.[2][3] Steven and Chris Martinez were introduced to music from a young age,[2] when their father took it upon himself to provide a musical upbringing, involving the boys in the church band.[2][3][4] There they would collaborate with much older musicians, performing genres as diverse as disco, soul, and salsa.[1] Their father eventually brought them their first set of DJ equipment, encouraging their interest in pursuing dance music as a career,[2] and remaining supportive ever since.[3]

Early club residencies

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As the brothers grew older, and continued to work on their music production, they were increasingly exposed to New York's dance music scene. After hearing their sets, DJ Dennis Ferrer began mentoring the duo,[2][5] helping them branch out through his contacts and helping them book gigs at a number of notable New York venues. Ferrer also signed them to his record label Objektivity.[2][4][6][7]

In 2011, they were invited to Ibiza, Spain for their first DJ residency, where they were to begin spinning at the club Ushuaïa alongside their former tutor Dennis Ferrer.[1][8] However this arrangement fell through at the last minute,[6] and they instead approached friend and DC-10 booker, Elliot Shaw, who managed to secure a last-minute residency for the brothers.[8] They have held regular residencies at the Ibizan club ever since.[8]

Touring

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Beyond their club residencies and performances at nightclubs such as Club Space in Miami, the duo maintained an active international touring schedule. In 2009, they performed at Electric Daisy Carnival in California to a crowd of approximately 60,000 attendees. They performed at the Detroit Electronic Music Festival for DEMF 2010 and later at DEMF 2014. In 2011, they performed at Electric Zoo Festival in Randall's Island in New York City, and the IndepenDANCE Pool Party in Miami. In 2012, they performed at Rock in Rio Lisboa V, as a headlining act at the Eletrónica Heineken stage. In 2014, they performed at festivals such as Lovebox and Creamfields in England, as well as Escapade Music Festival in Canada. They also performed at The BPM Festival held in Mexico in 2015 and at Tomorrowland in Belgium during the summer.

Other work

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External videos
video icon "Between The Beats: The Martinez Brothers" documentary by Resident Advisor (Sep 25, 2013)
video icon Video of The Martinez Brothers Boiler Room Ibiza DJ Set at Boiler Room (Aug 29, 2014)

In 2014, the brothers' busy international touring schedule[3] featured many performances on behalf of their collaborative label Tuskegee Records[9] alongside co-label owner Seth Troxler. Tuskegee doubled up as a music and fashion label.[1]

They worked directly with high end fashion designer Riccardo Tisci to create the soundtrack for Givenchy's menswear and women's wear fall/winter 2014 and spring 2015 collections.[10][11] They have also launched their own label, Cuttin' Headz,[1] showcasing both their own music and productions from other artists.[6] In 2014, they were named as DJs of the year by UK dance music publication Mixmag, and as a result were placed on the front cover for the December edition of the print magazine.[1] Mixmag wrote that "no other DJ or DJ duo encapsulates house music in 2014 like the crown princes of DC10."[1]

Also in 2014, they were the only non-Chic cohorts to be invited by Nile Rodgers to contribute on his upcoming album It’s About Time. The Martinez Brothers added percussion on the lead single "I'll Be There".[12][13][14] In May 2015, they released their free EP Masters at Dutch.[15]

Members

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  • Chris Martinez (2007–present) - deejaying
  • Steven Martinez (2007–present) - deejaying

Awards and rankings

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Year Award Nominated work Category Result
2014 Mixmag rankings The Martinez Brothers The Top 20 DJs of 2014 No. 1
2022 DJ Mag's Top 100 DJs Top 100 DJs No. 100
2023 No. 60

Discography

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DJ mixes

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Year Album title Release details[16]
2014 Cuttin Headz Expose
  • Released: Dec 11, 2014 (UK)
  • Label: Mixmag
  • Format: Digital

Extended plays

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Year Title Label Release details[16]
2010 Don’t No Yet Objektivity Vinyl/digital (in US)
2014 Tree Town Cuttin'
Headz		 Vinyl (Nov 19, 2014 in US)
2015 Masters at Dutch Digital (May 2015 in US/EUR)

Singles

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Incomplete list of songs by the Martinez Brothers[16]
Year Title Release type Label Format / release details
2007 "My Rendition" Single Objektivity 12" vinyl/digital
2009 "Debbie Downer" (with Argy) 2-track single/
FabricLive.51		 Vinyl/digital (2009, US/EUR)
"Day Two"
(with Argy and DJ Duke) 		3-track single These Days Vinyl (May 13, 2009, GER)
2010 "Broke in the BX" Fabric 54 Objektivity
2011 "The Causeway" / "Issshhh!" Split single Vinyl/digital (US)
2012 "H 2 Da Izzo" Single Real Tone Vinyl/digital (FR)
2013 "The Hat Trick"
(with Mass Prod) 		2-track single Cuttin' Headz Vinyl (Sep 2013)
2014 "What's the Point"
(with Point G and Filsonik) 		Singles Ever Lasting Love Vinyl (Jun 31, 2014)
"Space & Time"
(with Seth Troxler) 		Tuskegee Music Vinyl (Jun 2014, GER)
2014 "I'll Be There"
(with Chic featuring Nile Rodgers) 		Warner Bros. Digital/CD
2020 "Together"
(with Carnage featuring Elderbrook and Mike Dean) 		Ultra Records Digital
2023 "Pleasure Peak"
(with Eliza Rose)[17] 		Rosebud Digital

Further reading

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Interviews and articles
Discographies

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "The top 20 DJs of 2014". mixmag. December 24, 2014. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Orlov, Piotr (January 2, 2009). "School-Age D.J.'s, Old-School Style". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
  3. ^ a b c d "Between the Beats: The Martinez Brothers'". Resident Advisor. September 25, 2013. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
  4. ^ a b "The Martinez Brothers talk Ibiza, God, and a hip-hop record in the works". Beatport. August 27, 2012. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
  5. ^ Matos, Micaelangelo (November 13, 2013). "Hot DJs the Martinez Brothers Keep New York's House Tradition Alive". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
  6. ^ a b c King, Alex (November 10, 2014). "The Martinez Brothers launch DIY label Cuttin' Headz". Huck Magazine. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
  7. ^ "We caught up with house and techno siblings The Martinez Brothers to talk Circus, Ibiza and jamming with Seth Troxler". Skiddle. April 25, 2014. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
  8. ^ a b c Cotterill, Andrew (May 13, 2015). "The Martinez Brothers". MixMag. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
  9. ^ "Seth Troxler on his new project Tuskegee, US race relations, and the deeper meaning to music". The Independent. December 8, 2014. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
  10. ^ Brown, Jacob (October 10, 2014). "Take a Listen to the Martinez Brothers' Soundtrack from Riccardo Tisci's Spring 2015 Givenchy Show". Vogue. Archived from the original on October 13, 2014. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
  11. ^ Rodriguez, Krystal (January 17, 2014). "Watch: The Martinez Brothers create stylish soundtrack for Givenchy fashion show". inthemix. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
  12. ^ Polonsky, Sarah (February 2015). "It's About Time". DJ Mag USA. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
  13. ^ Mallalieu, Elizabeth (January 31, 2014). "Nile Rodgers & The Martinez Brothers Collaborating?". Pulse Radio. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
  14. ^ "Nile Rodgers to perform with late bandmates on new album". Daily Express. September 30, 2014. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
  15. ^ Gardner, Ross (May 13, 2015). "My City Goes Harder: The Martinez Brothers on New York". MixMag. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
  16. ^ a b c "Martinez Brothers, The". Discogs. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
  17. ^ "Eliza Rose and The Martinez Brothers link up on new single and music video, 'Pleasure Peak': Watch". DJ Mag. 4 August 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
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