Alex Von Martin has a knack of tapping into your cerebral with beats hovering around 130BPM. The London talent has been bouncing around Europe, developing his style by playing at clubs and getting inspired on the dancefloor.
Now with 20 years of experience, he continues his run with 152 Records with a piercing progressive house record.
Alex Von Martin’s ‘Last One Standing’ featuring Phi Lhouette opens with yelping synths, bubbling bass stabs and a catchy, repeated spoken-word sample, the track’s burgeoning intro soon builds its way up to a heady crescendo, with the vocals taking on a garbled,
bitcrushed quality as the modulated, acid house-inspired plucks keep digging and complementary harmonies flit in and out of play. By the end you will be filled with an air of confidence.
Download Alex Von Martin – Last One Standing
152REC26 is undoubtedly one of Von Martin’s biggest triumphs to date. After landing at #38 on Beatport’s HYPED Chart, expect to hear this track slotting nicely into mixes in the near future. A skilled craftsman of progressive instrumentals of mesmerising variation and morphing synth work, his past releases straddle the line between house and techno, utilising hypnotic four-to-the-floor kicks, warped, meandering leads and hard-hitting, percussive basslines.
‘Last One Standing’ follows three well-received singles via 152 – the EDM-leaning Prïnceps collaboration “Get Away”, the dark, winding “Can”, and the deep, minimal “Hundred Voices”. You can also find Von Martin’s work on London’s Throwin Records and No-Logik.
Hitting the vibe we have been craving lately, we reached out for a fruitful interview with Alex Von Martin’s where we talked music production, DJ tips and his inspirations while sampling his current selects.
This release is spot on, I have been on the hunt for quality progressive house lately. Where did your electronic music journey begin, what artists and genres did you start listening to and how has your style and taste changed over the years?
I was a big fun of hardocore and hard style, however I grow up listening all kind of music, from Pink Floyd to Eminem and 2Pac, from the Prodigy and Pendulum to Trentemoller and Adam Beyer. Thanks to this and a variety of experience both as dj and in bands I finally land into melodic house, techno and progressive house.
If you were to play a 2am set this weekend, what are 5 tracks you would likely drop?
Great selection brother. ‘The Last One Standing’ has a swag to it, kinda like Green Velets’s, ‘Bigger Than Prince‘ vibe. What inspired you to create this release?
The idea was to create something simple. Five or six instruments, no more. Phi Lhouette used this as an excuse to push the machines/instruments to the limit, keeping only what’s essential to make the song flow.
I might mention Giorgio Moroder as inspiration; we tried to imitate his type of production but including sounds that would represent us at this point in time.
Phi Lhouette put a lot of himself on this tune, he’s a huge fan of the Berln House Music and I guess you can notice it on ‘Last One Standing’.
Lets talk about some nerdy sound design details for ‘Last One Standing’? How did you create these acid house inspired plucks and other layers of this single?
The song is mainly produced using the wavetable synth Pigments by Arturia. It offers you endless possibilities, it has such a warm sound. Amazing instrument!
Often artists try to add something new to the electronic music scene with their projects. What could you say your niche addition to the scene is?
I’m definitely focused on fusing powerful drums and sub basses with the melodic elements typical of the Progressive House, possibly staying around 130bpm.
Can you share any DJing tips you have learned over the years?
Learn how to mix with vinyl; never mix two overlapping vocals beats together; bring a portable light.
What can you share about Phi Louette?
Has been a great meeting, musically and personally. He’s a talented artist who brought me out of my usual sound and music production routine. I loved to work with him, and I am so thankful for the tune we released.
What are some party brands and clubs you like to work with in London and throughout Europe?
I’d love to play Fold Club, Ministry of Sound and Fabric in London. Also, Cocoon Club Frankfurt and Cova d’en Xoroi in Spain to mention some. But my dream-list is much longer!
What has been a couple of your favorite moments along your music career so far?
Being the open act for Pendulum in Rome, Italy and the 152 records’s party at Jazzbah in Spain of last year. But also I safely store tons of memories from music festivals.
What is next for you, Alex Von Martin?
Well, together with my best friends & record label we had pretty busy schedule for summer 2020, many ideas that at the end we could made real due the Covid19. I hope to bring back these ideas and good events in 2021.
Meanwhile, I am producing music as much as I can…I reckon a new track will be released next month!
Be on the look out for more from Alex and updates as 152 Records see out what has been a prolific 2020 for the label on a high with releases like Hysterism ‘Rabbit Hole‘ hitting #12 on Beatport’s Bass House Chart and PRÏNCEPS & SPTFR‘s ‘Nostalgia Remix‘ reaching #29 on Beatport’s Drum & Bass Hype chart.
For now, enjoy our recent interview with label boss and bassist, Press, around PRÏNCEPS’ The Used inspired release ‘OH SO FUN!’.
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