We spoke with Swedish DJ & Producer Martin Brodrin about his latest remix EP, his label MB Disco & More.
Martin Brodin - Interview
Hi Martin, thank you for joining us at Minimal Mag. We’d like to take the time to speak about the Gamma Ray Remixes coming out on your label, MB Disco. The original record was a collab between you and Dumb Dan. Can you tell us something about both of you and how this track came to be?
Dumb Dan (no longer active) is Daniel Lindeberg (Drop Out Orchestra), and we came up with the idea to the track while discussing our musical inspirations. One name that came up was Alan Parsons Project. We went through his records and Gamma Ray was born after that.
The original track already had a Rodion remix and a Balearic mix back in 2011. What was the reason for revisiting the piece for the second round of versions? What do you usually keep in mind when picking remixers for projects? It was one of the most beloved tracks from our fans, so I decided to give it a new life with new remixes. And I must say it turned out really well. When it comes to picking the artist for remixing, it’s always down to people I like myself. I try to pick the ones that I think can turn the original to something new and interesting. If there are more than one remixer, then I try to diverse it so the remixer’s style will add value to the release, sounding a bit different to each other. Gamma Ray is a perfect example of this. Pete Herbert goes in one direction while the other two from myself and Swedish Disco Jets, sounds totally different.
You technically remix the track twice on the release, once as yourself and a second time as one half of Swedish Disco Jets, together with Playmaker. What’s the story behind the Swedish Disco Jets?
Me and Playmaker (Chris Gustafsson) goes way back. He used to release music on some of my other now defunct labels in the early/mid 2000’s. And during some years I also was his his manager and promoter. We recently started to work together in various projects. Things started to progress really well and since we never worked togeher as a mutual artist, we said, let’s try it and see where it takes us. Said and done, Swedish Disco Jets was born. The remix of Gamma Ray is the first time the world will hear about SDJ. Quite exciting I must say.
Your influences in music aren’t limited to the genres you are most known for, besides music, does anything else particularly inspire you?
Travelling is the number one without doubt. Exploring new places in the world is so rewarding. Meeting interesting people all around the world and eating exciting new food. What else do you need in life? I’m just back from a ski trip in Schladming, Austria which was a blast. Other things that inspires me are people who dares to go their own way and are willing to take risks in their life. Always looking for the possibilities rather than obsticles. Also admire creative people in all kind of artforms. And I’m a big sucker for high-end audio. Nothing beats the feeling listening to fantastic music in a good system.
You have played your music in many places across the globe, do you enjoy traveling to DJ? What have been some of your favourite destinations?
I love travelling and been missing it for a few years now for obvious reasons. I’ve been fortunate to be hosted by many great promoters over the years and became friends with many of them too. Some of the best places have been are Tokyo and Istanbul. Tokyo not only for the scene itself but also the city in general with a great atmosphere, and not to forget about the food. Istanbul is one of the cities I played numerous times and it’s always a blast. The Turkish people knows how to party for sure.
What’s the music scene like in Sweden? Is there a big disco community?
The scene used to be quite vibrant and alive before the pandemic. Hopefully it’s slowly building up again. Not sure about the community these days. Haven’t been so active lately to check it out to be honest. I think it was bigger a few years back.
MB Disco is your imprint which boasts an impressive catalogue. Can you share some of the highlights you’ve had running the label?
I hit a homerun when I got the opportunity to release a few tracks from Giorgio Moroder. His synthesizer disco-ish sound is right up the alley of MB Disco. Pointing out one of them is difficult, but I choose The Chase. I did the remixes together with Daniel Lindeberg from Drop Out Orchestra, and I’m really proud of them.
Secondly, another cool project we had was when electro pioneer Newcleus gave us the permission to remix his ultimate classic Jam On It. I contacted Chicken Lips who I thought would do the track justice without messing around too much. And what a remix it turned out to be. Electro-disco can we call it that?
Last but not least, the soulful release Cool Too Make A Million with Cool Million . It features the high and mighty Leroy Burgess on vocals. It comes with remixes from Ilija Rudman and Drop Out Orchestra. I like the variety of all the mentioned songs. I would say that’s the label’s strength, to fit all the disco styles in one house.
Do you have any upcoming releases, events or plans you’d like to share with us?
This year is a big one for the label after the relaunch in 2021 with only one release. You will see releases with the ”one-and-only” me ☺ , featuring remixes from people like Gerd Janson, Kraak & Smaak, Dr. Packer and Rayko to name a few. Releases on digital and very limited vinyl editions. We still fancy the vinyl very much!
Martin Brodin - Links
MB Disco - Links
Get in touch with us!