JM#050 – Ole Martin

Ole Martin takes us into the second half century of the Jæger Mix series with a 100% vinyl set. Always a pleasure to see the moustachioed selector in our booth, Ole Martin never disappoints with his eclectic and idiosyncratic sets, pulling out those rare and cherished gems deep from within his bottomless record bag. There’s always a sense of occasion to Ole Martin’s sets, and an upbeat personality to his selections that go from one obscure corner to the next. From Disco to House, tracks jump over the great expanse of the dance floor universe, and Martin manages to find those peculiar tracks, each with their own quirky personality. A Caribbean marimba in a House track or a stylised Jazz guitar noodling on a Disco arrangement, these are curious examples of musical genres and they perfectly embody the character behind the mix.

A musical librarian for House music and purveyor of the odd and the unusual, Ole Martin refrains from the obvious and through his most cherished medium, vinyl he is able to communicate something singular, happy and optimistic. Avoiding locked grooves and machine sequences, he captures something personable through his mixes, and has a very innate ability in stringing them together in an engaging narrative, and the message for this mix… “Love”.

Give us an introduction.

I’m a pretty simple guy, at least according to myself. I like my music, and I like it on vinyl. Also I love mango, it’s usually a good fruit.

What is your earliest memory of a piece of music?

Being a kid in the late 80s I guess Knutsen og Ludvigsen was kind of mandatory. Grevling i taket! On a more selective side, I remember getting an old cassette deck from my mother along with a collection of 1950-60s rock & roll/rhythm & blues compilations in the early to mid 90s somewhere. Typical stuff like Ray Charles, Otis Redding etc. I think there was some regrets in handing this over to me later on when I used hours each day in my bedroom blasting out r&b on a tin-box sounding speaker, probably while trying singing along to the melodies.

What sound or genre do you feel represents what you try to do through your selections?

House music is a nice umbrella term which I think sums it up pretty nicely. I don’t believe in making music any more complicated than it should be. For instance I’m pretty sure nobody noticed I slipped in a trance classic during my session. Sure sounded like house in my ears…

What do you consider your role as DJ should be?

 Setting the mood, giving people what they want or even better, giving people what they didn’t know they wanted. I really love classics, but sometimes it’s nice to bring something different to the table. It’s always flattering to get asked about a track when you know it’s something less known.

What was the theme of your mix?

 I guess the track titles, most lyrics and just the general feel of each track kind of dictates the answer in this case. LOVE. Love in one way or another. Good experiences, bad or just plain up sad. Love is the message!

Which track in your Æmix best represents the theme of your mix and why?

 Definitely the most difficult question so far! One track to rule them all? It’s impossible! Maybe not the most obvious choice, but I think I’ll go for the last track which also is the only disco/boogie track in my selection. Lemelle – You got something special. The blend was somewhat a roller-coaster, but I feel the track itself was the perfect ending for my set. By being a bit selective regarding the lyrics it’s definitely a tribute to all the music being played earlier in the set as well. Something special, brings me so much joy, my love is real. Exactly what I feel about the selection in general.

What do you hope your Æmix relays to the listener?

 I’d like people to go out and explore more music. I spend quite some time digging, both online and in stores. There’s literately an unlimited amount of good dance tracks from the last 5 decades waiting to be discovered or rediscovered. Buying music from a list is sometimes necessary, but it also limits creativity. Don’t become a jukebox or a mass market consumer! If my selection can inspire or awaken someones curiosity and make them discover something new then I must say that achieved my goal.

What’s next for you after this mix?

Definitely going to enjoy the rest of the summer, it’s usually too short not to! I guess there will be more digging also, and I have a goal of exploring my own collection a bit more, it’s easy to forget what already in there! I know I got some records that deserves being pulled out of the shelves more.