Martin Garrix on the Tech of Turntables

Since the popular release of 2013’s “Animals,” Martin Garrix has made quite a name for himself on the electronic music circuit. Over the years, he has performed at massive music festivals, playing his catchy music at events such as Coachella and Ultra Music Festival. Additionally, at only 22 years of age, Garrix has garnered a number of awards, including winning the MTV Europe Music Award for Best Electronic twice. We had the opportunity to interview the star DJ at the X Games in Aspen, Colorado. In this exclusive interview, we discuss the origin of his creativity, the technology utilized during live performances, and how we connect with music.

Innovation & Tech Today: You’ve been at the number one spot in DJ Magazine’s Top 100 two years in a row. How does that feel?

Martin Garrix: I’m on the list with all my idols, so in my eyes I’m not a better DJ than them. I feel like it’s more like a popularity thing, but I would never see myself as a better DJ then Tiësto or Carl Cox or one of those guys.

I&T Today: You said you had to pinch yourself when you hit number 40, that was a couple of years ago. Number one, two years in a row, that’s incredible. You have your own record label, the world’s your oyster.

MG: It’s very crazy, everything has happened the last few years. It’s been one crazy roller coaster. Also, I have an amazing team around me and I bring my family and my friends with me, so they’re all part of the journey. Everything that’s happened has been crazy but also a lot of fun.

I&T Today: Where would you say you derive a lot of your creative inspiration from?

MG: From energy. It’s all about the people I surround myself with, where I am in the world. I get very inspired by different cultures, meeting different people. I love being in Asia. I love traveling in general because every country has something unique, has got different vibes. I always bring my computer with me on the road, and then when I have an idea, I immediately put it in the computer and then I get back home, have a couple weeks off, go back and listen to all the ideas and I cherry pick them. Like, “Okay, I’m just going to finish this one, this one” ... I love traveling and I get a lot of inspiration from traveling.

I&T Today: Once you get the inspiration, what happens next?

MG: It’s funny because every song starts different. Sometimes I have a melody in my head and I quickly put the melody in my computer with just a simple piano sound and then I go find a sick sound for it afterwards. Sometimes I like a sound so much, I program the sound and I’m like, “Yo, this sound is crazy. What if I do this melody with it?” Sometimes it starts with a kick drum, sometimes it starts with me just playing on the guitar, and sometimes it starts me with humming a melody, recording a voice note. What I like about making music is there is no rule book. Every song starts different, every song is different, and e very song has a story.

I&T Today: There must be an incredible amount of tech that goes into your productions. What is the biggest change that you’ve seen over the years?

MG: During my first show, eight years ago, it was just me and my manager, and we were touring. Then, the shows got bigger and I needed to expand my team. In one moment, I needed to have a visual guy who did the screens behind me, then I had the lighting guy, then I had the guy who was making sure the microphone and everything works, and you have a production manager and you have a stage manager. It gets really crazy. You need a security guard, then you need two security guards, so the whole change from being a one man army to now, we have a team of 20 people just on the touring side. It is really crazy. But, if I compare even a show from two or three years ago to a show that we do today or last summer, it’s more than just music. Visually, we try to take people on a journey. Light-wise, we have certain moments built-in where it’s just lasers. I want it to be a show, not just a DJ set.

I&T Today: You are involved in everything from social media to even the light engineering. How important is it for you to be so engaged?

MG: I think it is super important to be involved, because it’s my brand, you know? We are a team and I feel like, as a team, you work together. I trust them, I know it will be fine if they do their thing and if I don’t get involved, but I want them to be involved with me, to give me feedback, and I

Photo Rachel Kaplan