Does Martin Garrix even need an introduction at this point? In just a few short years he’s become one of the biggest EDM artists on the planet and is part of a very elite list of DJs that have found massive success both in the dance music world and with mainstream audiences.
There aren’t too many people who are bigger than Martin Garrix is when it comes to EDM, and with his new record label now launched and a debut album coming up, it seems that the sky truly is the limit for the talented Dutch producer.
Last week in Miami, Garrix threw down an epic set at Ultra Music Festival, dropping 10 brand new songs that showcased an exciting and fresh direction for him. It was an incredible performance, and one that we were honored to be able to watch live.
Not only that, but we were lucky enough to catch up with him a few days before the festival for a quick interview. Humble, down to earth and excited to talk about anything and everything, we sat down with Martin at the W Hotel in South Beach for an informative and enjoyable chat.
Check out what he had to say below, and enjoy! (And again, please note that this interview took place before Ultra).
What are your plans for tomorrow at Ultra?
Martin Garrix: Let me start with Miami Music Week in general. Every year has been different, but this year I haven’t really been partying. I’ve been with my team a lot rehearsing. We’ve got three screens. One’s got the lights, one’s got the visuals and the other one has the lazers. And we’ve just been running through my show. I’ll be DJ’ing in the room and my team will set up the lighting cues and the visuals and all that.
I’ve also been in the studio a lot here, putting the final touches on a few songs. I’ve got 10 brand new ones I’m premiering. I’m nervous and excited, but it’s been fun. I’ve been experimenting with a lot of different styles, too. For me, this year, Ultra is about trying new things and just having some fun up there.
I recently split up with my label as well and started my own. So I now have 100% creative freedom, and I want to show everyone that in my set. It’s all very exciting.
How do you plan to top last year’s performance, since it was widely considered to be one of the best sets of the festival?
Martin Garrix: I have no idea [laughs]. For me, when I started my preparation for this year, I looked at last year’s set and was like “oh fuck” [laughs]. I didn’t know what to do to top it. But I’ve been working on so much new material and getting way more involved in the creative part. You’ll see it, every song has a new look and visual and I’ve been very involved in that process.
I’ve got such a great team around me too that’s been helping out a lot. It’s going to look like a real show. We’ve put so much time into it. It’s the reason I haven’t done any partying, because we’ve been working so hard. This set represents a new chapter for me in my career and I think that people are going to love it.
You seem so level headed all the time. How do you maintain such professionalism and poise especially in an industry full of indulgence and partying?
Martin Garrix: Well for one, I have a great team helping me out. They have the balls to tell me no. Sometimes I’ll want to go out and they’ll be like “Martin, why the fuck do you even want to go out, you’ve got such an important day coming up.” Like last night I wanted to go out, since there were a ton of parties going on. But my team reminded me that I’ve got 25 interviews today [laughs].
Is it hard to stay back and rest or do work while all your friends are out partying and having a good time? I imagine you probably want to go join them all the time.
Martin Garrix: Yes and no. I party hard, trust me. When I’m able to party I can definitely party. Weeks like this though, where there’s so much important stuff happening, I’d rather focus and make sure the show is perfect, and then once it’s done I can go out and party like a maniac.
You used to DJ for your parents’ parties. How did you go from that to headlining the Ultra main stage?
Martin Garrix: Well for me, I’m a DJ, but I’m also more of a producer. I’m a computer nerd. I’m behind my computer like 12 hours a day making new music. So that helped me a lot. I would release my songs on the internet and eventually I got signed to a label. Once that happened I had a platform to reach people. And from there it just grew. The bigger your songs get the bigger the festivals you play at will be, until you make it to Ultra. It happened super quick for me. I’m still in shock actually. I have to pinch myself a lot.
