Justin Martin is a San Francisco house producer and DJ associated with bass house, bassline, breakbeat, breaks, club and dance music, as well as deep house and techno. He is linked with DIRTYBIRD and What To Do, and is a member of The Martin Brothers.

Background

Martin emerges from San Francisco’s electronic music scene and is part of the Bay Area development around Dirtybird Records. He works in a style that brings funk, swagger and squelchy textures into tech house and related club forms.

Releases and labels

He has released records since 2003. His first single is The Sad Piano, which appears on Ben Watt’s Buzzin’ Fly label. That track becomes a favourite with DJs including Derrick Carter, Pete Tong and Mark Farina, and Charles Webster remixes it for Steve Bug’s Bugnology.

After that, Martin issues two more twelve-inch records on Buzzin’ Fly, along with jacking house tracks and remixes on labels including Classic and Freerange. He also appears on Om Records, where his remix of Iz & Diz’s Magnificent features, and he mixes a volume of the Om: Winter Sessions compilation series.

Dirtybird

Martin helps establish Dirtybird Records with Claude VonStroke. The label is presented as a Bay Area project, and his work with VonStroke is described as central to the sound associated with the label.

Musical background

He is musical from an early age, studying saxophone and classical piano as a child. The early drum and bass scene also plays a part in steering him away from jazz and hip hop and towards rave culture and DJing.

Style and influence

Martin’s productions and DJ sets reflect a strong sense of groove and musicality. His sound sits within West Coast house traditions while also drawing on contemporary tech house and club styles.