As the youngest superstar DJ and EDM artist in the world, 18-year-old Martin Garrix lives a surreal, rock ’n’ roll lifestyle.
The in-demand Dutchman often flies to gigs by private jet – that sports his logo – and after making his UAE debut at Sensation in Dubai this weekend, will perform in 13 countries across Europe, Asia, Latin America and North America before the year’s out.
Despite living the jet-setting DJ dream, Garrix (born Martijn Garritsen) comes across as polite, switched on and focused. He recently made the decision to take time out from touring (250 gigs this year and counting), to recuperate and make music.
“On the road, I have a lot of ideas for new tracks but I never finish anything, so every so often we schedule three weeks with no touring so I can finish these ideas,” he says. “It’s hard finding the balance between producing, touring and spending time with friends, but right now it’s perfect.
“I’ve just finished one of these studio breaks and I’ve been working with Ed Sheeran – the guy is so talented it’s unbelievable and we really connected in the studio, so we’re really excited about our track. I’ve started working on my album and I’ve worked out the concept, so I’m really happy,” he says.
Garrix’s debut album, which has no release date but will have to wait until he’s finished with this tour, is eagerly anticipated because he’s crafted a series of jaw-dropping anthems: 2013’s Animals (more than 400 million YouTube views and No 1 in charts around the world) sees a growling bassline and a catchy melody explode into punishing electro-house, interspersed with moments of euphoria.
His current single Virus is muscular, moody and intricate, while Turn Up the Speakers (with Afrojack) is a lesson in build-and-release dance music. Garrix's music seems to capture the unbridled energy of youth in all its fresh, raw intensity, which perhaps explains its popularity among Generation Y worldwide.
Remarkably, while touring and crafting global dance-floor anthems, Garrix graduated from Herman Brood Academy.
“It’s a three-year course and I finished in two, we studied producing, contracts, publishing and licensing – it really teaches you how to build a career in music,” says Garrix, who signed to the premier dance music label Spinnin’ Records at 14.
Did this reassure his parents? “Hmm, well yes, kind of,” he says with a laugh. “My parents support me completely – their attitude is: if you’re happy, we’re happy and they can see I love making music, DJing and partying, so they’re pleased. I took my dad to Tomorrowland festival in Belgium and my mum came to Ultra festival in Miami – it was good that they can see what I do for themselves.”
Garrix’s parents are bound to have been impressed. His shows are a breathtaking, multi-sensory spectacle – think Cirque du Soleil meets stadium-sized Imax visuals and pyrotechnics to match, all synchronised with the peaks and troughs of the music to the nanosecond.
At its centre is the puppet master Garrix, mixing on CDJs with fluidity and flair, and taking the audience on a visceral journey, peppered with singalong moments (Justice, Nirvana, Kid Cudi). The final ingredient, which no music academy can teach, is charisma – on stage this mild-mannered, boy-next-door instantly connects with the audience, as he fist pumps and pogos while he DJs.
Garrix seems like he was born to do this, but that ignores his meticulous preparation – he knows when and where’s he’s playing and whom he will be working with.
“Sensation Dubai will be incredible – people will be blown away because Sensation’s production is always next-level. I have played Sensation Amsterdam and Sensation St Petersburg and they were amazing, so I’m really excited to play in Dubai for the first time,” he says.
How does he feel about his meteoric rise and eye-popping social media statistics (1.6 million Instagram followers, 1.2 million Twitter followers and 8.6 million Facebook likes)? “It’s been a really crazy but fun ride – what’s really nice is I have the same team as when I started and had 800 Instagram followers, and now I have 1.6 million, we achieved this together,” he says.
Garrix’s sense of perspective is refreshing. He says he enjoys nothing more than returning to the normality of everyday life as Martijn (pronounced Mar-tyne). “It’s important for me to separate the lives of Martin Garrix the DJ and producer and Martijn the person – if they get mixed up it will be a big mess and I won’t be able to have time at home, hang out with friends and forget about Martin Garrix,” he says.
“It’s a stupid example, but I fly a lot in jets and when you do something very often you forget how special it is,” he says. “Occasionally, I bring one of my friends and they say: ‘Wow, dude this is totally crazy.’ And when you think about it, flying in jets is pretty crazy.”
• The first Sensation Dubai festival is on Friday, October 31, at Meydan Racecourse. For tickets, times and more information, visit platinumlist.net
artslife@thenational.ae
