MartyParty

Martin Folb aka MartyParty is more than just an electronic music producer and performer. Undefined by a single style or genre, MartyParty covers the musical spectrum from sexy hip-hop to intense dance to minimal bass, exploring the limits of the audible spectrum including sub bass, poly-melodic harmonies and futuristic sound design.

MartyParty recently took some time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions about the future of live performance displays and what he’d like to see integrated within his visual set.

Volanti Displays: How do you see visuals becoming more relevant during live DJ performances?

MartyParty:  I think visuals are becoming a bigger and bigger part of the live show as the internet slowly saturates the market with such an abundance of music. The visual components separate the artist from the rest. I believe 2016/2017 will see the visual production artists coming to the forefront and becoming a much more regarded field of art than where it currently sits way back in the background of the consciousness. Visual art is on the up.

Volanti Displays: How would you like to see displays used during live performances?

MartyParty:  Full integration with the musical performance. Not in the traditional sense where the whole show is pre-planned and set up to just run for 90 mins, but triggered live by the performer as the spontaneous audio mix evolves – The video content should be synchronized with the audio content and triggered in unison with the audio clips in the artist software. This is happening with Ableton Live and other platforms and will grow to become a standard. The video artists will write content for these platforms and sell this content online just like music and sample packs. The FUTURE!

My dream is a briefcase sized portable device that can be plugged in at the venue on the stage next to me or in front of me and would have lasers and projectors built in and would synchronize with my laptop via bluetooth or a standard wire. This would make the show portable on planes, and consistent and maintainable just like the set. The Future. The box.

Volanti Displays: Does the visual equipment that dj’s use ( displays, projectors, ect ) have to be set up by the Dj or are there helping hands to assist? How important is setup and breakdown?

MartyParty: Currently video and projections are backended typically – either a venue has the capability or not, or it is brought in by a third party vender and a technician is paid to manage the content during the show. Big acts travel with their own technician ( VJ ) and gear but this is definitely not packaged for the road warrior performer yet. It is always different and always makeshift to a certain degree. There are few standards and the industry is trying to catch up. Content has become more standardized around the MP4 and MOV loops, but there “player” is still always different requiring complex configurations and varying quality of delivery. This is why touring with your own setup and pre-programming is key currently to a consistent production, but the costs are hight and warrant a massive guarantee and transportation via bus etc. A portable solution is required.

Volanti Displays: What software would you recommend for running live visuals? and Why?

MartyParty: ARKAOS or RESOLUME or VDMX5

But as I said – There are so many and no standard – ultimately it needs to live within the performance infrastructure and I see DJ software taking over this space in the future with plugins.

Volanti Displays: What type of interactive displays would you like to see in the future? Could you see yourself using interactive touch displays?

MartyParty: Yes – I dream of having a large touchscreen panel of a keyboard, just one octave worth, or a set of large touch panel buttons, which allow me to play sub basslines and sub kick 808’s live in the show, especially to trigger drops. An interactive panel moving the performer aways from laptops or CDJ and allowing them to trigger on a audience viewable large panel would be amazing.

Volanti Displays: What was your first impression of the Cube and how could you see dj’s using it as part of their performances?

MartyParty:  I love the Cube! – Kinda what I mentioned above. I’d love to see the cube further reduced in size and portability and features so I could carry it on the plane and run it myself with ease, preconfigured for my show.

Volanti Displays: Who in the DJ world do you see pushing boundaries with their visual element?

MartyParty: All the large acts have the budget to pay professional visual artists and invest in large projection and laser technologies and they continue to push – But I am more interested in the road warrior as that’s more my style. I like an intimate show where the audience feels like they can touch the show, so I’m more impressed with smaller footprints with impressive content. Synchronization in a live scenario is where everyone is exploring, removing a separate visual controlling person, or synchronizing the spontaneous elements with better precision is where it’s going. I would love to prototype a cube or similar device and take it on the road.

Thanks for the interview – Good luck – See you out there!

For more tunes be sure to check out MartyParty’s soundcloud

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