Sydney, AU (Universal
Music Australia) - In the wake of one of the most talked about DJ tours in recent memory, we are proud to announce the return to Australia of French dj
Martin Solveig in November 2005.
Part of the Gallic 'Brat Pack' that includes Claude Monnet, DJ Gregory, Bob Sinclar, Julien Jabre and Dimitri From Paris, Solveig surprised everyone with his debut album Sur La Terre (2002) by blending house, funk, soul and disco with the more esoteric sounds of Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.
'Sur La Terre' included 'Edony' and 'Heart Of Africa', as well as 'I'm a good man' (a powerful, old-school soul track), the slightly melancholic 'Someday', and 'Linda'. This first album was a strong critical success, drawing unexpected reactions from all around the world. It enabled Martin to work with international producers such as Kenny Dope (Masters At Work), and DJ Spen (Basement Boys) and also brought him offers of ambitious remixes for Cunnie Williams, Soldiers of Twilight and especially Salif Keita, for whom Martin wrote one of 2003's great club anthems, 'Madan'. 'Madan' has now been compiled more than 150 times in 21 different countries.
His new album, Hedonist, released in France in June 2005 eagerly confirms the Parisian producer as more than a one-man hit-making machine. The requisite club anthems "Everybody", "Something Better", "Rejection" - are present and correct, but as with his debut Solveig deftly turns his hand to hip hop, soul, afro beat... even romantic ballads.
Martin's aim on 'Hedonist' was to explore the art of writing further (he penned 90% of the lyrics and music), try out new fusions (combining the energy of programmed loops with the vitality of live music, or electronic textures with classical instruments) and, above all, have a great time mixing the cocktail. Hedonist was released in the UK through Defected Records on the 12th of September 2005 to high acclaim. It has been released locally through Universal; with the single 'Everybody' already doing well on the ARIA dance charts ( No 9 singles chart) the result is not a house music album, rather a contemporary, electronic view of disco, rock and R&B.
Martin never lets his producer's cap get in the way of his DJ headgear. An artist endlessly roaming from venue to venue, he performs his music on the decks, touring clubs worldwide. The 2004 Rocking Music Tour took him to more than 20 countries. In Sydney, New York, Ibiza, Singapore, Barcelona, Zagreb, London, Lisbon, Dubai and Paris, at events ranging from a private party for Karl Lagerfeld to the open-air festival of Carthage, Martin found unswervingly enthusiastic audiences, often displaying different sensibilities. The 2004 Australian tour was an unparalleled success for a relatively 'new' DJ, with sell-out shows in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and the Gold Coast including his much-heralded New Years Day set at Field Days. Martin was also awarded the 'Best set of the season' at the Ibiza DJ awards 2004
24 November SPACE - Perth
25 November PLATINUM - Gold Coast
26 November HARBOUR LIFE FESTIVAL - Sydney
26 November HARBOUR LIFE (After Show) - HOME
27 November EARTHCORE - Melbourne
3 December ENCHANTED FESTIVAL - Adelaide
3 December SEVEN NIGHTCLUB - Melbourne
4 December NORTH GONG HOTEL – Wollongong
9 December KEE – Hong Kong
10 December ZOUK OUT FESTIVAL - Singapore
