Correction, DJ Trancid is not a human jukebox but rather a musical messenger that has mastered the art of reading a crowd and improvising a mix. But whatever you do don’t ask him for Britney or Maddona. Check out his website and Myspace to catch his electro-rock/dance-punk sets live.
Name: Miguel Martin
Age: Does not compute…haha
Where do you live now: Chicago
Day job: Tech Support Specialist at a Media Arts Academy.
Where were you and what were you doing 5 years ago?
I don’t remember where I was last week… I know I was in Chicago though.
Current obsessions/addictions: Damn Facebook!
Movie that best represents your life: 24 Hour Party People
Last book you read: Do magazines count?
When did you start doing DJ-ing Why? I started at the age of 11 or 12, so if I told you how long I’ve been mixing, you’ll figure out that whole age thing. I’ll just say it was the year “Catching Up With Depeche Mode” came out, you do the math. I used to attend church hall parties as a kid and used to see guys like Farley Jackmaster Funk and the rest of the Hot Mix Five dj crew.
How do you define your sound? This is always a hard one to describe, because I like to incorporate a variety of different sounds, generally it’s more of an electro-rock/dance-punk sound, but being a big synthpop and new wave fan, you’ll hear things of that in my sets as well.
What is your favorite album/record of all time? I most definitely cannot name just one. So, I’ll list albums that I can easily listen to from start to finish.
Depeche Mode – Black Celebration
The Cure – Disintegration
Joy Division – Substance
Moving Units – Hexes for Exes
Cut Copy – In Ghost Colors
Who do you listen to when you’re not spinning? I listen to more rock and Indie stuff when I’m not on the decks. Old, new, whatever.
If you could work with any artist/DJ/producer in the world, who would you choose to collaborate with? It would definitely have to be Soulwax..those guys are pure genius.
Do you have a piece of equipment you can’t gig with out? I need to have my Pioneer CDJ-1000s and I have become pretty comfortable with the Pioneer DJM-800 mixer.
Do you use a set list when you spin? Never. I do not even practice for any gigs. It’s all about spontaneity, and being able to read your crowd.
What would be your dream venue to headline? Hmm…I guess to be a part of an event like Coachella, or some other huge music festival.
Do you have a favorite DJ? It would have to be either Boys Noize or 2 Many Djs.
How do you feel about popular music today? How would you change it if you could? The people that run radio stations have no concept of what is good. There is SO much garbage being fed to the masses, to the point that they are made to believe that what they are listening to is actually good. Luckily there’s internet radio and other independant stations. One great is Indie 103 in L.A. All stations should follow their lead.
How do you feel you influence your genre? I consider myself a messenger. My job as a dj is to spread the word on what is going on musically in the world, and hopefully people will listen. I’m not here to be a human jukebox and be predictable or play it safe.
How did you come up with your DJ name?
Hmm, well, back around 1996, I used to toy around with a mixture of Acid and Trance (when it was good), so, my name came up putting the 2 together in a way.
What constitutes a bad or good listening audience? When we organize an event, people come to it knowing what to expect from us. So, this makes for a good audience due to the fact that they came out to hear our sets. When I get booked to play at an already existing club night that has their set audience, it makes it trickier, cause sometimes the promoters do not book accordingly, and therefore, you have people coming up asking for ridiculous requests like playing Britney Spears or Madonna…barf!
Have you spinned in other cities? Why Chicago? I have played in quite a number of different cities and states: Los Angeles, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Arizona and even overseas in Iceland. I’m sure I forgot a couple of spots.
Where do you hang out when not DJing (clubs/parties/DJs you admire/like/recommend)?
I try to not go to actual clubs when I’m not playing, I prefer hanging out at dive bars that play rock or post punk/new wave stuff. I can pretty much hang out wherever, as long as the company I am with is good.
2009 music predictions: As far as music predictions, hmm, I’ve been seeing a lot of electronic artists gearing their production towards a more synthy, almost Italo-Disco sound, of course with a modern twist. Some examples of this are Lifelike, Anoraak and The Golden Filter.
Guilty pleasure (song/music genre) Not really a guilty pleasure per se, but I listen to a lot of grunge stuff..Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Nirvana etc.
Laptop djs vs. vinyl? I fully embrace, and actually in the process of migrating to laptop djing via Serato. The problem I have with laptop “djs” are those that do not understand the actual concept of the art of djing. All they have to do now is line up the wave forms on the screen and you are set. If you gave most of these people a couple of CDs or records and asked them to mix them together without their laptop, it would be impossible for them. So, the trend is not with the actual technology, the trend is with those that think by acquiring it, you automatically can call yourself a dj.
Where do you buy your music (if you pay for it….)? Most of the music I acquire is from either friends who are artists and actually give me their stuff, blogs and purchasing via places like Beatport or iTunes.
How do you discover new music? Music blogs are a big way to discover new stuff.
Current projects? I’m in the process, along with my Dark Wave Disco co-horts, Mark Gertz and Greg Corner, of heading to the studio soon and actually start producing our own tracks and remixes. We feel it is the necessary step in our careers.
Plans for the future? To just travel more and hopefully have some releases under my belt before 2009 is over.