martin georgi: motor city damage ep
Francisco Espregueira
Martin Georgi as popped up in the deep house scene a few years ago. Having released records on labels like quietelegance, OYE Black, Seismographic Records, he was also remixed by Delfonic that picked up on his early productions and makes an appearance on Georgi’s project, remixing one of the songs. As usual, Nómada Records has a clinical eye for underground & unconventional talent and Martin Georgi’s new EP, Motor City Damage, is another diamond in their roster of releases. Composed by 5 tracks, this record is based on a live session, originally penned by Georgi, and pursues the idea of bizarre mash-ups.
Motor City Damage EP is deeply inspired by the rising civic movement from Detroit and refers back to the years in which the car industry had abandoned D-Town, leaving behind not only a high unemployment rate but also unused industrial wasteland. Some of those very large areas are used now by a citizens’ initiative for vegetable gardens, bringing in a benefit for the ones involved. Fascinated by this initiative, Martin Georgi sampled and connected interview excerpts from the project, in strong contrast to interview snippets from different documentaries, focusing on Detroit's suffering from poverty and unemployment. The EP is indebted to this context, with keyboardist and synth lover George John collaborating on the keys and giving the first track a soulful funky touch.
Undoubtedly Martin Georgi stands for a unique way of approaching musical productions. On the one hand through the dusty, persistent technique of sampling, on the other hand he is not guided by current trends, but much more by his reflections on social and ecological issues. Available on vinyl, this piece is an example of intelligent sample-based house music. Courtesy of Nómada Records.