Concert Review: Justin Martin

As the clock ticked past midnight in downtown Los Angeles, electronic music intensified inside Exchange Los Angeles, with deep bass trills pushing the limits of the sound system and morphing genres together.

Saturday night’s performance kicked off the bimonthly residency of Justin Martin at Exchange LA. The San Francisco-based producer and deep house DJ took the stage after sets by tech-house DJ Danny Daze and Polish duo Catz ‘N Dogz.

Martin and Dirtybird Records, which he co-founded in 2005 alongside San Francisco DJ Claude VonStroke, have experienced a growing fan base across electronic dance music festivals and venues in the past year. Martin took the stage around 1 a.m. after Catz ‘N Dogz showcased clean soundscapes that progressed into a heavier tech-house mix, complemented with beaming purple sphere visuals on the screen behind.

The duo used a low-pitched filtered synth sound to create a musical transition into Martin’s style as he emerged from backstage in a black Dirtybird T-shirt and trucker hat. Martin appeared elated as he greeted the crowd and hugged others onstage, including Catz ‘N Dogz.

Immediately, the dance floor filled as attendees improvised dance moves in rhythm with the funky, melodic bass lines of “Lezgo VIP” and “The Gurner” off Martin’s 2012 album, “Ghettos & Gardens.” Martin’s swift switch work on the dials of his controller was evident as he mixed genres ranging from hip-hop to funk and nu-disco, all with a deep bass feel.

For the relatively normal-sized club venue of Exchange LA, Martin’s performance was complemented by a light and visual display comparable with a larger festival. At about 30 minutes into the set, edgy light work of red and green spiraling spheres seemed to work in unison with the tempo of the music.

The pace of those on the dance floor picked up especially when Martin performed, “The Gettup,” overdubbing the lyrics, “Let’s go dancing/ I want to go dancing,” and driving up a burst in crowd energy.

Behind Martin and his equipment setup, a fair-sized crowd danced onstage with some individuals going onto their phones, taking away from Martin’s vivacious stage presence from the perspective on the floor.

Martin kept the pace up throughout the show with smooth transitions and breakdowns that combined melodic vocals with deeper bass-led sounds. On stage, Martin’s demeanor was enthusiastic yet not overly involved with the crowd.

About two hours into the set, crowd movement slowed down a bit just as Martin began an ascension into some of his more popular tracks. Both the backstage crowd and the dance floor heated up as Martin transitioned into recently released single “Gettup,” featuring a bass lead with a deep melodic carving sound that vibrated the room.

A handful of songs that Martin mixed into his set were remixes of other tracks that meshed well into his style of the performance. The downward spiraling bass line of “Okay” by French DJ Shiba San, a member of Martin’s Dirtybird Records label, resonated a raw ghetto-house sound into the set.

Martin’s residency allowed him to play a long set including his most popular tracks as well as loops from other DJs. Finishing the night off with his remix of Rachel Row’s “Follow the Step,” Martin celebrated the premiere of his L.A. residency in an exhilarated manner.

The high-pitched piano climb down in “Follow the Step” served as a soothing yet dramatic wrap-up to a heavily bass-driven set. Many of the Dirtybird faithful in the audience stayed for the entire three-hour set and celebrated with Martin after as he greeted fans and danced into the early morning hours.

Martin proved his versatility as an international DJ, coming into the diverse L.A. dance scene and performing a set that morphed together dance, hip-hop, funk and disco. After Saturday night’s performance, Martin is set to take on his L.A. bimonthly residency with full force in the coming months.

– Max Mcgee