martinos tsavidis

Please can you introduce yourself, tell us where you’re from and what you’re currently up to?
Hi, my name is Martinos Tsavidis, I’m 24 years young and currently living in Rotterdam. I’ve been playing at parties in and around the Netherlands for the last three years. I also have a fulltime job which sometimes is hard to combine. Besides that I enjoy digging the crates at local record stores or at fairs around the country.

What things have inspired you the most musically?

Going to record stores and dig for hours is what keeps me inspired. Some time ago I collected music based on genre which wasn’t really helping me expand my musical horizon but nowadays I dig music I like from all sorts of styles and genres. Watching artists perform also inspires me alot. Seeing their technique, hearing their record choice and the way they present themselve.

What music were you listening to in your teenage years? Which artists have been prominent in the development of your personal taste in music?

The first cassette tape I got was ‘’Thriller’’ by Michael Jackson. I can remember how much impact it had on me. After that I went on a rollercoaster of genres but ended listening to Hiphop. In my teenage years I used to hang out with my friends, smoking weed and listen to Pharcyde, A Tribe Called Quest, Slum Village, etc. All of those inspired me to make beats myself. I installed Fruity Loops on my computer and started to get the hang of it after some months. I went to work, came home for some food, chilled with my friends, then went back home again to make beats till the early morning. This over and over again until the weekend started. And because I lived in a small town, there was not much to do in the weekends so me and my friends came together and shared the music we made.

When did you start DJ’ing, collecting records, etc?

When I was a teenager my brother already went to house parties and was really enthusiastic about it. I got a ticket to Mysteryland (2009) on my birthday and I was literally blown away about everything that happened that day. This made me hungry for more and I started going to parties more often and searching the internet for tracks. The love for house music kept on growing and I started feeling the urge to play myself. So I bought Traktor and played around with that for some time to learn the basics.In the meantime I already started playing at some parties and started to notice the negative aspects of using Traktor. For example; the software would crash during a set and changing the set-up while another DJ is playing really kills the vibe. The biggest issue was that I was fooling myself that I thought I was “mixing”, while the software was doing all the work. All of this made me decide to play vinyl and CD’s. So I saved some money and bought turntables. This is when the mixing really began and I practised everyday when I came home from work.

“It was never my intention to play at large clubs but I simply want to share my love for the music with all people”

How did your relationship with the Triphouse crew develop?

Going out in Rotterdam more often I met Taylan Alan at Bootleg DJ café (a place where local DJ’s used to play) who was already a member of the Triphouse collective. We started hanging out and sharing the music that we found. Later I met Steven & Khalil who gave me the opportunity to play at the Triphouse showcase in “Ciccionina – Delft”. They were all blown away by my sound and asked me if wanted to join there crew. Offcourse I said yes and things started rolling from that moment on.

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Can you name three records that describe the typical Triphouse Rotterdam feeling for you?

John Tejada – Throwback
Khalil played this record the first time I came to a Triphouse party.
“Words running out… Hands in the air”

Dj Nature – Win lose and dance
“One of my favourite records”
Everytime i hear this track there is something serious going on inside my body. Love for only the best records thats what triphouse stands for.

Denaji – Dharma Drama
Mind blowing track with a typical 808 drum kit. Monster.

Can you describe a memorable night you attended, either as a DJ or as a visitor that has left a deep impression on you?

In the summer of 2013 we went to Berlin with the whole triphouse crew to play at Maralina’s birthday party at club Chalet. We arrived at the apartment, put down our bags, bought some liquor and went to chill down at the river. After a few hours we refreshed ourselves and went to Chalet to have dinner. Everything was perfect, the weather was nice, beautiful people and the food was delicious. And the party really started when the sun went down… Triphouse on the second floor and Studio Barnhus on the first. Once the sun came up the party went on in the garden. We all share the same passion, forward looking electronic music.

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How do you see yourself in about 5 years from now?

I want to expand my record collection, start producing again and maybe start a record label of my own which has always been something I wanted to do. Besides that my main objective is to take my DJ career to a higher level. I hope to play more outside of Rotterdam to share my passion for electronic music with everybody. Also I would like to play more experimental stuff like soul and jazz.

If you want to book Martinos Tsavidis for an event, please contact Tobias Prins from Prins Bookings: tobias@prinsbookings.com