Quickly gaining recognition as one of the scene’s most versatile producers, the UK’s Martin Badder recently made his debut on the iconic Renaissance Records in collaboration with fellow UK singer and songwriter, Stealth. ‘Another Life’ marked the debut collaboration from the pairing and shows us yet another side to Badder’s production capabilities that have seen him land on the likes of Crosstown Rebels, Nervous Records, Repopulate Mars and more. We caught up with Martin to find out more about ‘Another Life’…
Hi Martin, a pleasure to have you with us today. How are things going with you and whereabouts are you chatting to us from at the moment?
Thank you for having me, I’m currently sat in the sun in the Georgian City of Bath.
Very recently, you made your debut on the iconic UK imprint, Renaissance Records. Congrats on this. How does it feel to see your music on the label?
Renaissance Records was the first label I really connected with after hearing a Digweed mix CD back in the nineties, so it feels really good to now have a connection with the label.
Out now, ‘Another Life’ is made in collaboration with UK singer Stealth who gives a stunning vocal performance. Is this the first time you and Stealth have worked together and if so, how did the collaboration arise?
The Stealth connection came from my publisher who suggested we should write together. After checking out his vibe I instantly knew I wanted to collaborate. He has a darker edge and a real depth to his lyrics and vocal style which I really like.
What was it like working together? What was the creative process like?
We created this track during lockdown so we still haven’t actually met in person. I sent Stealth an instrumental that I’d written specifically for him and he vibed to it straight away. The vocal part he sent back was incredible. I spent a few weeks changing and honing my original idea around the new vocal to the track we have now. Originally it started as a 4/4 deeper house kind of vibe but I quickly moved towards the more broken beat approach that ended up as the original mix.
The release features the ‘Original Mix’ of Another Life alongside a ‘Deeper Mix’ as well as a remix from Israel’s Millero. What were your first reactions when you heard Millero’s take on the track?
Millero is a force, his production skills are spot on and sonically his mixes punch right out. For such a young guy, I think he has a lot of talent and will do well. It’s a pleasure to have Millero on the remix, he’s taken the track to a different place that will now open it up to a wider audience so I’m really grateful.
As an artist, you are both prolific and diverse in your sound, proven with releases across the likes of Nervous Records, Crosstown Rebels, Repopulate Mars and more. What do you think helps you maintain this?
So I just write what I’m feeling rather than always sticking to one genre. This means I resonate with a number of different labels. I feel honored to have released with some of the best labels in the scene, but I do still feel that as a producer I’m still just scratching the surface of what I want to achieve. (Maybe/hopefully, I’ll always feel like this.)
We’d love to hear a bit about your main influences as an artist. Which styles of music or artists have had the biggest impact on you throughout your life?
My influences range from The Doors, Leftfield and The Prodigy to Bicep, Burial and Four Tet. As a keyboard player I gravitated to electronic music from an early age and very quickly found it accessible to create the sounds I was hearing on records I’d bought, by building up a collection of vintage synthesisers. I still use a lot of these original hardware synths I bought as a teenager.
What would be your top tip for aspiring artists?
Play the long game… don’t get put off by labels saying no, keep going and you will find your place!
Thanks a lot for chatting today Martin! To round off, is there anything else upcoming from yourself that you’d like to share with us?
So I am currently working on my own label BADDER, which I hope to start later this year, please watch this space. It will first and foremost be an outlet for some of my own deeper vibes, and perhaps one day be a place for new artists to join me on the label.
