Martin Solveig

Martin Solveig, born Martin Laurent Picandet, is a French DJ and electronic music producer, born in Paris on 22 September 1976. He chose his stage name in tribute to the French actress Solveig Dommartin.

He received his first turntables at age 13, which steered him toward electronic music rather than the classical music he had been studying. His first residency was at the Paris club Le Palace, supported by Claude Monnet; he later joined Les Bains Douches, where he worked with DJs such as Todd Terry, Roger Sanchez and Bob Sinclar.

His profile rose with the Pure nights at the Queen Club, where he served as DJ or artistic director. At the same time he began producing; via his own label Mixture he released two early 12″ maxis: “Heart of Africa” and “Come With Me”, blending dance music and traditional instrumentalists.

Bob Sinclar then asked him to join the Africanism project, combining African and electronic music. The single “Edony”, which received worldwide radio play, confirmed his talent. These tracks were included on his debut album “Sur La Terre”, released in 2002 on Universal Music; the album also featured “Linda”, a tribute to Fela Kuti and Serge Gainsbourg, and was distributed in the United States in 2004.

In 2003 his collaboration with Malian singer Salif Keita on “Madan” achieved commercial success in countries such as France, Italy and Greece. Another single, “Rocking Music”, known for its punk-rock guitar riff and vocals reminiscent of Justin Timberlake, reached the top 40 in Australia in February 2004. Both tracks appear on his second album “Suite”. His career continued with singles like “I'm A Good Man” and “Everybody”.