Name: Andy Martin
Nationality: Mexican
Occupation: Producer, DJ
Current Release: Andy Martin's Antiguos Astronautas is out via Diaspora Echoes.

If you enjoyed this interview with Andy Martin and would like to find out more about his music, visit him on Facebook, and Soundcloud. We also recommend our earlier interview with Andy Martin about production.



Where does the impulse to create something come from for you? What role do often-quoted sources of inspiration like dreams, other forms of art, personal relationships, politics etc play?

Lately, I have found out that you can find inspiration in anything, as insignificant as it may seem.

It's an interesting way to somehow hack your own creativity, so you can create your own narrative to generate an impulse that motivates you to create something.

For you to get started, do there need to be concrete ideas – or what some have called a 'visualization' of the finished work? What does the balance between planning and chance look like for you?

In the case of my latest work Antiguos Astronautas, having a concept for something like an album gave me a map or a mental picture of what I was trying to make. So it's easier to follow it and not get lost in the process.

Also having a concept allows you to have a deeper narrative in your work, so you can create a story or multiple histories in your own universe and that makes the experience for the public very rich.

Is there a preparation phase for your process? Do you require your tools to be laid out in a particular way, for example, do you need to do 'research' or create 'early versions'?

Totally, I think research and having a context of what you are going to work on helps a lot.

A previous piece I made, “Pedro Paramo”, is based on one of the most important Mexican novels by an author named "Juan Rulfo" and besides his literary works he was an amazing photographer which I really admire. So after doing some research I discovered that a movie about the novel "Pedro Paramo" was filmed in a ghost town called "Mineral de Pozos" during the '60s.



The film was a total failure but the photographer in charge was Gabriel Figueroa, one of the most important photographers in Mexico at that time. This town "mineral de Pozos" is 2 hours from my home town so I took my camera and decided to go there and film some videos to use as footage for the track "Pedro Paramo". This project gave me another perspective on creation because I was able to enjoy a lot the process besides the finished piece - and I have a vivid experience going to the place, the landscape, the drive trip, etc.



Do you have certain rituals to get you into the right mindset for creating? What role do certain foods or stimulants like coffee, lighting, scents, exercise, or reading poetry play?

For me, the set and settings have a major role when I'm creating. This is probably the case for all of us, even in an unconscious way. The current temperature, the amount of light, the season of the year, and the sounds outside.

Of course, there are all these external factors that can improve our workflow. I think exercise, or at least taking walks, is a very important one.

Coffee can be a double-edged sword, it depends a lot on the person.  

Once you've started, how does the work gradually emerge?  

If it's a large project, approaching it as a whole can feel overwhelming. So in my experience, taking small steps but being constant is the best way to develop a piece.

Many writers have claimed that as soon as they enter into the process, certain aspects of the narrative are out of their hands. Do you like to keep strict control over the process or is there a sense of following things where they lead you?  

I think if you try to control everything, it can become a very stressful situation. So leaving space for improvisation and things that you didn't expect can give you another perspective.

Being open to changing your plans gives you a lot of relief. It also provides you with a space where happy errors can happen.

There are many descriptions of the creative state. How would you describe it for you personally? Is there an element of spirituality to what you do?

For me the creative state is akin to meditation, in the sense that you have to be in this present moment. Which means that you have to empty your head of some ideas. Like if the piece is going to sell? Is it going to be as good as your previous works? Are people going to like it? All those thoughts that are in the back of our minds should be forgotten in the creative state so we can really enjoy the process.

In that sense somehow it becomes a spiritual experience related to meditation. Which is not easy to achieve all the time.

Especially in the digital age, the writing and production process tends towards the infinite. What marks the end of the process? How do you finish a work?

In my opinion, space and silence are important parts of music. So saturating a piece with a lot of elements can be counterproductive.

I think is important to find the right balance of elements so everything has its own space to breathe. I feel that I've finished a work when I don't feel the necessity to add anything amymore and that there is still enough space for every element.

Once a piece is finished, how important is it for you to let it lie and evaluate it later on? How much improvement and refinement do you personally allow until you're satisfied with a piece? What does this process look like in practice?

It's very important. I usually take a break from a finished piece for a week, and then I listen to it again.

Maybe if there are some sound design aspects that I would to change, I'll take care of those. But usually, these are little details only. And then I can start with the technical part which is the mixdown and the mastering. where I try to do the same, taking some time between each step of the process.

What's your take on the role and importance of production, including mixing and mastering for you personally? How involved do you get in this?

I'm very involved in these processes. I do the mixing and mastering for almost all my tracks. For me, it's an integral part of the sound design because mixing and mastering can change the aesthetic of a song and add a creative layer to it.

After finishing a piece or album and releasing something into the world, there can be a sense of emptiness. Can you relate to this – and how do you return to the state of creativity after experiencing it?

Totally, especially when you take a long time creating that piece.

So what I usually do is take some time off,  a break without creating any music at all. That way I can reset my mind and am able to create space for new ideas or inspirations.

Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. Do you personally feel as though writing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

I think we are creative beings in all of our senses. Even something like accountancy and engineering needs creativity. Of course, there are things more related in their essence than others.

I feel that music and food are very similar, the combination of different elements through different processes are similar somehow. I have found out that there are a lot of musicians involved in cooking and vice-versa.