Today we’d like to introduce you to Martin Marin.
Martin, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started writing poetry in 2nd grade and began to write lyrics when I was in 6th grade. My early influences were Eminem, Nas, Mos Def, and Tupac. As I kept rapping into High School, I grew increasingly hungry to make my own songs and actually record the songs I was writing. I didn’t have a job and I had no time to get one because I had school and I played tennis at a high competitive level. Still, I knew I wanted to make music and so I started up saving up spare change and recycling cans and bottles in order to help cover the cost of a microphone. I eventually bought one and began recording. Unfortunately, I had no knowledge on recording or music production at all, so my early music was extremely rough and did not sound all that great.
Despite that, I showed some friends and teachers what I had made and they all saw potential in me and encouraged me to keep going. I grew up broke, and I quickly realized I wouldn’t be able to sustain making music because I likely wouldn’t have money to pay for studio time or for beats. I decided I would learn how to make my own beats and record/mix my own music. I scoured the internet for answers and learned everything I could about music, day in and day out because I never even played an instrument before. This meant that I was learning how to write music and how to manipulate software that was geared for a musical language I had no real understanding of. Over the course of a few months, I picked everything up simultaneously and my friends and family were shocked to see how well I maneuvered through the software and made beats that were actually not all that terrible.
Over the next few years, from my senior year of high school to my sophomore year in college, I began to sharpen my skills in the production field and started to develop my own sound and style. I released music under the name El Blue, in reference to my Chicano identity and my “blue period,” as is known to be a popular phrase where artists become obsessed with the symbolism surrounding the color blue. I released an album about every 3-4 months for about three years straight. During this period of time, I began to build a small reputation for myself and gained an audience.
Recently, I realized I needed to take a break from releasing music and re-center myself. I never planned on stopping or slowing my production, I just wanted to be more selective with what I chose to release. I figured out that I had developed a disconnect between my current artistic state, and the name El Blue. I felt as if that name began to carry too much weight to it, along with expectations I no longer wanted to fulfill because I felt as if they were hindering me artistically and expressively. I came up with my new stage name of Loverboy Marty because I wanted people to know me and know my name as well as what I stood for.
Too many times, friends I had in the music scene literally only knew me by “El Blue,” and I wanted to put an end to it. I still stand for the liberation of under-represented folks, but I know want to serve as a cultural symbol rather than a martyr for the community. I want people to listen to me or watch me perform and say, “Wow, that kid is free. That kid is talented, but it’s all fun, and it feels like me.” I am also a part of the local band “Moonsugar,” and we stand for many of the same things. My musical partner Gustavo came to me with the idea of Moonsugar and we wasted no time in developing his vision. That project is fun for me because it allows me to play more of a background role and be part of a family.
Gustavo and I constantly speak about the direction we want to take Moonsugar and my own music as Loverboy Marty. We’re extremely excited to see where we take it all. Hopefully, its something our people can relate to and feel proud of.
Has it been a smooth road?
Absolutely not. There was so much I felt I had to learn in order to be a legitimate musician. I always knew if I was going to do it, I was going to take it seriously. Unfortunately, I knew nothing about music other than what my intuition told me, at least until I was about 18 years old. Growing up broke, in a community like City Heights, that I’m extremely proud to be from, but still, there were definitely a lot of economic challenges. Funding and building my home-studio was always a constant battle between feeling guilty about spending money on something others saw as a hobby and helping provide for my family. Over time, however, I figured it out and slowly built my studio along with my skillset.
There is also a constant identity crisis that goes with making music, just like any other art form, I’m sure. I’ve always been someone who wants to make everything, every genre, every style that I like because I feel like in some form or fashion, it’s representative of me. Unfortunately, I feel like people aren’t really used to consuming music in that way because of the way society shapes the way we label things. This can make it tough for me to do my thing because I have this ridiculous feeling that I’m going to come across as confusing or inconsistent when, in reality, it’s all just me.
Another challenge is just the strenuous nature of actually being a serious musician. Every aspect of making music is difficult, even when you’re good at it because you want everything to be as good as possible. Sometimes we fall short, but others don’t seem to notice, and you have to constantly remind yourself that it’s okay. Failure is something that used to terrify me, but now I honestly just see it as an opportunity for growth. That’s what this is all about to me: growth and seeing how far I can take it.
Can you give our readers some background on your music?
If it’s music-related, I do it. I know how to record, produce, write, compose, mix, master, and perform. I feel like that is what inherently sets me apart. I am extremely versatile, and as long as a project or idea excites me, I attack it with enthusiasm and everything I have. It’s all love here. I have artists that I record and mix for consistently tell me that I compete with big-time studios they’ve been to, if not, that I am better. I always take that as high praise and I’m extremely thankful for that.
I think the reason I am as good as I am kind of boils down to my ability to adapt to a situation. I’ve built up a vast amount of knowledge because I never wanted to feel like I didn’t know how to do something or how to handle a situation. I also understand the importance of finding the right creative process for a given artist. Depending on the artist, they don’t always need the most polished or modern sound, but rather a grittier sound reminiscent of a forgotten era. I enjoy finding the right kind of grit or aesthetic for an artist, just as much as I love to mix the cleanest record possible. It’s a spectrum, and that spectrum is my playground.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
San Diego is my absolute favorite place in the world. We have the best food, a ton of culture, and recently the music scene has really started to get behind each other and support. Only thing I don’t like is we lost our Chargers, but other than that, I may never want to leave.
Pricing:
- Exclusive Beats $200
- Mixing: typically $30 per track (unless mixing a band, then consultation is required)
Contact Info:
- Website: loverboymarty.bandcamp.com
- Email: martymcrhymes@gmail.com
- Instagram: martymcrhymes
- Twitter: martymcrhymes
Image Credit:
Cain Elizarraras
Edson Cedeno
Luis Munoz
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