Marty Folb has been a touring musician for nearly six years now, and in that time, he's developed a style all his own. Continually evolving as a DJ, Folb is returning to Denver with a seemingly endless catalogue of unreleased PANTyRAiD and MartyParty tracks to soundtrack the end of the world. Whether or not you subscribe to the belief that we are all going the way of the dodo this Friday, December 21, you might want to find yourself in front of the speakers at Casselman's. We recently caught up with this East Coast bass monster to find out what he thinks we need to try before the world ends.
See also: - Friday: End of the World Party with MartyParty at Casselman's, 12/21/12 - Photos: PANTyRAiD at the Fillmore - PANTyRAiD on why its name is synonymous with female energy
Westword: You're based out of New York, right? Are you okay after all the damage from Hurricane Sandy?
Marty Folb: When Sandy hit, our houses were fine and I was on tour doing shows. We are little bit away from the coast, so we were all right.
Do you subscribe to the Mayan calendar?
No, but I feel like there is some kind of change in the air. There is more than...obviously, climate, that has an effect on the human condition. It affects people's mental states. Atmospheric pressure, temperature changes, seasons. Sixty-three degrees in New York a few days ago is a little wild.
Just in case, what is one thing that people should do before the end of the world?
Smoke some weed, if you haven't done that, and [eat some] fried apple pie. But let me just say this: The end of the world is not on the 21st, but there is some shit going down. Let's party. That's the change. We are moving from the egomaniacal vibe of drops and dubstep and weird, dark culture into a happier party, a "let's join together sharing" kind of vibe -- happier parties and happier music.
What about just the whole mindset of the end of the world?
When the seasons change, it affects you a lot more than you realize. That's what is changing within people, causing panic, depression and sleeplessness. It's natural stuff, and there is more than just what is happening with the icebergs.
Do you think the world will end on the 21st?
It may not happen on that day, but shit is going down. It's ironic, that whole Denver airport conspiracy. I was sitting there, and I went and looked at the murals and started googling it. The fact that the airport is so far out.... The whole experience is bizarre.
Do you think DIA has anything to do with it?
We'll all be here on the night that's supposed to go, so we are either the first to the gas chambers or the first to say, "Fuck it." It's a great theme to a party, and it will have a good vibe.
Is there anything special you're putting together?
The way I've been doing my shows for the last couple years is playing a lot of new music. I have five or six new tracks that are all a lot different than what I've been doing -- the new unreleased PANTyRAiD, all that, all the really good stuff off my MVP album, and I always play a handful of tracks from friends and producers.... It's a really good time to go to a MartyParty show, 'cause I have so much new music.
How are the new tracks versus what you were doing on, say, Purple?
I've taken a step back and looked at my overall sound design and flavor. It is all very hip-hop and gangster and sexy, but it's going to be a little bit different BPM and arrangement. I'd like to use the word "trap," but fresher than what they're hearing now. I actually started doing it in the PANTyRAiD album, where we took a step back and we kind of started the whole hip-hop EDM scene with The Sauce.
How are the songs structured differently?
It's kind of like the tracks have four or five drops, so it's not the two-drop flavor of dubstep or Purple. With new elements in the bridges, it makes the whole experience more exciting. I'll start with an intro, then have a first drop chorus, then add a new element, then a new bridge, and then a new drop with a new bridge, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
What is that process of song-building like?
A lot of people try to put words and theory to the creative process, but, to me, at the end of the day, it's the natural process. It's the evolution of when I sit down at my computer and what I create.
Why do you feel your sound has caught on so much?
I know kind of like what the kids are wanting; I've analyzed it a lot. I bring some of that into the vibe, and bring my vibe that I started with, and bring back what works on my albums. Naturally, in your head, you're spotting what works and dumping what you feel doesn't work.
And you said you've been playing all kind of different events recently?
It's the new flavor of MartyParty and PANTyRAiD and the trap scene, and young kids and what they are looking for -- for raves, not only hip-hop parties. I'm like the first DJ to get booked by mainstream booking agents to play raves as the broken-beat DJ in a steady beat night. I've always had to have music that can get dropped on rave kids that have been listening to Avicii all night but can still be entertained.
So, basically, you can play a rap show, a rave or even a fashion show, like in New York?
I DJ all kinds of events. I've kind of been booked through Windish, so I get to the festivals. With LiveNation, a lot of people are requesting DJs, so I get typical gigs, nightclub slots, frat house events, booked for fashion week, etcetera. That was the first time anyone has done a live DJ fashion show. It was all triggered for the girls. I set up the timing for each model during the show, and that was pretty awesome.
What's your favorite part of deejaying a MartyParty show?
My favorite thing, obviously, is the MartyParty show, which is three hours of my body of work with my own production and vibe. This is only my sixth year, so I am still a developing act. I don't get to do that as much as I like, but over the next year, I am stringing some shows together.
What's an ideal set for you?
I want a three hour show, where I take the audience through all the genres I've created. My diehard fans from the beginning, through dubstep, pretty music, trap years...and the PANTyRAiD...they know it all and expect it all.
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