Bruno Martini Goes In-Depth About His Unique Sound In iEDM Interview

Electric Zoo made Randall's Island shake with some of the biggest names and heaviest beats in the EDM world. But among the bass wobbles and electro-house jumps, there was a sweet acoustic note for any Zoo animals at main stage.

Bruno Martini, one of the biggest stars in Brazilian EDM and fastest rising producers in the US, played his full set on Saturday and took some time to sit down with us after his set to talk about his sound, his musical journey and future plans. 

iEDM: I was listening to your songs earlier this week and I love your sound. It’s very organic, very whimsical, it’s almost playful in a way. What I love the most about it is that it’s very different from what you would normally hear on a mainstage. Main stages are usually dominated by big room house or electro house kind of sounds (1, 2, 3, Jump!). I was wondering, what inspired you to create that sound?

Bruno: I guess first I’ll tell you a little bit about my history. My father worked with music in Brazil for a long time. He always played music, he was a music producer, so he had a studio. I was born basically inside of his studio. I started playing the guitar when I was 8 years old and after being in his studio, I started playing the piano, drums, bass and everything, and when I turned 13 I started my rock band. When I was 16, I started working with Disney and I produced music for them. My father always loved electronic music and so did I, I knew it was what I wanted to do. I started working on tracks and tried to figure out how to make myself different. So, I took everything that I learned from all those years and I tried to put it into my music. So, if you listen to my tracks, like ‘Hear Me Now’, it’s a lot of guitars, an acoustic vibe. I liked this, I wanted to bring it to my music. I play all the instruments on my tracks. I’m really passionate about music, and I try to bring what I love, everything I’ve done and experienced into my music.

iEDM: That makes a lot of sense, bringing your own personal experience into your tracks, you really do sound very different and it makes you stand out. I was telling a friend to listen to "Hear Me Now" and she was like “what genre is it?” and I was like “uh…I don’t know. You just have to listen to it.”

Bruno: Yeah, if you asked me I wouldn’t even know. I don’t know how to tell you that. But it’s just me.

iEDM: Props to you for sticking to your original sound. It’s so easy to kind of glom onto what everyone is doing and go into the more mainstream sound, it takes a lot to remain true to what you love. We had touched upon your early experiences with music and I remember reading that you worked with Disney. Can you tell us a little about that?

Bruno: Yeah, I was 16 and I had an opportunity to sign a contract with Disney. It was huge, I was making music and Disney reached out. And it was Disney, so I wasn't going to say no. It was an amazing experience, I learned so much. We made the first TV show ever made in Brazil for Disney, and it was a great learning process. I still have a good relationship with Disney, and I loved working with them.

iEDM: I love "Sun Goes Down," it’s one of my favorite tracks from you. It’s a great beach vibe, reminded me of home. Did you have any challenges when you were making it?

Bruno: When I come to the studio I try to follow my heart. I don’t think too much. If I want to do something house-y or trappy I’ll do it, I love all music. My music is just me. ‘Sun Goes Down’ reminds me of the beaches in Brazil and I love them, so I drew from that and produced the track.

iEDM: Wow I really miss the beach now, but New York does have Electric Zoo, and this is your first Zoo.

Bruno: This is my first Zoo and my first time in New York. Back in the day I met Afrika Bambaataa, and he came to my studio and we worked on a track together and he’s a great guy. So I learned a lot from him and New York (he’s from New York) and I learned a lot about the New York style of hip hop, so I when I actually came here for the first time, it felt like home. I’m very grateful that I got to play main stage at Zoo today, it made me happy to see people connect to my music. It was a huge thing and so much fun. It’s been a great year and I’m really grateful for everything that’s happened to me.

iEDM: You mentioned that you have a lot of tracks on the back burner. Any plans on when you drop them? 

Bruno: It’s hard to tell you what’s going to be next, I’m going with the flow. Every track that I release has a story behind it and a meaning, so every track has a right time, and when it feels right is when I’ll drop it.

iEDM: Awesome, we’re looking forward to that!

Thanks for taking the time after your set to chat with us Bruno. We're excited to hear those tracks when they drop. In the meantime, keep an eye on Bruno's SoundCloud to hear his newest music. 

Check out more iEDM Exclusive Interviews HERE.