Premiere: Martini ‘If I Don't Laugh I'll Cry’

Brooklyn’s Martini is next up on Turin’s early reflex label with the ‘Last Laugh’ EP. Have an exclusive first listen to ‘If I Don't Laugh I'll Cry’ below. 

Following their 2023 appearance on Kindergarten Records’ ‘Fluo III’ V/A EP, Martini continues their explorations of the intersection between the mechanical and natural, the physical and cerebral. Like much of the early reflex catalogue – stomping ground of founder Alec Pace, Sobolik, Diessa, Ikävä Pii et al – these four tracks strip the structural foundations of techno, electro and latter-day dubstep for parts, re-assembling them inventively, with all the buzzing wires and glitching LEDS on full display. 

Firmly rooted in the club, Martini’s drums doll out their punches in HD, invoking the punchy sound designs of Lanark Artefax and Minor Science; meticulously designed, but not so much that the edges are overly smoothed or lacking in bite. These beats  – from the full throttle ‘Last Laugh’ to the dubwise ‘Serendipity’ – are embellished with brain-tickling bass zaps, fizzing distortion and strange textural contortions. What might sound like the gurgle of water on one spin, could sound like the creaking of some alien material on the next. Find yourself in a particular headspace near the sound system when these tracks play out and who knows what you’ll feel. 

“This EP represents my deep interest in expressing convoluted emotions and narratives through the precise manipulation of timbre and rhythm,” said Martini of the EP. “I’m fascinated by the power sound has over your mind and body despite the level of abstraction it can exhibit, which I try to exploit by carefully crafting each sound.”

‘Last Laugh’ will be released on 15th February. Pre-order it here.