Skip to main content
DJ Mag Top100 DJs
82
Martin Jensen
| NEW ENTRY

From: Denmark
DJ style: “Dance music.”
Best known for: “Sampling soundbites from videos on Facebook, and my single ‘All I Wanna Do’.”
What’s the next new big track? “Point Point ‘All This’.” 
Breakthrough DJ/producer of 2016: “Kungs.”

Danish DJ/producer Martin Jensen’s meteoric rise could only have happened in this decade. He’s shot to fame thanks to his clever manipulation of YouTube videos — making small snippets into tracks. He started off doing this by sampling a shout of joy from footballer Cristiano Ronaldo at an awards ceremony, and then filming himself making a track out of it. The video went viral, with demand such that he made a full track out of it and ’Si’ became a global hit — 18 million streams on Spotify and counting.

He’s since made 35 videos with a sampled hook, and turned a few into tracks following feedback and input from subscribers to his channels. This very participatory way of working helped tracks like ‘Miracles’ — his first proper single — go gold in Denmark and rack up over 15 million streams, and his tropical cut (and biggest track to date) ‘All I Wanna Do’ has hit over four million streams on YouTube, and 45 million streams on Spotify. The track has gone double platinum in Sweden and triple platinum in Norway.

His new entry into the Top 100 is sure to fire him headlong out of Scandinavia and take him more global now. But how has he achieved this level of success so far? “I’ve been very lucky with my social media strategies, and my label disco:wax has put together a strong strategy for me since the beginning,” Martin tells DJ Mag. “I’m truly grateful for that fast growing success and the support I’m getting from my fans and team.” 
 
What have been the new frontiers for you this year?
“Yall, Izzy Bizu and Martin Garrix.”
 
Is electronic music taken seriously enough as an art-form?
“Electronic music is dominating the world charts, now more than ever. I definitely think it is being taken seriously.”
 
What’s the best new bit of DJ/production technology, and why?
“Pioneer CDJ-2000 Nexus 2 for DJing, Universal Audio and Izotope RX for production.”
 
If you had to switch your style to another genre, what would it be? 
“I’m very comfortable in my current field.”
 
As a fan, what is the top price you would pay to see yourself DJ?
“A gazillion dollars!”
 
What can be done to prevent drug-related deaths at dance music events?
“People at dance music events have a responsibility to each other. Help where it is needed.”
 
How can we increase diversity in dance music?
“Right now the scene reflects a lot of people, mainly young men, really into the music and DJ scene. If it is to change, it all has to do with making everything from the gear to the music more and more accessible to a broader audience.”

WORDS: KIM O’CONNOR