The Netherlands are 3,848 miles away from Washington DC. That’s 6192.76 kilometers or 3343.82 nautical miles. It’s an 8 hour and 13 minute flight. To Fairfax, Virginia, it’s even a bit further, where Dutch multimedia artist Martijn Deijkers has been away from the friends and families that he grew up with, and away from the continent where he finds most of his work.

Professionally known as Martyn, this Dutch musician, label head, DJ, and producer born in 1975, has wielded the fat bands of drum and bass, dubstep, and experimental techno, to inspire international dance floors with a careful and deliberate kindness and grace.

Large parts of Europe have remained a frequent destination for this Panorama Bar and NTS Radio Show resident. Being the son of former Dutch footballer Gertie Deijkers in the city of Eindhoven must have meant growing up in an environment that appreciated a commitment to excellence, as it can only be through sheer discipline that he must have managed to build such an astounding discography.

Drum And Bass Infinity

Noting Kode9’s Sine of the Dub as a pivotal influence, Deykers has been ceaseless since releasing his first single in 2005, a glimpse into a future of hard hitting but lush environments, with a buzzing foundation of the lowest frequencies. Deijkers’ first album, Great Lengths, was released in 2009. In 2010 he released Fabric 50, the 50th installment of the Fabric Mix DJ series.

Martyn’s second studio album, Ghost People, was released in 2011 on the American label Brainfeeder. His album The Air Between Worlds, released on Ninjatune, won the Edison Pop Prize in March 2015 for the Dance category. He’s collaborated with the likes of Fourtet, Spaceape, and Steffi. He’s released music on Berghain’s in-house label Ostgut Ton, Brainfeeder, Ninja Tune, ‘Hyperdub, Warp, Aus Music, and extensively on Steffi’s Dolly Dubs.

He’s performed at Sonar, Mutek, Decibel, STRP, Electric Zoo, Bestival, Lowlands, Pukkelpop, The Big Chill, Club 2 Club in Turin and Unsound in Poland. The dude hasn’t even begun to slow down.

With an uncurbed ambition, this publishing powerhouse has extended offerings to other ends, like through the 3024 mentorship program Martyn offers via Patreon. Despite being the nightmare that it was and still is, COVID forced artists to get creative about the issue of feeding themselves. After the cancellation of his 2020 tour, Martyn utilized his connections to build a curriculum that’s accessible yet challenging for interested parties of all skill levels.

3024, the imprint he founded in Rotterdam in 2007 with visual artist Jeroen Erosie, has grown into a stalwart behemoth of bass. This independent record label has released music from Flying Lotus, Ben Klock, Trevino, Jacques Green, Mosca, Jon Convex, dBridge, Spaceape, Head High, Redshape, Leon Vynhall, projects with Steffi Doms as Doms & Deykers, just to name a few.

The subjects range to cover subjects like production, creativity, mental health, business, and more towards the goal of sharing knowledge relevant to becoming a successful artist in the post-modern world.

Label heads and DJs and producers with decades of experience between them, like the legends of dBridge and Luke Slater, have joined Martyn on his Deeper Dives series to speak and answer questions that have fans clamoring for following editions.

With a B.A. in Dutch & Intercultural Communication and an A.S. in Political Science and Government, Martyn displays a continued reverence for study. He’s been open about how collaboration has helped him learn new skills and strategies for his own productions. People who cultivate a joy of learning will relish the opportunity of sharing the acquired knowledge, and Martyn’s early experiences must only propel his mission.

The early nature of his entry into dance music history meant that there weren’t the resources that basement producers have on hand today. Lightning fast algorithmic powered information is readily available to anyone with internet access and even the smallest curiosity.

Tutorials abound for the eager producer, whether about mixing and arranging, about mastering and publishing, about paying estimated taxes, or about digital marketing, an endless arrays of resources meant to help fill in for a glaring lack of access to any formalized training in electronic music, much less navigating the business development side of the effort.

With Martyr’s Deeper Dives, these eager auto-didacts from across the world with a multitude of backgrounds and creeds are given thoughtful and pointed answers to questions that are coming from artists with a proven track record, pioneers of their own lanes and masters of their crafts.

And beauty is always better when shared.

Catch Martyn monthly on NTS at 1200 – 1300 GMT. Follow Martijn on LinkedIn, Resident Advisor, SoundCloud, Instagram, Bandcamp, Discogs, or on 3023world.com.

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