The artists behind Märtini Brös are DJ Clé and Mike Vamp from Berlin. Both can be seen as pioneers of the electronic music movement in Germany and beyond since its early days end of the '80s. Both are in?uential DJs with international reputation and combined forces and abilities in 1998 to found the project Märtini Brös, which, within ten years developed into one of the most interesting dance projects to date.
We don‘t know exactly when they called them- selves Märtini Brös for the ?rst time, but it should have been at one of their ?rst joint clubgigs in Berlin, while one or the other was spinning records and one or the other was improvising on the guitar, the keyboard or on the mic. But at the latest in summer 98 and the start of the Sundays-event series „Audiopark“ in the garden of Berlin‘s Suicide Club Clé and Mike Vamp pre- sent themselves as a duo - as Märtini Brös.
Since then they‘ve been creating hymn-like Electro-House-tracks and they bene?t from their huge musical background and their longtime experience as DJs. You can always hear in their music what fun they had producing it, especially when it‘s down to vocoder homages.
Accordingly they write lively, strong and individual songs; sometimes with a funky guitar and sometimes with an 80ies-Moroder-bass. What starts as a sparse rhythm- and vocal-sample- framework condenses by-and-by to that kind of music that meets the spirit of the time.
The ?rst Märtini Brös 12“ Material Love E.P. has been released on Raw Elements in 1998 and their fourth release Saviours Of The Universe in 2000 already included their ?rst hit. Flash became the anthem of a whole club generation. Further single releases on Turbo (Canada) and Poker Flat/Superstar underpinned their reputation as up-and-coming artist and led up to the ?rst full-length release in summer 2002.
With their debut album Pläy (Poker Flat / Turbo / Superstar) under the pillow they now slept more often in hotels than at home. They visited the entire club-equator and showed the people out there what it means to ?äsh and that they do so the entire weekend and consequently everybody wanted to Dance Like It Is OK. The video has even been nominated for the German Dance Awards.
More remix requests followed by Tiga, Ivan Smagghe, Mr. Brooks and Detroit Grand Pubahs, who carried the sound further around the globe. The Märtini Brös became internationally demanded artists.
Since their ?rst of?cial liveshow at the world premiere of the german cultmovie Run Lola Run where they delivered a remarkable performance the Märtini Brös toured a couple of times around the globe. On their album world tour in 2002 and 2003 alone they played all over Europe, Australia, Canada and the US.
In between the gigs they remixed acts like Turner, Tok Tok, Tocotronic, Scissor Sisters, Louie Austen and 2Raumwohnung and Mike Vamp became part of the Remington Allstars side-projects for danceable electronica amongst the brothers Teichmann and others.
In late 2003 the singles Hot (Poker Flat) and Boy/ Girl (Poker Flat / Superstar) marked the end of the
Pläy era. After their ?rst ever Mix-CD (as Clé and Mike Vamp) for Monika Kruse‘s Electric Avenue, the Märtini Brös returned into their Audiopark studio and locked themselves away until a new album was ready.
The second album Love The Machines dropped in summer 2004 with great acclaim from press and
clubbers. Love The Machines kicked in at the peak of the so called electro clash wave and certainly helped the Märtini Brös to gain international reputation, but thanks to their versatility they never allowed to be taken in from a certain (sub)genre of electronic
music.
Starting from a celebrated album release party at Berlin‘s Opera House the Märtini Brös toured the world with their brilliant live set seeing Mike Vamp on guitar and Clé on keyboards. Back in Berlin in summer 2005, Clé and Mike Vamp opened up a new era - the Tracks From The Lab era. The Tracks From The Lab spread over three single releases on Poker Flat between summer 2005 and summer 2006 and are now available as a digital album. These releases backed up an all new live concept, the Märtini Brös DJ Lab, with Live concert and DJ sets incorporated in one exciting clubnight. Once again the Brös went out into the world with their new show.
Always on the hunt for new musical experiences and experiments the Brös released „Maisonette“ a magic piano House tune on Dessous Recordings as „Clé and Mike Vamp“ in winter 2006, followed by „Ghosts“ which appeared on the Dessous
album „Best Kept Secrets“.
Clé joined Poker Flat labelhead Steve Bug for the „Silicon Ballet“ EP, followed by a Clé solo 12“
„Nomads“ in early 2008. Clé also contributed an exciting mix CD for the sixth Poker Flat label album „Dead Man‘s Hand“.
The Märtini Brös went back into the studio in winter 2007 to record „Towards Buleaux / From Buleaux“, a cool, snappy track with a nice bassy synth-line from deep down below.
Since then Clé and Mike Vamp were busy setting up their own clubnight at the famous Berlin club „Watergate“ where they turn up as „The Odd Couple“ an accurate synonym for a ten year musical partnership in the oddest sense.
