Israel M

"NAREAH" NEW ALBUM
Available on AAGOO RECORDS, April 21th 2009
Europe distribution by Cargo
USA distribution by Carrot Top
Japan distribution by Inpartmaint
"Nareah" Israel M’s first album, transcribes a journey through a deeply introspective sonic desert. Presented as 5 mental landscapes, Nareah is a work in which Israel merges his primary sound source, field recordings, with synthesized and sampled instruments. Everything is then processed through the computer, generating a richly complex yet minimalist hypnotic music.
"Try getting your head around this one. Nareah, Israel M's first album is minimalism at its best. The fifteen minute track 'Mitah' gives you a good representation of what sound artist Israel Martinez is all about. Dark and glitchy effects building up around very raw and organic sounds. Once you give this a listen or two you start to realize the intricacies of the production and the combination of the analogue and digital recording that would be vacant upon first listen. For Martinez it doesn't just stop with this album either, his biography alone tells of contributing some form of sound art to festivals, exhibitions and commissions all over the world. Nareah is well worth the time of day as it is not something you hear everyday." Middleboop
"EXORCIZIOS"
2006 – 2007 Work Compilation
Abolipop Records. 2008
Available CD:
Abolipop Records
Germany & Europe:
Dekorder
Drone Records
USA:
SquidCo
MX:
Discoteca
Available Digital:
Rhapsody
eMusic
iTunes
'The exercise of the internal demons', the possibility to expose his obsessions through audio. 'Exorcizo', the title of Israel Martinez' CD, is Spanish slang created with the words exorcism and exercise. If one reads his biography, where he played concerts and some of the prizes he won, you may expect some highly serious, academic form of electro-acoustic music. But that's half the story, I guess. Martinez adds humor to his music, as well as some force to the sounds he uses. Take 'Mi Vida', which starts with the ignition of a car, then a car ride and, how sad, a car crash, all spiced up with car engine sounds. Now that is humor, and noise, I guess. And the recurring theme of noise comes back in the other four tracks too. As said Martinez likes a bit of noise in his music, thus hiding his original sound sources, but he doesn't step into the trap of pure distortion or being too academic in his processing, but rather tells us a nice story of his own, as each of these pieces is a narrative (without words) piece of music, like 'Epidermis', using the sound of someone getting a tattoo, but changing into a massive, machine like piece. This is the noise that I like: thoughtful, loud and simply good. (FdW)
VITAL WEEKLY (NL)
"Mi Vida by Israel Martínez is the acoustic account of a car ride that comes to a sudden, tragic end. The piece is composed solely of traffic noise, engine sounds, the squealing of brakes and the crunching of metal. It doesn’t follow a linear narrative structure; rather, it amalgamates content elements and acoustic components in random, occasionally reversed sequence. The title “Mi Vida” alludes to the automobile’s place in our society and a human being’s own life spent—and ultimately ended—in a car moving from Point A to Point B." TEXT BY ARS ELECTRONICA
ENG
Israel Martínez is a sound artist, empirical composer and has a degree in communications. His work is developed in different fields: electroacoustic and experimental music composition, sonic installation and sculpture, as well as site-specific projects. He has participated in several sound art, electroacoustic and experimental music festivals in Mexico, such as Radar, Mutek, Muestra Internacional de Arte Sonoro, Interface, Estacionarte, and also in one of the most important art & technology events worldwide: Austria’s Ars Electronica Festival, where he accomplished the Award of Distinction at the Digital Musics category in 2007, with his work “Mi vida”.
Martínez has also work in commissioned pieces for prestigious festivals and institutions, like the Electronic Art Biennial Transito MX, Visiones Sonoras, Instrumenta, Radio UNAM, Fonoteca Nacional, Mexico City’s Centro Histórico Festival, Jalisco’s Craft Institute, Monitor Digital and the Butoh Dance Company 0.618, among others. He has performed and his work has been played live in several cities of Mexico, England, France, United States, Austria, Spain and Colombia. He’s co-founder of the electronic music label Abolipop, producer of Nebula 3 project and also half of the electronic improvisation duo Lost Martínez.
ESP
Israel Martínez es artista sonoro, compositor empírico y licenciado en ciencias de la comunicación. Su trabajo se desarrolla en diferentes áreas: composición de música electroacústica y experimental, instalación y escultura sonora, así como acciones en sitios específicos. Ha participado en diversos festivales de arte sonoro, música electroacústica y electrónica experimental en México como Radar, Mutek, Muestra Internacional de Arte Sonoro, Interface, Estacionarte y uno de los encuentros más importantes de arte y tecnología a nivel mundial: el Festival Ars Electronica de Austria, en donde recibió en 2007 el Premio de Distinción en la categoría de Músicas Digitales por su obra “Mi vida”.
Martínez también ha realizado encargos de obra para prestigiosos festivales e instituciones como la Bienal de Arte Electrónico Transitio MX, Visiones Sonoras, Instrumenta, Radio UNAM, Fonoteca Nacional, Festival del Centro Histórico Ciudad de México, Instituto Jalisciense de la Artesanía, Monitor Digital y la Compañía de Danza Butoh 0.618, entre otros. Ha presentado obra y tocado en vivo en ciudades de México, Inglaterra, Francia, Estados Unidos, Austria, España y Colombia. Es cofundador del sello de música electrónica alternativa Abolipop y mentor del proyecto Nebula 3, además de ser la mitad del dúo de improvisación electrónica Lost Martínez.