Martens plays almost every instrument on the recordings himself and also takes care of arrangement and production. He has been producing and making music for decades. His 2006 Spellemann award for producing a hip-hop album (also known as the Norwegian Grammy) as well as three other nominations in different genres underline his talent. This new album shows who he really is as an artist
Meanwhile, he no longer works as a touring musician for others and can thus spend more time in the studio. Little by little, he gathered equipment and gained more experience behind the controls. He built his own studio on the island of Odderøya, played there with other musicians and started recording them. The story goes that after these sessions ended, he worked on his own project until the early hours of the morning. Les Imprimés emerged from these late-night sessions and “Rêverie” began to take shape.
“It wasn’t until COVID, when things locked down, that I was really able to find the time to focus on Les Imprimés”, Morten says about the foundation of his own solo project.
“It’s soul music, but I don’t exactly have a soul voice,” Morten explains humbly. “But I do it my own way, in a way that’s mine.”
The result is his very unique sound, which make it difficult to categorise his music.
Photo: Tor Stensola