Synonymous with a very musical aesthetic and approach towards the culture of electronic music, Acid Pauli aka Martin Gretschmann is as eclectic and determined as an artist can get. Over the last 20 years, he has been exploring new fields of music off the mainstream paths: psychedelic, adventurous, and full of musicality.
Martin played the bass guitar in a punk/indie band in the late 80s, released his first album under the moniker Console in 1995 and toured the globe with his band The Notwist since 1997.
In the year 2000, the moniker Acid Pauli was born. Since then, he has played at renowned festivals and clubs all over the world, from Australia to Mexico, and his first full-length album, Mst, was released on Clown & Sunset in the summer of 2012. It was the subject of both wide-ranging praise and comparisons with the likes of Ricardo Villalobos and Björk, who used a Console track for her album Heirloom.
Acid Pauli's music falls somewhere between planting basil on your windowsill or breaking into a dancing frenzy. It’s delicate and floats in the ether before being brought back with long drawn-out kicks and slithering basslines.
Martin's DJ sets are characterized by a deeply personal artistic approach, mixing often up to four tracks at a time, which he weaves into a sound collage, incorporating live edits as well as edits inspired by artists and cultures local to the venues he is invited to play in. This pursuit of diverse sources of inspiration has led to many exciting collaborations, such as at Sacred Music Festival in Jodhpur (India), where Martin collaborated with traditional musicians, and Dialoge 2020 – Radialsystem, where Martin provided the soundtrack to a dance performance by Sasha Waltz, entirely improvised—an immediate, intensive artistic exchange.
When he isn't touring the globe, playing unpredictable sets in unpredictable places, Acid Pauli can be found writing scores for radio plays or films, and working on several artistic projects at the same time. The curious can check out his extensive discography.
One thing's for sure: this unique character and musician will never cease to surprise us and dream spaces for connection into reality through his rich musical tapestries.