The Club Phenomena

Major beats from globetrotting minors The Martinez Brothers

They might play the hottest dance clubs from Paris to Ibiza and Tokyo to Milan during the weekends, but on school nights, wunderkind tech-house DJs The Martinez Brothers spend their time hanging in their parents’ basement in Monroe, New York.

“I usually wake up at around 3 o’clock in the afternoon,” says Steve, 20. The self-professed “serious one” prefers working all night, recording tracks or practicing DJing. (Their next album, set for release on the dance label Strictly Rhythm, drops in September.) Meanwhile, Chris, 17, is ”the joker” and has a completely opposite schedule. The high school senior wakes up at 6 a.m. to catch the bus for school. “I listen to Jay-Z on the way, sleep in class, take tests and think about beats I want to do when I come home,” he explains. By the time he hits their basement studio it’s 6 at night.

“It’s our sanctuary,” says Steve. The basement is, after all, where the two taught themselves the art of DJing, mixing their dad’s old house and disco records before impressing the likes of mentor Dennis Ferrer and skyrocketing to every major, sweaty, fog machine-filled dance spot worldwide.

Back then their dad would stand guard at the DJ booth, making sure the two minors weren’t tempted by free-flowing ecstasy or vodka shots. The Bronx natives maintain it’s strictly water and Red Bull behind the decks, and these days their parents are more relaxed during hometown shows, “doing their little hustle from the ’70s, being like princesses and princes in middle of the dance floor,” jokes Chris.

The moves must be inherited — behind the decks, The Martinez Brothers energetically dance and sing along to tracks as if at their own party.

“For us, the music that we play is always moving,” says Steve. “We want to have a good time just as much as the people in the crowd want to have a good time.”

And though most of their peers are pumping hip-hop, the guys often invite friends to gigs and try to get them to understand their passion.

 ”When I tell [friends] we play techno, they think it’s Tiesto’s music,” says Chris. “They don’t really know what it is. They think techno is glow sticks.”

To clear things up, Steve interjects,  ”It’s just real, underground, electronic music. It’s definitely not stuff you hear on the radio. It can be very soulful; it can be very hard. But it’s definitely not all glow sticks.”

“Or whistles,” exclaims Chris, laughing.
The Martinez Brothers
Sunday, 6 p.m.
Le Poisson Rouge
158 Bleecker St.
$20, 212-505-3474
http://lepoissonrouge.com/