music interview
Dry Martina:
shaking,
stirring
and swinging
A mix of styles and foot-tapping
rhythms lead Chelsea Mooney to
chat with Laura Insausti, lead
singer with Malagueño group Dry
Martina, on the release of their
first single
s
inger and songwriter, Laura Insausti was
enjoying a sunset on the coast of Cádiz and
drinking martinis with olives when inspira-
tion struck for her band name. “I told my
friends about my new project and someone,
between jokes, came up with the name Dry Martina.
The next day, in the sorrow of a headache, it seemed
like a very good idea,” Insausti says. The concept
behind Dry Martina is to revamp and fuse different
types of music to create a unique sound. There are
hints of everything from Motown, jazz, funk and swing
to 50s rock’n’ roll and pop; the mix has been dubbed by
some as retropop.
Their first single Musarañas (roughly translated as
Daydreams) has a distinct “swing” sound, combining
trombone, double bass and guitars, but Insausti says
that swing is an influence more than a focus. “What
we have learned as music listeners has led us to this
underlying style [swing]. We began listening—and
thus composing—90s pop-rock music, and in each pro-
Photo: Jesus Chacon
ject we have gone back several decades, depending on
the music that we are passionate about at that
moment. Now you can find all of the influences in our
music, not in an absolute form but mixed, because we
want to have our own sound.” Swing may be more
noticeable than the other influences because it is the
newest style Dry Martina have incorporated.
Group therapy
Insausti has come a long way since she began singing
in children’s summer camps. Her brother, Rafa,
encouraged her to pursue her musical talents, and
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Tue-Thu 21:00-3:00
Fri-Sat 21:00-3:30
Pool Tables
Photo: Jesus Chacon
they are still working together—he plays guitar for
Dry Martina, along with Jaime Fernandez
(trombone/vocals), Gerard Mases (double bass), Javier
Forero (drums) and Ricky Vivar (guitar/vocals). In
1998, Laura was part of an English rock-pop band
called Duty Free, which received acknowledgment and
awards in Spain. After that, she was involved with
groups such as Free Soul Band, which used to sing
covers to bring back the best of soul and funk, and
Miss Moneypenny, an electric-rock group in which she
performed with three other girls and also wrote songs.
These different experiences in various music genres
have only helped the development and progress of Dry
Martina.
The mixture of methods doesn’t stop with their
music. The video for Musarañas is an unusual combi-
nation of techniques, created by Daniel Etura of
Elephant Studio. Instead of the band performing in a
realistic setting, Insausti and company escape reality
by singing and dancing on the front of various vintage
magazine and album covers, peppered with curious VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT
blurbs and headlines. A large hand swoops in to WHOLE FOOD
change the titles, thereby transporting the musicians
to a new image. Some covers provide a way to creative-
ly display names or information—on one Insausti is
seen singing and dancing enthusiastically next to the
title Twist All Day, whilst on another the whole group
is featured playing their instruments under the words
Dry Martina Swing to You. The images and wordplays Ventura de la Vega, 4
are plentiful, and are ideal for representing the catchy (In front of “las Cortes”) Tel: 91 429 50 92
and fun rhythms incorporated in the song. Tres Cruces, 4 (Metro: Sol) Tel: 91 521 87 21
Staying focused
The group were faced with a lot of challenges before
reaching the brink of a new album. Their current out-
put has been described as “the rhythm of swing, the BRITISH DENTAL SURGEON
feeling of soul and the coolness of pop”. “We have been
playing in dive bars for many years,” explains Dr. Ian Daniel B.D.S. (Univ. Bristol)
Insausti, “We have recorded demos. But to record an
album is a serious thing. To go in front of a camera for
a video clip or photos, it scares the life out of anyone. And the team of highly trained
And it takes a lot of courage to go out and play before
a new audience.”
dental healthcare professionals
In the past, they’ve had the opportunity to play in provide optimal care for people of
incredible places, including ships, caves, rooftops and
even in bars that they quickly and surprisingly discov- all age groups. The modern
ered were strip clubs. Dry Martina have also toured in
Morocco and had the unusual opportunity to open for philosophy of prevention is an
Boney M. According to Insausti, their experiences on
ships amidst occasionally wonderful, yet sometimes integral part of all treatments.
wild weather, are definitely some of the most memo-
rable.
Specialists in:
General dental care.
More to come Orthodontics (P.O.S, U.S.A).
The album is due to be released this year and four Maxillofacial surgery and implants.
songs from the production plus the Musarañas video
can be found on their website, www.drymartina.com,
along with tour dates. Insausti hopes that the success
of Dry Martina continues to grow in the future. “We CLINICA DENTAL CISNE
want to have a place in the Spanish musical world, to
record more songs. We hope that people come to the Magallanes 18, 1º (Metro: Quevedo),
concerts and that they have a good time with us. We Madrid 28015.
want to perform and to perform a lot, and we want to
continue to have great experiences.” To get in the Tel: 91 446 32 21,
swing and experience the sound, you can catch them at
La Boca de Lobo in Madrid on 31 March. Emergency tel: 661 85 71 70
W W W. I N M A D R I D . C O M MARCH 2011 15