Were you playing in any bands at the time?Īny hope of being in a band would have been via my drumming, and I was unusually funky and polyrhythmic. SEE ALSO: The Graffiti and Hardcore Connection I guess it was very affordable, even though it was totally in this clubbing mode. So, all these disparate genres got equal time, and I don't even remember the cover charge at either place. The nature of some of the nightclubs facilitated that, like the amazing Danceteria, with four floors with all different programming, and Tier 3 in Tribeca with three floors. That was a clear meeting point of all the tribes, whether from the Bronx or somewhat 'bridge and tunnel,' as with the Ramones or Blondie network who were more likely to be natives of Queens or Brooklyn. Not segregated at all, at least in Manhattan. Did you find that the different scenes (disco, funk, rock, punk, etc.) of that time meshed well, or was it a very segregated kind of thing? I obviously didn't get to experience what the music movement was like in the late '70s. I'm also from New York City, but I was born in 1975. They got me John McLaughlin's Extrapolation and the Grateful Dead's Anthem of the Sun along with my first turntable. Both of my parents tried to cultivate my contemporary taste, since I was pretty uninterested in the classics. I only saw him play once, and he was quickly shut down, but I was transfixed, much more impressed by that one moment than my mom's classical playing. My dad was a jovial person who played tango piano on the side, which was frowned upon by my mom. I was even sent to the Museum of Modern Art for classes, and the best I could come up with was tagging on the subways in the '70s, though my mom had died by that point. Other than this, she was very distant, and actually since I showed seemingly no artistic talent as a child, I was left feeling like a massive disappointment. Anything short of all the way was mediocre in her mind. And my mom, showing very early talent in piano, was expected to follow suit and, similarly, was very pushy with me about excellence in the arts. Her aunt was a serious opera singer who performed with Caruso, and her mom (my gramma) managed the singer and was in the biz.

She was forced, presumably, to practice piano all day as a child and be tutored instead of going to school. My mom was a serious overachiever in music.

What was your relationship with them like as a kid? I always wished my parents loved music as much as I did, that way they would've understood me better. Your mother was a classical pianist, and your father also played. Since I've been a longtime admirer of his work, I was honored to chat with Bisi about some of his career highlights. Bisi recently released a music video for 'The Mermaid Queen,' a track from Ex Nihilo, and announced a slew of US and European tour dates. He's also found time to release solo material, with 2014's Ex Nihilo being his latest full-length project.

His discography features such fellow heavyweights as Sonic Youth, Herbie Hancock, Swans, and Material, perfectly illustrating Bisi's diverse tastes.ĭecades since he first touched a mixing desk, Bisi is still producing some of his best work at his BC Studio in Brooklyn. Through his engineering and production work, Bisi has helped shape the sonic blueprints of punk, funk, noise, rap, and various other musical styles. A native Manhattanite, and the son of Argentinian parents, Martin Bisi has been an integral part of the underground New York City music scene since the late '70s.

Bc studio martin bisi