iQ: Martin Solveig

We capture a mental fingerprint of some of our musical and cultural heroes and preserve it in cyber-amber for the wonderment of future generations. This is the Insomniac Questionnaire.

What was your favorite toy as a child, and when and why did you stop playing with it?
It was a yellow Sony Sport Walkman that I had to negotiate for for months… I still have it.

What is the best advice you’ve ever gotten? Did you take it?
At age 30, my doc asked me to do more sports. That’s when I started to play tennis again, and probably how the whole “Smash/Hello” concept was born.

What part of your day do you look forward to most?
Most of the time, I look forward to what’s going to happen in the next hour, but if I am going to the dentist… then I skip forward to the next hour!

What’s the best time you’ve ever had without spending money?
I enjoy running along the beach or walking in Paris!

What is your most treasured possession?
A 1963 Jaguar E-Type first series.

What is your favorite word?
Touché!

Do you owe an apology to anyone?
I don’t think so. I don’t hold back my apologies when they are due.

When is the last time you were really scared?
When I looked in the mirror this morning!

What is the last thing you googled?
“Motorola StarTAC.” I was wondering if there is a vintage mobile phone market. I think non-smartphones are coming back.

What’s the last sound you would want to hear before you die?
“Les Choses de la Vie” by Francis Lai. It’s a classical piece; it’s quite short.

Do you have any recurring dreams or nightmares?
My dreams are fantastic: My abs are tight, I’m super confident in myself and get hassled by beautiful girls. In a word, in my dreams, I’m Diplo.

How do you measure success?
I think like most people! In this electronic age, it is measured on likes, followers, retweets, etc.

If you could have one magical/super power, what would you want?
For obvious reasons, I’d like to teleport like Mr. Spock from Star Trek. I have a weekly residency in Ibiza and two shows/month in Vegas. That would really take my carbon footprint down—good for me and Mother Earth.

Have you ever had a brush with the paranormal or supernatural?
As a child, I used to draw the cockpit of space vessels, press the buttons on the paper sheet, and expect that something would happen…

What do you remember about your first kiss?
I hated it more than my first cigarette. I’m French; there was a lot of tongue involved.

What four words best describe you?
Musical, kind, French, moustache.

What’s the last impulsive thing you did?
I recently crashed Oliver Heldens’ stage in Miami and started a moonwalk dance.

Do you have a pet? Tell us a story about it/him/her.
I have got a stuffed cat who died of natural causes! He lives in my Paris studio, so at least it doesn’t suffer from traveling with me all the time.

What is your strongest personality trait?
My energy.

Do you believe in any conspiracy theories or urban legends?
Let’s not get onto that topic. We would be here for days!

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