Martin Ikin’s House Groover “Dope!” Lives Up to Its Name

Martin Ikin is truly a veteran who’s seen it all. DJing and producing since the beginning of the ‘90s, he’s moved through a number of names and styles in the past. Currently operating under his own name, Ikin uses his years in the scene to craft the kind of deep and catchy house sounds only a seasoned artist could. He’s about to drop another set of choice tracks, his No No EP on Repopulate Mars.

The flipside to the title track is a stripped-down and deep-grooving tech house tune by the name of “Dope!” Using simple sounds to great effect, Ikin breathes bounce and drive into the mix that is bound to break a sweat across any dancefloor. For him, however, there’s a personal inspiration here:

In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, there were a few tracks popping up with the now-classic Casio CZ Organ sound in. It was literally my favorite sound for years. I knew from the fist time I heard it that one day, I would make a track with that sound.

But as the years went on, that sound fell out of fashion. Then, late last year, I was going through some of my old vinyl from that late-‘80s era and came across a record that I used to absolutely play to death. It was called “Take Me Away” by Louie Vega and Aldo Marin, under the moniker “2 in a Room.” The Junior Vasquez remix had the Casio Organ at the start, and I absolutely loved it. So, this is my homage to that track and to the great Casio CZ Organ sound.

I wanted the track to highlight or show off the Organ, so it naturally needed to be a low, subby roller with big organ drops, and that’s exactly what it is. It’s one of those happy occasions where the track comes out exactly how you wanted it to. And for that reason, I’m super happy with this track. Plus, it sounds dope in the club 😉 Hope you enjoy it.

To anyone familiar with a wide spectrum of dance music from that era, the synth sound in question is immediately recognizable. It takes the listener back to everything from the aforementioned Junior Vasquez remix to 2 Bad Mice’s “Bombscare.” But more than just throwback romance, “Dope!” lands with solid vocal samples, dynamic builds and drops, and a pretty mean bass stab slicing in from time to time. This is absolutely the kind of track that will get the warehouse on its feet no matter what time of the night. Martin Ikin can consider this one another notch in his legacy.

Available January 11 via Repopulate Mars.

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