For more than two decades, Martin Gretschmann has moved fluidly between musical worlds, from his work with The Notwist and Console to the hypnotic, genre-blurring sound of Acid Pauli. Across these different projects, he has continually explored the space between electronic experimentation, club culture and more introspective forms of music, allowing curiosity and instinct to guide the way. On the upcoming Mystic Meltdown, his first full-length album as Acid Pauli since 2020’s MOD, Gretschmann brings together an eclectic cast of collaborators, drawing on everything from Hani Mojtahedy’s Kurdish vocals and Sophie Hunger’s interpretation of Lhasa de Sela to the musical communities surrounding Nyege Nyege Tapes. Released via his own label, All Is Acid, the album is a richly textured, immersive journey through rhythm, atmosphere and unexpected connections, moving between hypnotic grooves, playful experimentation and moments of deeper introspection. It is also a record shaped by the process of finding connections between seemingly disparate sounds, taking months to arrive at the coherence of a complete album. Here, Gretschmann reflects on the unpredictability of collaboration, the creative value of mistakes and the importance of stepping away from the studio. From the dancefloor moments that have stayed with him to his love of long walks in nature, he offers a glimpse into the instincts, rituals and restless curiosity that continue to shape his musical world…
You’ve been making music for decades, but your career has taken some unexpected turns, from The Notwist and Console to Acid Pauli. Was there ever a point when you imagined yourself doing something completely different?
Yes, oftentimes, but mostly not for very long.
When you’re in the studio, what does a typical day actually look like? Are you someone who works to a routine, or do you wait for the right moment to get creative?
I spend most of the time preparing…some people might say waiting for the right moment or procrastinating. In fact I need to finish all the real world tasks from tidying the house (and the studio) to finishing all office stuff, taking a walk, before I can let myself into the music. Oftentimes it takes a whole day and then I have only two hours left at the studio before I get tired…
Mystic Meltdown brings together collaborators from very different musical backgrounds. Is there a particular collaboration on the album that surprised you most in terms of where it ended up?
Yes, all of them, but the one with Hani and Nyege Nyege were really cool, especially from the perspective of the aftermath.
You’ve travelled extensively and encountered music in all sorts of contexts. Is there a place you’ve visited that has fundamentally changed the way you hear or experience music?
The club
Your music can move from deeply hypnotic to unexpectedly playful. What tends to make you laugh or surprise you when you’re making a track?
Mistakes. I think it’s the nature of a mistake to cause something unexpected and that can also make you laugh.
You launched All Is Acid as your own label and have started revisiting your back catalogue. Is there an older track of yours that you hear differently now, or one you wish more people had discovered at the time?
Not really. It’s just funny that the last one of the 3 EPs, „Gwar is not the answer“ just entered to the German club charts. This is funny for 3 reasons. First, I almost didn’t want to put it out again, secondly it entered the club charts 20 years after it got released for the first time. And finally because it doesn’t mean anything to me now really, but back then I’d been very happy to see it in the charts I guess.
When you’re not making or playing music, what do you find yourself gravitating towards? Are there interests outside music that feed into your creative life?
Everything, especially nature. I love to take long walks in nature. But also in the city and that can also be very inspiring. I just love walking. (So coming back to your first question, sometimes I just feel like I wanna be some sort of Forest Gump, just keep walking)
After years of playing to dancefloors around the world, what’s something you’ve experienced in a club that has stayed with you long after the music stopped?
My head is full of club moments, I breathe it.
Mystic Meltdown is released on 20 November
