Gary Martin must be the most obscure Detroit techno figure now working. Though he runs the respected Teknotika label, Martin's known only by the most dedicated trainspotters, despite getting deck time with renowned DJs such as Laurent Garnier, Josh Wink and Andrew Weatherall. The aptly named Viva la Difference, Martin's debut album under his own name (he also records as Gigi Galaxy), revels in many-styles, many-smiles eclecticism. Sure, he gives you the expected storm-clouds-gathering Detroit techno, but Martin's palette also encompasses African percussion and Japanese shakuhachi set to a relentless house pulse; a noirish Henry Mancini homage; electro with Latin and Middle Eastern accents; a broken-beat/tribal-house hybrid; and many more unlikely fusions that succeed.
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