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Martin DeBourgeSome call him a singer, he refers to himself as a vocalist, but in my mind the only way to describe Martin DeBourge is he is a true artist. Martin DeBourge ( pronounced “dee borjhay” ) has taken his voice and like a potter working clay, has created a masterpiece that stretches over four octaves.
Martin has been singing for as long as he can remember, but the true calling came in his early teen years. Asked, when did music become his life Martin said: “In my pre-teens it definitely served as an escape from my surroundings. Once I heard Lou Gramm from Foreigner, I was gone. When some friends from school turned me on to Iron Maiden and other metal groups, I was even further gone!” He started putting a band together before he ever saw a concert but quickly discovered that “ musicians are an interesting breed and getting four or more people to click on a personal and working level is no easy task.” He also discovered that creating and recording was much more satisfying to him. So “until that elusive concoction (of a band) comes together, I'll continue to be a singer doing what I do.”
Setting out to perfect his art, Martin turned to one of the best in the business, Billy Purnell, who teaches the Seth Riggs Technique. “I'm of the persuasion that the voice is a powerful tool that needs constant maintenance, tuning and exercise just like any other instrument. So, I focus a bulk of my time working on that craft. I didn't wake up one day with a four octave range. I had to work very, very hard on it.”
In addition to singing, Martin also writes many lyrics and vocal melodies which he calls “ crucial to the overall compositional makeup of a song” “Unfortunately many guitarists and consequently listeners put little value on the singers written melody, but working with the right musicians, it's a rewarding process. With the exception of one or two bad experiences, for the most part I've been very fortunate to work with some great people.”
When is comes time to actually record, again, DeBourge turns to one of the best. He exclusively records with Overture Recording Studios out of Pekin, IL -” I simply don't trust my tracks to anyone else! Definitely check them out if you're in need of quality, professional work. Kevin Schmitt is the main engineer and a friend”
Being a student of music, Martin is constantly expanding his horizons, listening to everything from classics to new age. In a post he wrote on Ethnomusicology, he stated “I will try to find the quality in every piece of music I hear……..If someone recorded the song, no matter how horrible I might think it is, at some point someone saw value in that voice, saw quality in that written song and felt the need to put it down forever in a recording... the least I can do is try to see it the same way they did - even if but for the moment.” Spoken like a true artist.
Next: His music
For more info: Martin's Myspace,
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