ARCTIC

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ARCTIC (Marcus Martin) draws much of his sonic inspiration from the vast expanses of the northern landscape. Growing up in Yellowknife, Martin would join his father, a pilot, on trips to remote settlements and camps in the Northwest Territories of Canada. “For me it was the first time I truly saw the world from the front seat of a DC3 plane, looking at the endless openness of the north, its beauty, its shape, its air, its syncopation with all that existed in its hands.” Martin’s moved to Toronto, where he honed his skill as a guitarist in styles from acid jazz to heavy metal. Eventually Vancouver drew him west and ARCTIC emerged from the rain as his solo project. Using a looper and effects to sample and layer his live guitar performance, drawing from diverse and contrasting influences, he developed his own distinctive style of haunting and evocative melodies and textures that the Georgia Straight would later call “the most captivating oddity to come out of Vancouver this year”.