Hot DJs the Martinez Brothers Keep New York's House Tradition Alive

Dance music thrives on young blood – but when the Martinez Brothers began spinning house music a decade ago, they weren't even in high school. Now, Bronx-bred Steve, 25, and Chris, 21, are globe-trotting DJ superstars – inspired by their dad, who regaled them with stories of clubbing at New York's greatest underground discos, the Loft and Paradise Garage.




Itching to try spinning himself, Steve downloaded some DJ software at 14. "We would be on this thing all day, scratching and mixing," Chris says. They immersed themselves in house-music history via classic mixes they found online – eventually becoming friendly with DJ Dennis Ferrer, who invited them to play the basement of New York house temple the Shelter, going on at 4 a.m. "By the third record, it was hopping, bro," says Chris. Adds Steve, "After that night, it was like, 'We've got to do this, bro.'"
They went international in 2007 when another New York vet, Erick Morillo, invited them to play Ibiza's Pacha. Unlike brother acts from the Everlys to the Gallaghers, the Martinezes keep it harmonious. "We're literally the same person," says Steve. "If he says it's wack, then it's wack, and vice versa."