Beat artist pumps up Tommy’s Place

Tommy’s Place became the hotspot for prime electronic music Friday night with artists like Gypsy Mamba, Blue Domino, GRPSDA and Hubble taking the stage and spinning the night away.

Among these talented artists was Edrina Martinez, known to her fans as Astronautica, a proud L.A. native and beat scene queen who stands out from her peers as a rare female talent in the electronic sector.

Drawing inspiration from her musical upbringing, Martinez infuses her cultural influences and innate musical talent into dreamy, sway-inducing sounds. For her eclectic musical styles, Martinez thanks her mother.

“I have a young mom who was really into old-school hip hop, so growing up I was always listening to it,” Martinez recalls.

In addition to her undiscriminating musical palate, Martinez can play guitar as well as piano and was already carving out a career in music for herself. But she still had to figure out the best genre for her music. That’s when she discovered the beat music scene.

“I had a friend who introduced me to this whole new world of music about two years ago,” says Martinez. “I instantly fell in love with the integration of these hip-hop, jazzy, electronic, down-tempo, heavy bass and whatever-else-you-call-it beats. Being a big fan of all these genres, I wanted to give it a try.”

With encouragement from Daedelus, a fellow experimental electronic artist, Martinez decided to put her music online. She started using SoundCloud, a social sound platform, as well as BandCamp, a site that allows artists to post EPs or LPs as launch pads for their careers in music. Though she did not receive a flood of attention all at once, fans and followers eventually started to come and her clout in the beat scene started to pick up.

That’s no surprise. In her song “Casino,” the rhythmic clicking of the background track, the soothing and futuristic nuances of sound, the climax and the catchy-cool bridge are all there. No, “Casino” is not dance music nor is it a Billboard music chart-topper. But there is a certain profound quality about Martinez’s music, a quality that comes from deep within and attracts people into her sphere of signature stylized, mellow music.

When it comes to creating these alluring and mystical sounds, Martinez credits her L.A. roots.

“I became inspired by the city of Los Angeles and all of its creativity and talented people that come from this area,” says Martinez.

And when it comes to her music, Martinez approaches every session differently.

“I utilize my prior knowledge [alongside] live instruments,” says Martinez. “I play the guitar on a lot of my tracks and I’ll go from there and sample it, creating different tones and textures.”

Martinez also has no regrets when it comes to her stylized choice in music.

“I feel like I can really get a sense of my personality through my music,” says Martinez. “The industry I’m in is its own community, and you get to meet like-minded people who are into the same things as you are.”

Even though she is still in the early stages of her career, Martinez has defined plans for her ever-evolving music. Recently, she signed with Alpha Pup Records and is currently working on wrapping up her first album.

Regarding her music, Martinez notes, “I am constantly trying to change my sound. I don’t want to get stuck. The stuff I’ve been making sounds a lot different from what I was making before.”

And in terms of the future, Martinez sees herself continuing to make music but to “be more grounded in it.”

“I hope [by then] I’ve at least come out with a few albums, toured a bit,” says Martinez. “Maybe start up a little record label, who knows?”

Seeing Martinez in the flashing dark blue, purple and red lights of Tommy’s Place, commanding the mixing board in her seemingly effortless yet stunning way, her future plans definitely seem within reach. Martinez has a keen ear for blending, manipulating and mixing-and-matching sounds. Her fingers are nimble and she is quick to get the right beats, the right feel. Despite having struck up experimental music only recently, Martinez already acts and looks like she’s been doing this for years.

Let’s hope she does.