About me
Even as a child, I was fascinated by music. I rummaged through my family's and friends' record collections, listened to the albums over and over again, and studied every detail: the credits, the covers, the photos, the label. I was interested in everything – from the instruments used to the creative minds behind the music.
I started playing piano at the age of nine. However, I didn't have the necessary stamina, so at twelve I switched from piano to turntables. As a DJ, I played my records at home and taught myself scratching and the art of seamless transitions between tracks. I made great progress in a short time, and word quickly spread at school and among my friends. Over time, I regularly received mixtape commissions, which I recorded on cassette and sold for ten marks. It was during this time that I decided I wanted to become a music producer myself one day.
The dream of making music would have to wait a while. At the age of 17, a tragic accident occurred in which I broke my neck. I then spent over two years in rehabilitation clinics. At that time, I was completely immobilized. After rehab, I finally went home, but it became quieter and quieter around me; visitors disappeared. Friends went their separate ways. My rehabilitation and the subsequent treatments had exhausted all of my parents' financial resources. My father went away on construction jobs to support us. My mother stayed by my side to help me manage daily life. Without any education or qualifications, my prospects were bleak. I was aware that I would have to achieve something superhuman to break out of this situation. So I isolated myself for another four years. This time, however, it was my own decision. At that age, you usually go out partying and get up to all sorts of mischief. For me, there were no weekends or holidays; there wasn't a single day when I wasn't working on my physical and mental development. While others were enjoying their youth, I spent the next four years studying music production and composition, mostly from morning till night. When the pain made it impossible to sit, I seized every opportunity to do my physiotherapy exercises. I never lost sight of my ultimate goal: to be able to walk again. Over time, my arm mobility improved, allowing me to operate the equipment necessary for music production with my hands.
These efforts paid off; in 2004, my first song, "Phoenix," was created with the Frankfurt rapper Azad and became an instant hit. The song was played in heavy rotation on Viva and MTV. Following this, I received a songwriting contract with EMI Music Publishing, at the time the world's largest music publisher. Phoenix did not yet mean my financial independence, however, the success of the song brought about my return to a social life after seven years.
Over time, many works were created, millions of sales were achieved, and numerous gold and platinum awards were received. Throughout my many years as a music producer, I've been fascinated by the work of videographers who created videos to accompany my music. Videography became increasingly important in my life, and in 2019 I finally started producing my own videos. Today, I combine both fields: video and music production.
Germany's leading experts diagnosed me as never being able to lift a finger. Over the years, numerous therapeutic methods were employed, including Bobath, Vojta, Kinesiology, classical physiotherapy, occupational therapy, yoga (Kapalabhati Pranayama), acupressure, acupuncture, chiropractic, osteopathy, all kinds of massage, underwater therapy, magnetic field therapy, EMS current, various electrotherapy treatments, not to mention the alternative and experimental treatment options. Over time, I selected from these numerous treatment methods what helped me the most and integrated it into my daily life.
Physiotherapy, or rather daily training, became as natural to me as eating or sleeping. More than that! The physical and mental challenges I faced were my passion.
Milan Martelli in his home studio, producing / 2002
Milan Martelli & Azad / 2008
Milan Martelli DJing with friend Sami Bohsali / 1996
Milan Martelli, 3 months after accident ( birthday party) 1997
Milan Martelli & Xavier Naidoo / 2010
With iron discipline, not a day passed that I didn't dedicate to my body and mind. This enabled me to take my first independent steps after more than 15 years. After more than 17 years, I was able to walk alone for 10 minutes at a time without any outside assistance or aids. That there was such progress 17 years after my accident was extremely unusual. My doctors confirmed that they had never seen such progress after such a long time . I myself have not witnessed it in other paraplegics. So, my family, friends, and I documented this progress. From these recordings, I created a short film, "The Promise . "
I'm not a motivational coach, nor is my life a marketing tool. I'm a paraplegic who carries these years within me like a diary. I see it as my duty to write about my journey and document it. In this way, I can express my gratitude. Furthermore, I'm certain that these words can offer hope and courage to others facing difficult situations. Not sharing my story would be a mistake; it demonstrates that no matter how dire and bleak the outlook, we can influence far more than we realize.
Video & music produced by Milan Martelli
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