Profile Of An Elusive Reggae Artist: Martin Jondo

Martin Jondo is reluctant to be called a reggae artist. Along with this reluctance over having his musical expression labeled, he also seems to shun all media attention. Nonetheless Martin Jondo, has managed to have a solid following ever since he released his first single “Der Rebell” in 2001. If you are familiar with the German reggae musician Gentleman, you might have also come across our elusive Mr. Jondo, as he toured (ca. 2002) with Gentleman for a couple of years.

Although music videos featuring his songs abound in the web, the great World Wide Web has little information about Martin Jondo’s personal life. So far, here is what I’ve gleaned about him: Born of a Korean mother and a German father, Martin Jondo’s real full name is “Martin Jondo Sprung.” His birth year was listed as 1979 (no specific date is available from any source), and he was raised in Berlin. Berlin, in itself, is a cultural and artistic melting pot. The city may have provided the opportunity for Martin to come across the tenets of Rastafari; he was intensely fascinated by the principles of the religion, and it may have been the biggest guiding influence on his type of music.

Music played a great part in Martin’s life during his teen years. He roamed the woods of Berlin with his friends, and with them, built percussion instruments. Their jam sessions usually had Martin at the guitars and friends creating beats on their hand-made percussions. Some of the songs in his 2009 album “Pure” reminisce about those heady times when he was in complete solidarity with reggae music.

Martin Jondo would prefer to be called a travelling musician, a soul who wanders the world with his guitar, making music wherever he goes.

Despite the fact that he is not “stirring up the media waves,” so to speak, our elusive musician has contributed his music in various reggae compilation albums. Also, aside from concert tours with Gentleman, he has supported and collaborated in various projects with music notables Erykah Badu, Peter Fox, and Raphael Saadiq.

In 2004, after his release of the “Rainbow Warrior” EP, his authentic songwriting has earned him the Best Newcomer distinction in a readers’ poll for Riddim Magazine.

Echo & Smoke was his first album, which was released in 2006. The same year, his EP “Are You Really Waiting” got released as well. His second album is Pure (2009). His latest work, Sky Rider, was released last year (2010). Although Martin Jondo seems to shun the limelight, here he is, quietly offering heartfelt music that can be categorized as reggae. It may be reggae to the listeners’ ears, but its expression is personally that of a man who prefers to be called a travelling musician.

der rebell, Erykah Badu, german reggae, Peter Fox, rainbow warrior, Raphael Saadiq