Amulet Records

Billy Martin plays drums and percussion for the avant-garde jazz-funk trio Medeski, Martin & Wood. Before becoming part of Medeski, Martin & Wood, Martin was part of the NYC Brazilian scene in the 1980's. He performed regularly with Pe De Boi, Batucada and several Bob Moses bands for over a decade. He also joined Chuck Mangione's touring group for three years. Most notably he developed his unique percussion style with The Lounge Lizards and the John Lurie National Orchestra, and has collaborated with artists such as John Zorn, DJ Logic, Dave Burrell and Miho Hatori. He has also started his own record label, Amulet, specializing in eclectic percussion albums. Other collaborations include Iggy Pop, Eyvind Kang, DJ Olive, Ikue Mori, John Scofield, Maceo Parker, Marty Ehrlich, and Min Xiao-Fen.

Martin also sometimes goes by the moniker Illy B. The most notable releases as Illy B include the Illy B Eats series of breakbeat records. DJ Logic convinced Martin to record a breakbeat album for DJ's and other producers to use and remix. At the last minute, Martin decided to place an insert which invited remixers to submit their mixes for a follow up compilation, and Drop the Needle was born.

Along with his percussion work, Martin is an artist. He does printmaking, painting, pencil drawings, and pastel drawings, among other mediums. His work has been displayed in several galleries and is also on the packaging of many Medeski, Martin & Wood albums, most notably the cover of Shackman.

This year (2006) has been prolific for Martin as he created new chamber compositions for John Zorn's Tzadik label, Medeski Scofield Martin and Wood released Out Louder on MMW's new label Indirecto, a slew of new art, and an upcoming drum book entitled Riddim.

Timeline of these events