EDDIE MARTINEZ / EPM

A long-lost crossover pop / funk / rock hybrid for fans of Prince, Chic, Robert Palmer and RUN-DMC.

 Supermegabot is honored to re-release the 1984 album by E.P.M., No Lies. Produced by Bernard Edwards (Nile Rogers’ partner in Chic and the Chic Organization), this is the album’s first release on CD.

E.P.M. is the alias of Eddie Paul Martinez, a New York guitarist who first came to prominence with his scorching, Hendrix-like leads on revolutionary RUN DMC classics “Rock Box” and “King Of Rock.” These performances put Martinez at #1 in Guitar World magazine’s list of Top Rock Guitar in Hip-Hop performances, noting his “searing lead work puts this track from the group’s 1984 debut over the top--and ahead of its time.”

In the late 70’s Martinez started playing with influential funk and jazz fusion acts. A turning point came when Eddie played on Kurtis Blow’s groundbreaking debut. He joined Blondie for The Hunter tour, which was opened by rising stars Duran Duran. While on the road, Martinez became friends with Duran’s guitarist Andy Taylor. After the Chic Organization disbanded in 1983, Martinez had the unique distinction of playing on the debut solo albums from both of Chic’s masterminds, Nile Rogers and Bernard Edwards.

Martinez and Edwards recorded one song together, “Trudy,” a funk-pop gem reminiscent of Prince’s Minneapolis sound. Combining synthesizer funk horns and searing rock guitar with Edwards’ popping bass, the track, and Eddie’s smoldering good looks, sparked a bidding war - ultimately securing an album deal with Cotillion.

No Lies is a daring, unexpected crossover of rock, pop and funk, deserving of a second look. With a genre-defying mix of funk, Hendrix guitar crunch, big 80’s AOR, and Steely Dan-esque smooth pop, the album is a smorgasbord of well-crafted songs, stellar performances and Edwards’ impeccable production. It’s easy to imagine a world where these songs were hits - blaring from boomboxes and MTV, prominently featured in 80’s movie soundtracks.

In addition to Eddie and Bernard’s considerable contributions, the album features the cream of New York session musicians, sometimes referred to as the “New Wrecking Crew” including Fonzi Thornton and Steve Ferrone, amongst many, many others.

Unfortunately, Cotillion was struggling and the EPM album got lost in their collapse.

With his ability to effortlessly straddle popular musical styles, Martinez became one of the 80’s most in-demand session guitarists, playing instantly recognizable riffs on Robert Palmer‘s “Addicted To Love” and “Simply Irresistible.

Eddie (from an interview with Classic Rock): “(Robert) asked me to play after I met him at Power Station. I was recording at Power Station (The Studio) and heard Power Station (The Band) was upstairs and figured I’d say hello to Bernard and Jason Corsaro (genius recording engineer) as well as to say hi to Andy Taylor and John Taylor (Duran Duran). I got to know them when I was with Blondie and Duran Duran opened for us. I got to talking with Robert and he asked me to play on his solo record.”

Eddie also notably played on Steve Winwood’s “Back in the High Life”, and David Lee Roth’s “Crazy From the Heat.” Martinez, with Jeff Beck, shared guitar duties on Mick Jagger’s solo debut, She’s the Boss.

Martinez was subsequently heard on hundreds of recordings, including work with Tina Turner, Blondie, Rod Stewart, Joe Cocker, Yoko Ono, Billy Ocean, Lou Reed, Kashif, Garland Jeffreys, EG Daily, Jody Watley, Bootsy Collins, Chaka Khan, George Clinton, Nona Hendryx, and Ryuichi Sakamoto, Meat Loaf, Cher, Jim Steinman, Celine Dion, and Foreigner.

Eddie Martinez is now living in the Pacific Northwest and continues to perform live, mostly near his home base of Portland, Oregon. He’s released a new album, Akosua, on June 15th, 2018. You can hear a great 2019 podcast with him here.

Newly remastered, this Supermegabot issue of E.P.M. No Lies is a limited edition release, packaged in a collectible 18pt, gloss-coated mini-LP sleeve, replicating the original vinyl package. A sturdy cardboard inner sleeve has a smooth interior finish to prevent scuffs. All of this is hand-assembled into a Japanese mylar sleeve, sealed with a Supermegabot sticker to guarantee authenticity.

Supermegabot makes every effort to work with artists when we release their music. We spoke to Eddie Martinez before the release of EPM and, although he seemed interested in the possibility of working with us, we were unable to re-establish contact. This release is licensed from and authorized by the Warner Music Group, Cotillion’s successors.