Sunbelt Computer Software

For Martin Solveig, technology has always been less about disruption than creativity. In 2020, the French DJ built Alma Studio – a screen-free storytelling app for kids – and, in the years since, he’s been experimenting with AI music tools. The one he keeps returning to is Stemz, an app that splits finished tracks into their individual elements.

We sat down with Solveig to find out how Stemz can break down technical barriers and turn up the volume on creativity.

“When I discovered Stemz, I was genuinely amazed,” Solveig says. The app’s premise is very simple: take a fully mastered track and isolate each part – vocals, drums, harmonies – dissecting the music.

“The ability to separate elements from a finished master still feels a little bit magical to me. It’s really impressive, especially for DJs and producers who love rebuilding and reshaping music,” he says.

Inspired by the likes of Larry Levan and David Mancuso – pioneers of modern dance music and masters of unpredictability – Solveig’s DJing philosophy is all about resisting standardisation. “I always want to personalise things and create moments that only exist that night,” he says.

In that sense, Stemz functions less like a performance tool and more like a sketchpad – a place to prepare alternate versions of tracks that can later be deployed in real time. He uses it to craft edits, intros and transitions tailored to specific sets to ensure that no two performances follow the same sequence.

“Being able to isolate elements and build clean rhythmic intros or outros around older tracks is amazing,” says Solveig. “It lets you preserve the soul of those records while making them easier to integrate into modern DJ sets.”

One example is a particular Kongas track, released when founder Marc Cerrone was in the band. “It’s a fantastic live disco recording,” says Solveig. “But because it wasn’t programmed to a click track [digital metronome beats], mixing it into a modern set can be difficult.” His solution is to extract, rebuild and reframe, all in Stemz, without erasing the original groove.

“AI won’t replace taste, emotion, storytelling or artistic identity,” Solveig says. The real shift lies elsewhere, in accelerating practical tasks. “It definitely speeds things up… you stay in the creative flow instead of getting stuck in technical frustration.”

What once required hours of studio time can now happen in minutes, allowing ideas to evolve without interruption. For DJs, this can be transformative – not because it automates creativity, but because it removes the barriers around it.

If there is one groundbreaking feature in Stemz, it’s the vocal capabilities. “The real game changer for me is definitely the ability to isolate vocals quickly,” Solveig explains. “For DJs, it’s almost like suddenly having access to a completely new layer of expression during a set.”

Mashups, transitions, live reinterpretations – with Stemz, these are no longer confined to the studio, but able to unfold in the moment, on the dance floor.