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Features
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| Introducing NEM3SI$’s new label Infinite Resistance! | | Mindbenderz talk ‘Lord of the Rings’ and fishing, as well as the creation of their new album ‘Celestial Gateway’! | | Iono-Music artists One Function, Eliyahu, Invisible Reality and Dual Vision talk Robert Miles, kids, dogs and vinyl, while we chat about their current releases! | | Luke&Flex talk influences, the Irish rave scene, why Flex wears a mask and Play Hard, their new EP out now on Onhcet Repbulik Xtreme! | | Lyktum expands on his new album ‘Home’ – talking about his love of storytelling, creating new harmonies and the concept behind his musical works. | | Pan talks getting caught short crossing the Sahara, acid eyeballs and tells us Trance is the Answer, plus shares his thoughts on his latest release 'Beyond the Horizon' - all from a beach in Spain! | | Miss C chats about living with the KLF, DJing in a huge cat’s mouth, training her brain and the upcoming super-duper Superfreq Grande party at LDN East this Saturday, 16th September! | | NEM3SI$ - I Live for the Night – talks superficiality, psychopaths, and bittersweet success, ahead of a plethora of evocative, emotional, and passionate upcoming melodic techno releases! | | Psy-Sisters Spring Blast Off! We talk to DJ competition winner ROEN along with other super talents on the lineup! | | Blasting towards summer festivals with Bahar Canca ahead of Psy-Sisters Spring Blast! | | Shyisma talks parties, UFO's, and Shotokan Karate ahead of his upcoming album 'Particles' on Iono-Music! | | SOME1 talks family, acid, stage fright and wolves - ahead of his upcoming album release ‘Voyager’ on Iono-Music in February 2023! | | The Transmission Crew tell all and talk about their first London event on 24th February 2023! | | NIXIRO talks body, mind and music production ahead of his release 'Planet Impulse' on Static Movement's label - Sol Music! | | Turning the world into a fairy tale with Ivy Orth ahead of Tribal Village’s 10th Birthday Anniversary Presents: The World Lounge Project | | The Psy-Sisters chat about music, achievements, aspirations and the 10-Year Anniversary Party - 18/12/22! | | A decade of dance music with Daniel Lesden | | Earth Needs a Rebirth! Discussions with Psy-Trance Artist Numayma | | Taking a Journey Through Time with Domino | | New Techno Rising Star DKLUB talks about his debut release White Rock on Onhcet Republik! | | PAN expands on many things including his new album 'Hyperbolic Oxymoron' due for release on the 14th April 2022 on PsyWorld Records! | | Psibindi talks all things music including her new collaborative EP 'Sentient Rays' on Aphid Records, her band Sentience Machine and 10 years of Psy-Sisters! |
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Mark EG: dance music’s hardcore megastar
Reported by Tara
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Submitted 10-05-10 06:59
It’s hard to pinpoint what turns a great DJ into a superstar, as there aren’t that many superstars around — especially in the hard dance scene. But whatever that crucial mix is of impeccable tune selection and set progression, unique and seamless mixing and perhaps most important, a dynamic and electric onstage presence, Mark EG most definitely has it all and more. Renowned for his epic sets that can slide between genres with more ease than MPs changing their opinions in election week, his full-on no holds barred performances can have him dancing on the decks one minute and head butting the closest amp the next. He’s back in London for one of his dirtiest, hardest and fastest sets yet at DHF: The Spring Edition on Friday 14 May @Hidden so we managed to tie him to the keyboard long enough to answer a few questions for his fans…
You were last interviewed on here ahead of Frantic NYE 2008. What’s been happening in the life of Mark EG since then? Have things been as dirty, hard and fast as ever or like many on the dance scene, are you finally getting softer and slower with age?
I don’t think many new people in hard dance realise this but I originally got into this music in the early ’80s through electro, house, Detroit techno and acid house. Back then for me, it wasn’t so much about the hardness or dirtiness but once I discovered clubbing, the power of raw hardness and dirt really came to the fore — especially when Jeff Mills and Underground Resistance came along in the ’90s! I’ve never stopped listening to all the early stuff though and my love of electronica, ambient and experimental music has also ensured I’m constantly checking out and playing all sorts of stuff in all sorts of different clubs wherever I can. I absolutely LOVE the hard shit though — just as much as ever!
When you were growing up did you always know you were going to be an onstage nutcase? As a child was it evident in anything you did? When your mother bequeathed you to the world, did you race and out and smash a piece of audio equipment over her head, or was it a more routine childbirth
I’ll be honest. My upbringing was strict. Although my parents encouraged my music, they only ever wanted me to get a regular job. I suppose it was the rebel inside me that turned into a raging loony on the weekend, which eventually has allowed me to make a living out of music. The first time I ever smashed something over my head on stage it was a reaction against the fact that nobody seemed to like the music I was playing! I suppose what I do has definitely developed from just smashing shit up, but the principle of it all being a reaction against the norm has definitely been the common thread throughout my whole life!
You’ve played a number of styles over the years, including hardcore, techno, hard dance and hardstyle. Do you like them all equally? Out of all the styles, which makes you play the dirtiest? The hardest? And the fastest?
Well, for me the best stuff is always the new stuff I play, the moment I’m playing it — whatever genre! You see the thing that gives me the most buzz in music is hearing something for the first time and thinking ‘OMFG’. Once I’ve played it ten or so times on a sound system I kinda get bored, move on and file it under ‘loved what it did at the time but we gotta go forward’. But I suppose if I had to take one genre on a desert island it would be from my roots — old school Chicago house, acid or Detroit techno.
Ozzy Osbourne has been known to bite the heads off live animals on stage and you’re also known for your wild high energy performances. What are the dirtiest, hardest and fastest things you’ve done onstage over the years?
I’ve done quite a bit in my time that’s pretty hardcore, including breaking my own nose from dancing too hard behind the decks, setting my record box on fire, chain sawing a deck in half in America, and skewering my head on a boat with a fire sprinkler (I actually finished that set covered in my own blood from head to toe!). I’ve also broken several of my fingers from doing stuff on stage I shouldn’t, haha!
You and Chrissi have made loads of tracks together under different names but have only ever played one legendary live set together in Brazil. It must get quite intense working in the studio all week and driving around the countryside to gigs together all weekend… how did you first meet and what inspired you to start producing together?
We met on a bus in Huddersfield going to a rave 18 years ago and we haven’t been apart since! I suppose about 10–15 years ago I decided that I really want to start playing my own stuff in my sets so decided to buy an old Kurzweil K2000 workstation. As we are both totally into the music, it would have been just plain selfish of me to shut the door and do it myself whilst she watched Neighbours downstairs! So we decided to learn it all together, reading manuals, talking, learning, buzzing together. It was the best decision we ever made and it’s one of the big reasons why we’ve stayed together for so long.
Given the legendary success of your live set in Brazil, why haven’t you done any more live sets? Can we expect any in the future?
Yes it was a big success — people still talk about it now. We never planned to go live — music for us is about being in the studio first and foremost — but when they asked us we thought why not, let’s give it a shot. The problem we didn’t foresee was the amount of work involved! It would have been easy to whack on a CD and mime or play a prerecorded mix with only a few live tweaks, so we had to work for months for hours on end to make it truly live and totally unique. Once it was done it was done, story told, time to move on. I have to say the feeling of being on stage with Chrissi pulling crazy techno faces beside me whilst tweaking that sub bass was something I’ll never forget. Yes, I suppose we would do it again if we felt the time was right.
What’s a typical day in the life of Mark EG? Is every day a dirty, hard and fast adventure or do you save it all for the weekends?
I’m a workaholic. This music thing is 24–7 and I’m very grateful to be involved in it. Although I might not be physically smashing the house up during the week (apart from on my DIY days of course!), I am constantly rushing around doing something to do with music. Although I did my fair share of sitting about smoking god knows what in my early days, you soon come to realize you only have one life and one opportunity to live it in a way that makes you happy. So if you get an opportunity like this you gotta put 500% into it — at all times.
You’ve just got back from touring Australia. Did you manage to ride any roos or wrestle any crocks while you were over there? As a seasoned party animal, how do you reckon the parties down under compare with those in the UK?
We actually hired a car and drove from Sydney to Canberra to Melbourne (2–3 days travelling across some incredible scenery) and we saw tons of the buggers! In fact we paid $10 to catch a ferry to an island to see koalas and ended up seeing not a single bloody koala but about 50 kangaroos instead! Anyway, all the parties I played were fantastic — they always are over there. HTID was at Sydney Olympic Park and was huuuuge and 3D Vs Hard Kandy was an immense club atmosphere with amazing people. Highly recommended. I also managed to hang out with a really talented new producer called Nomad, spending the night playing drinking games and break dancing on his kitchen floor — IMMENSE!
What does punk mean to you? In these days of mass consumerism and apathy, do you have any hope for social change and a better future? If so, what do you reckon is the key?
Although I’m not old enough to have been part of the incredible punk movement, I can relate to it massively through my love of techno. Both genres are very similar due to their reluctance to conform to rules or regulations. I’ve heard a lot of punk stuff and I love the energy and message that it portrays. In fact, with a lot of my favourite harder techno, you can hear the punk influence very easily, especially when they put that snare on the kick! In my life, my ideals are very close to those of the punk movement — I hate blatant musical commercialism and I really hate when people exploit music. Unfortunately the internet has increased the need to promote and tell people the size of your dick — a degree in Graphic Design can actually get you to the top of the music tree! But even though it seems like you’re banging your head against a brick wall sometimes, I do have faith that good music eventually shines through. People eventually wise up and it’s reassuring to see that those who are fake always become a fashion. And we all know what happens to fashion in the end eh?
You’ve been editor of underground music mags Wax and Eternity and now you’re an editor of Core mag. What’s the most interesting interview you’ve done? And who did you hate interviewing the most?
That is a brilliant question, but the one that sticks in my mind is an interview I did with Jeff Mills many years ago. Imagine a blurry-eyed spotty kid going for an interview with his hero, sitting down at a restaurant table almost dribbling with excitement. The interview starts. The kid babbles out the usual questions, “How did you get into the music?” “When did you first pick up your first music instrument?” The usual inexperienced journo codswallop. Within 30 minutes Mills was almost asleep, answering “Yes” and “No” to every question. Suddenly after a minute’s awkward silence he says, “Can you please ask me more interesting questions?” I nearly died. Needless to say, I learnt a few valuable lessons that day!
What’s the one interview question you wish you could ask yourself?
That one right there! An endless loop!
Given the fact that technology has changed the way music is made, played, distributed and promoted, do you think there is any future for music mags in the long term?
Yes of course. People always want something physical. I don’t know about you, but whenever I venture out of the house on my travels, I like to have something to read — something easy and convenient I can fit in my bag and flick through. A laptop is too heavy to get out each time I sit down, a phone is too small. A mag is cheap, convenient and feels natural. IMHO the key for a good music mag in the future is to connect with what music people want, not to be what the commercial advertisers want it to be. That’s what I want for Core.
You’ve got a wicked website, www.blackoutaudio.co.uk, which is an internet mecca for techno fans with active forums and music, as well as an awesome MySpace and a strong presence on social networking sites like FB. Do you find the net takes up a lot of your time when you’d rather be making music? Or is it a handy way to keep in touch with fans and promote your work?
If I’m being honest, I have a love hate relationship with social networking. It causes me some of the biggest hassles in my life but it also gives me some huge pleasures. If I think about the amount of time I spend putting my dates up, updating, dealing with forum squabbles, coding, sorting out server issues, not being in the studio, not focusing on music, then it’s easy to think it’s a complete waste of time. But then I only have to look at my inbox and see an email from someone who respects what you do or comments on a mix you put up, or think about the community I’ve made and the people it’s helped — then it really is worth it. The key I find, is to make sure social networking doesn’t control you and you control it.
If you could make a movie of your life, what would it be called and who would be the main star(s)?
It would be called FUCK ‘EM and the main star should be Lee Evans (or so people tell me hahaha)!
You’re playing at DHF: The Spring Edition on Friday 14 May. What are the dirtiest, hardest and fastest tracks that don’t leave your CD case right now?
At the moment I’m massively into some of the new Liberator and Sterling Moss acid techno. All their new tracks are in my box. Then for the new school hard trance sound it has to be all the Theracords music. In fact this week Chrissi and I did a crazy industrial hardstyle track in our studio with the amazing DJ Thera called D.E.A.D. — I’ll be playing this for the first time ever at DHF! As for hard techno, all the new Naked Lunch stuff is blowing my head off. With the Dutch hardstyle, well there’s a bag of good stuff — that ‘Put Ya Middle Fingers Up’ track is killing it at the mo! Arrghhhhh too much good music!!!!
You’re playing alongside a very dirty, hard and fast lineup at DHF. What advice do you have to the other artists if they want to keep up with you on May 14th?
Haha. You know what? If you see a treadmill behind the decks — STEP ON IT SO WE CAN GIVE DHF A NIGHT TO REMEMBER HAHA! It’s going to be incredible. London won’t know what’s hit them! If you’re into your music — you need to come to this. See you there everyone!
Thanks Mark! Looking forward to seeing Chrissi and yourself again at DHF.
Photos courtesy of Mark EG and the HarderFaster archieve. Not to be reproduced without permission.
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DHF: The Spring Edition
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On:
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Friday 14th May 2010
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At:
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Hidden [map]
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From:
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22:00 - 07:00
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Cost:
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TBA
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Ticket Info:
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TBA
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More:
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Firstly we’d like to thank you all who attended the last edition of DHF,
especially on such a cold and dreary January evening.
As winter is thankfully, yet slowly becoming merely a distant memory;
we thought we’d get the party started because after all…
This is the Summer...err...Spring of the Harder Styles ;-)
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Flyer:
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Other Features By Tara:
Blasting towards summer festivals with Bahar Canca ahead of Psy-Sisters Spring Blast!
Turning the world into a fairy tale with Ivy Orth ahead of Tribal Village’s 10th Birthday Anniversary Presents: The World Lounge Project
A decade of dance music with Daniel Lesden
Telling Cosmic Tales with DJ Strophoria
Tom Psylicious aka EarthAlien takes 50 Spins Around the Sun: Raising Awareness Through the Power of Music
The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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Comments:
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From: K8-e on 6th Jun 2010 23:41.34
Great read (good questions)! 
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