Interview with Mark System @ Electric Castle 2018

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This was your first performance at Electric Castle. How was it?

Mark: Amazing! Amazing sound system, the production is excellent, and I think Romanian people or at least people at EC are genuinely here for the music as much as just to be part of the the festival and this always makes a difference.

You represent Sun and Bass Recordings. Tell us a few words about it.

Sun and Bass is primarily a festival based in Sardinia. I would say it’s a boutique festival because you only get a few thousand people and the tickets sell out as soon as they are available. It’s really special. Drum and bass fans from all around the world come to dance there and DJs and producers know that it’s a landmark for us. When we play for SAB it’s a highlight in your calendar. We all write new music for the event and for me that’s my relationship with the label. I’ve always written music for my sets at SAB and they are going to be releasing two of my tunes I wrote for last year’s set. So the label represents the ethos of the festival. It’s a snapshot of the festival.

How did you start producing music?

Well, I come from a musical family. My dad was a musician and I also grew up in London where drum and bass came from, before it was called drum and bass. So I grew up listening to radio and being inspired by what I felt was the sound of London and the sound of Britain in dance music. As I come from a musical family I started to produce at a very young age, about 8 or 9 years old. I am the product of this music, it’s half of who I am.

How would you describe your style?

It’s difficult hard to describe my style because my taste is so varied. I think that my style is that I keep people guessing. It must be a thread running through the music that I write, but some of my releases are very dark, some are very light and emotional and dreamy. I don’t limit myself, I get in the studio and it depends on the mood I’m in that day.

Are there any artists who influence you?

Yes, massively! These days, in the last seven years, most of my inspiration comes from the house and techno scene and I am inspired by people like Dixon and his record label Innervisions. This is just an example, my influence across the house and techno scene is quite wide. I take on some of their methods and approaches and apply them to the way I write and play drum and bass. There is a lot of emotion and storytelling in house and techno and I try to bring it to drum and bass.

If you were to recommend a drum and bass album, which would that be?

I would say if you wanted to listen to something that has got integrity, style and just beauty and everything I would say listen to Photek – Form & Function.

Which do you think is your greatest accomplishment as a DJ?

I don’t think I’ve reached it yet. Honestly, I think I am still on my journey. Growing up my goal was to be on a pirate radio station in London, that was all I wanted to achieve. That was long past, back in the 90s. Every gig that I do is another step in the journey I am taking. There is loads of things I am proud of and I am always looking forward to where I want to end up and I don’t even know where that is, really.

What’s next for you, which are your plans for the near future?

Well, I ‘ve got the SAB single coming up and that means I will be playing some more shows with SAB and I ve got a realease that I am doing for a London based event company called Soul In Motion. I will be playing for them in a few of their shows aroud the world.
I write house and techno as well as you would expect so in the next 2 years I will be doing more of that.

DrumAndBass.ro supports local artist at the beginning of their career. Any tips and tricks for them?

Just be honest and play for yourself. You can have a successful career by completely faking it but I would say be honest. Also, it’s important for young people to not rush into a career in music, to understand what has come before and spend some time learning the roots and be sure you are adding value.

What should the press and the promoters do in order to help the scene grow?

I think that the press and the promoters are doing a good job at the moment. I think in Europe at least, dnb is very healthy, healthier that it has been for years. Keep doing it, it’s working.

A message for the Romanian fans.

Thank you! The Romanian people have an honesty that is really special so when I play for a Romanian audience I feel a real connection which I am very grateful for. So thank you for sticking with me. I am hard to find, I don’t spend a lot of time on social media, so I am very grateful when I play my music and everyone knows it.

 

 

Thank you, Mark! <3

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