Music
Listen to an hour of masterful drum'n'bass by DJ Marky
The Brazilian D&B trailblazer kicks 2020 into gear with a brand new Choice Mix.
Listen to DJ Marky's Choice Mix here:
An integral figure in São Paulo's early jungle and drum'n'bass scene in the '90s, DJ Marky has long since been something of a global sensation. Barely a month prior to filing this soul-warmer of a Choice Mix he was on the final leg of his world tour, where he'd spent the best part of a year tapping up clubs and festivals everywhere from Japan to the UK and back to his home of Brazil again. Among this, his label, Innerground, continued its steady stream of colourful records from artists like Calibre and Nookie, with Marky himself teasing us with a scattering of releases showcasing the spectrum of his sound.
While his 2020 starts off on a comparatively slower pace with bookings like Rampage festival on the horizon, Marky still delivers an hour's mix for the books, a showcase of his masterful mixing and all-encompassing musical palate. Listen in the player above, then catch up with him in the Q&A below.
DJ Marky: "I think the [São Paulo] scene has gone back to the underground"
© Garry Jones
You’ve been a part of Sao Paulo’s jungle/D&B scene since its early days. How has the scene evolved and changed over the years, and who are some of the DJs and parties at its core?
It used to be pretty intense because I had a regular night every Thursday, for ten years, but because I was travelling a lot and the club where I played closed down, we started doing the parties every time I was in Brazil. I think the scene has gone back to the underground days, but it’s still really good. We still have some great parties like DJ Marky & Friends and Forbass & Tendance. We have great DJ’s too like L Side, Andrezz, Unreal, Alibi, Marnel, MS2 and many others.
You just ticked off a world tour and a fairly intense run of 19 shows. What were some of the highlights?
By far the biggest highlight for me was travelling with my son for the New Year gigs in Bahia, Brazil. Seeing his reaction to watching me play was something that I never expected in my life! It was very special to me and something that I’ll cherish forever.
Can you talk a bit about the mix – where it was recorded, some of the ideas you had for it?
I recorded it in my studio at home with two turntables and I just played the tracks that I’m into at the moment.
What’s next for Innerground with its 100th release on the horizon? And how does feel to approach that milestone?
For the 100th release I’m working on the album called Innerground 100 with my favourite producers at the moment. So far I have brand new tracks by Saikon, Random Movement, Drumsound & Simon Bassline Smith, Data 3, Pola & Bryson’s remix of One Exception by Collette Warren and Tyler Daley, The Sauce, and many more.
And with so much touring last year, how is 2020 shaping up for you? There’s Rampage coming up in April, for example…
I’m very excited for 2020. I have a lot of new music coming out and great shows like Rampage in Belgium, one of the largests DnB parties in the world. Besides it, I am also excited for Hospitality returns to the dock, DJ Marky & Friends in Bristol and loads more around Europe and Brazil.
DJ Marky plays at Rampage in Belgium, March 13-14. For more information and tickets, click here.
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