Compared to say the UK or Europe, Australia’s dance scene is still very much in its infancy. Mention some of Australia’s top names to your average London clubber and all you will be met with is a puzzled stare. However there are one or two Aussies whose reputations have met with world wide recognition. One of those is Mark Dynamix.
Though not born in Australia, it is where his love of music grew and has become the place he now calls home. “I was born in the UK in 1975 and left the UK for Australia in 1987. I spent my childhood collecting records, recording my own compilations onto cassette and doing edits of songs to re-arrange them using a trusty Sony cassette deck with a well worn pause button. I started buying records around 1983 mainly UK artists like Depeche Mode, Thomas Dolby, Pet Shop Boys – what was classified as dance music then. Started getting into the more underground sound as I came of age and was able to experience music on a club system which was around 1990. I remember listening to an old radio show on a station called 2GLF which used to play acid house tracks on a Sunday night in a 2 hour mix, which was unheard of back then. I found so many good records from that show.”
Almost everybody has an interest in music at some point in their lives, even if it is only because they have a crush on the lead singer of a boy band, what is it that, though, that inspires someone to take it that step further and actually get into the performance side of things? “I think music is in my blood, my dad was a guitarist and played for 30 years professionally around the world. My work, leisure and life revolves around music so I don’t think there was any one event which threw me into the musical world, I was already in it – I remember my first piano lesson at four. DJing was really something I fell into – there was no master plan, I just liked playing records from my collection to friends and seeing their reaction. And I guess I’m still doing that now, just on a grander scale.”
A grander scale indeed, having a long standing relationship with industry giants Ministry of Sound is something most musicians would only dream about, but something which Mark takes in his stride. How does one juggle such a commercial commitment whilst staying true to his love of the underground? “There’s no denying that the mix CD track listings are swayed towards the lighter end of the dance spectrum, but a CD of dark German techno on a release such as The Annual just wouldn’t make sense. I think the fact that the CDs have been a good balance of what’s new and what’s already current have been a key to their success. Some of the compilations have been more underground than others, but when I look back at the track listings I can still say that I have never put anything on a CD that I haven’t played in a club at some time or another. In saying this, I’m working on a compilation for later in the year which will be a totally underground experiment so I hope people will trust me on my track selection even if they don’t recognise many of the tracks.”
Sydney clubbers will be delighted to know that Mark recently started an intermittent residency at Chinese Laundry. This will make a nice change to his fans who will be able to catch him on a somewhat regular occurrence, rather then trying to work out where he may be playing his next guest spot as used to be the norm. “Setting up at the Laundry makes total sense. The music policy is very broad which suits my tastes, the crowd is a little older and aren’t interested in the top 10 radio friendly dance tracks which is great because neither am I, and the venue is always packed with an exciting atmosphere. I could only say ‘yes’ when they asked, it’s one of the best clubs in Sydney at the moment. Also, it is a good time to set up a weekly gig in Sydney after traveling so much interstate and overseas.”
Welcome home Mark!
If you’re in Sydney keep an eye out for Mark playing at the Laundry on Saturday nights. If you’re interstate, be sure to head along to one of Mark’s guest spots throughout April and Mar:
Apr 1st – Platinum, Gold Coast
Apr 8th – Cooney’s, Wollongong
Apr 15th – Crown Plaza, Terrigal
Apr 28th – Ceruti’s, Manly
May 3rd – Queens College, Melbourne
May 5th – The King St Hotel, Newcastle
May 12th – Full Moon Party, Magnetic Island
May 13th – Ambar, Perth
May 26th – Academy, Canberra
Mark’s single ‘Identify Me’, co-produced with Jaytech, is also out now through Hussle/EMI.
