Andrew Marsh is no new school DJ, in fact his credentials run across a span of seven years. Although still travelling through the prime of his youth, those seven years have been filled with an abundance of passion, dedication, experience and talent – with a record crate busting with an eclectic mix of tracks capable of enticing the green eyed monster in any electronic music lover.

After six to twelve months of initially listening to techno music, Andrew was hooked and moved by the whole DJing artform. Passion and enthusiasm were the sole motivators that marked the beginning of Marsh’s career. His love for electronic music was so strong and noted by many a friend, who wisely suggested the career move. From there on in, Marsh watched and learned, constantly eyeing off the talents and noting the every move of fellow DJs and through hours of practice and absorption, Andrew mastered the art of decknology with precision. Spending any spare time helping out the staff at Central Station in return for free records, his collection gradually stockpiled. After teaching his stepbrother Hamish (Nexus) to DJ, Hamish recognized the immense talent of this young man and pushed him to continue in the direction and to follow his dreams, as his profile gradually escalated. Inspired by the sounds of Dave Clarke, Marsh refined and defined his own unique style, delivering a seamless blend of “hard up funky techno with a hint of electro”, always maintaining a strong sense of open mindedness and diversity throughout his sets.

As the Melbourne massive cottoned on to the young man’s presence and style, the gigs began to accumulate – playing over the years at events and nights such as: Synewave, Orbit, Energy Flash, Earthbass, No Rest for the Wicked, Love Parade (Melbourne), Mimic, The Real Deal, RDC, Xsive parties and of late holding a regular residency at @mosphere. One event which stands as a fond memory for Andrew was a party held long ago at the infamous Leslie Street Warehouse, called ‘Constellation’. “It was the first time I’d really played in front of hundreds of people and they just responded to what I played really well!”

His presence behind the decks is as calm, precise and directed as his sets and although appearing quite sedate, he lets his music speak for him in any given direction, seducing the crowd. “I don’t interact with my crowd as much as a lot of other DJ’s, but I watch them quite a lot because they really help me decide on what to play next. Reading the crowd is very important for any DJ. I try to really concentrate on playing what they want, within my limits. A lot of thought goes into my records I take with me. After that, I guess I just hope the crowd is up for whatever records I have with me. I keep a good watch on things so if something isn’t working I will change it quickly. I try to keep on my toes and get through as many records to keep it interesting.”

” I think I mainly decide by listening to what the DJ before me has played and also the crowd’s response to them. I always try to do something a bit different that will stand out. Throughout my set though, my music can range from House, Electro, Breaks and anything old school, but it mainly comes back to techno for me.” With his sets never mundane or monotonous, Andrew has successfully established his own musical signature, “Hopefully playing music that the crowd doesn’t always know or expect to hear.” But playing records isn’t the only source of electronic pleasure that Marsh dwells on, with a few tracks produced in collaboration with different associates and a present production project underway with local live act and producer ‘Blimp’, Andrew hopes to one day be able to express his own musical ideas through his own tracks. “Producing is a very expensive and time-consuming area, however, it can be a good way of expressing your own musical ideas, as other people’s records can’t always do that.”

This week will see Andrew Marsh add another credit to his growing resume, something that makes him very proud and fills him with a child-like excitement. At Saturday’s Advent’jah Festival at Kryal Castle in Victoria, Andrew Marsh and fellow Melbourne DJ PDT will officially launch their CAUTION duo. “The idea for Caution came about a couple of months back. The act is myself and PDT using four decks and two mixers. We each have a mixer and two decks and play over the top of each other and layer up to four records. We wanted to use a different name for the act, not only so it would stand out, but also because we still play solo sets the majority of the time. It is a much more technical show than just DJing by yourself. Intros and some breakdowns have been planned and practiced before hand, but the overall set is constructed as we go along. We are likely to throw in pretty much anything tech, a bit of electro and always a few surprises.”

Marsh’s stamina is fueled by the success of close friends and the excitement of finding fantastic music that could contribute to one of his sets – music that he wants to play to the people. Some of the hottest tracks coming out of the box of Andrew Marsh at present are, Fischerspooner’s ‘Emerge’, Artefact’s ‘Are you Jackin’, DJ Rush’s ‘Get on Down’ and Blimp’s ‘Breakage’. With his favourite artists standing high as Dave Clarke, DJ Rush, Umek and local Melbourne wonders Serotone and Blimp and favourite labels sounding out as Music Man, Pro-Jex, Bush, Gigolo and Consumer Recreation. On a personal level Marsh digs anything electronic and at any given time he can be found playing his favourite classic tracks, Quazar’s ‘Midsummer Nights Dream’, Dave Clarke’s ‘Wisdom to the wise (Red 2) and Fix’s ‘Flash’, but never failing to put a minute aside for a touch of smooth and rhythmic jazz.

But the scene around him has also contributed significantly to his outlook, drawing fond memories from parties such as Love Parade, Xsive, Where the Wild Things Are in 1997 and the Global Village shut down. Like any punter he has his theories on the development of our scene: “The whole scene has definitely become a lot more of a mainstream culture, but I guess that is inevitable and you just have to move with the times and enjoy it. Obviously the scene has moved away from underground warehouse parties and into clubs. I guess everywhere is going to end up like the U.K, with dance music being the driving force.”

It’s been a difficult trek for Andrew Marsh, as most DJs would know it’s a difficult industry to break into and to get the recognition you deserve. “It has been a long road to even get where I am now. It has been a lot of fun though. I guess I am not as outgoing and confident as is normally needed to succeed in a DJing career, but I’ll keep trying. DJing is definitely one of the biggest parts of my life and is pretty much all I have wanted to do from a young age.” Outgoing or not this young man is vibrant and talented, clean, fresh and technically apt and the future holds a bright outcome with a further show of persistence, enthusiasm and patience. For life will bring this young man his dream, a dream which sees him travelling interstate and around the world to shouting avid fans!

Andrew Marsh signed off, leaving this reporter with a few words for the like minded DJ massive: “Be positive, confident, never give up, but most importantly, be yourself. Fake people get caught out. Also, believe in the music you produce/play!”

Catch the master at work as Andrew Marsh and PDT together launch CAUTION this Saturday at the Advent’jah Festival at Kryal Castle. Playing 12-1 am in the @mosphere Room. Support local talent, come and watch with Caution as these two blow the roof off the ancient castle. Also catch Andrew Marsh in his residency at @mosphere, each and every Friday.