The story of Mal and ‘Fabric’ is an inspirational one, illustrating the fact that hard work and high standards can make for success.
“We had no money, and no-one knew who we were or what we were doing. Basically, everything we are today was built up from the grassroots level, from next to nothing.” Mal and friends Kit (ex-Dreamers) and Steve started Fabric as a humble weekly night at The Loft. That was one and a half years ago, when progressive house had become a relatively unknown factor in Adelaide. They developed a small core following, regulars more than willing to come to all their shows. The word spread and the numbers increased. Skip to the present day, and Fabric is now stationed at one of Adelaide’s premier clubs, Minke, with their regular monthly night and is responsible for special events bringing us some of the biggest and brightest stars in ever increasing numbers. The profile of progressive house has burgeoned to a phenomenal status, easily one of the best-loved forms of dance in this city. And the name Fabric is synonymous with it.
The lineup of Fabric DJs has remained relatively unchanged, with a few new additions format changes. DJs Mal, Andee, Brendon, K2, Phil T and Nick T are the ‘Fabric boys’ to many. “We have a solid line-up, we wouldn’t really want to add any more established DJs to it. There are some really good bedroom DJs out there, and in the future I’d like to help some of them out, see if we can’t work them into our shows.”
For those of you who have not yet experienced a set by DJ Mal, fresh and pure progressive house is the mainstay. With influences such as Sasha and Digweed, Charlie May, James Holden, Sean Quinn and Kasey Taylor, you could expect nothing less. “Music should be both forward-thinking and retrospective.” That said, Mal’s sets are well known for being cutting edge, “90 percent new (or unreleased), 10 percent classics or tracks from a couple of months ago.” This is one of the factors that helps him stand out from the crowd, especially in a city where progressive house is still quite a late bloomer and even by Mal’s admission, “still has a way to go.” That said, these are the words of a driven man, not willing to rest until Adelaide’s progressive house scene can match it with Sydney and Melbourne. With all the work that Mal has been doing to promote the profile of progressive house within Adelaide, and to promote the profile of Adelaide progressive house interstate and overseas, this goal is not so far away.
DJ Mal has just completed a successful tour of the UK, to a very appreciative and receptive scene. Obviously not one to rest on his proverbial laurels, Mal has already started planning more tours for the future. These include Melbourne in February/March, Canberra in March with DJ Brendon, and the Fabric South-East Asia Tour to Singapore and Malaysia with DJ Andee.
Special events that Adelaide can look forward to include a return by Kasey Taylor, [n.b. it won’t be a Fabric room but a combined house room with Bundi] Stardust featuring Infusion (live – tbc), Sean Cusick (USA), DJ Hyper from Bedrock breaks and Paul Rogers (UK) from Sumsonic, not to mention superstar DJs Dave Seaman and Paul Van Dyk in March.
Where does he find the time for all this promotion, as well as Djing and everything else? Hell, why tackle the extra burden at all in the first place? Mal laughs, and explains that special events are actually becoming more and more of a focus. He wants to be able to bring out bigger and heavier acts, educating the palate of Adelaide’s progressive house crowd if you will. It is getting to the stage where Mal’s name as a promoter is beginning to rival his profile as a DJ. Far from being concerned about this, he knows a compliment when he hears one. “It’s all about getting the name out, in the current climate you need to be more than just a DJ, you need to promote, produce, whatever. It’s another feather in the cap, basically.”
So how does he feel about playing progressive house in a scene dominated by drum and bass? “I have nothing but respect for the drum and bass scene in Adelaide. The people are there for the right reasons, and they are a.) knowledgeable and b.) passionate. Our collaborations with Stardust, cater for everyone. There is even a middle ground, with breaks such as Phil K VS Nubreed, and Blake’s (DJ John Doe recent Krafty Kuts and Scratch Perverts show (A Break in Traffic) appealing to both audiences.”
Testament to the high standard being set by Mal and his crew is a recent recording contract with a subsidiary of BMG. This two-year deal could well see original tracks by the Fabric boys being the next big thing. As yet, no tunes have seen the light of day, but it is still early. We’d all do well to keep an ear and an eye out for any future releases. The exponential growth we have seen from Mal and Fabric is but a taste of things to come.
You can ctach Mal and the rest of the Fabric crew at the following events:
Fabric January Edition
The Return of Kasey taylor
Click here for your chance to win a double pass to see Kasey taylor and the Fabric crew
