On a constant search for new sounds, fresh production talent and cutting edge club music, Mark EG is at the forefront of the UK's new music movement. He refuses to be labelled. As they say, good music is good music. And this sometimes chameleon-like addiction to music has held Mark responsible not only for some of the most ground breaking releases in the hard techno world over the last few years, but also for the underground explosion of both hard trance and hardstyle thoughout much of the UK.
With a DJ history that spans back to the early 1980's, Mark is widely acclaimed for his intense and captivating stage presence, as well as his outrageous deck talents. His most notable achievements include his massive popularity in Serbia over the last eight years - where techno is the biggest form of club music thoughout the country; his almost cult-like status within the UK hard dance movement (especially in the South-West where his residency sets at places such as The Country Club were legendary); the near sonic domination of the Canadian rave scene in the late nineties (a close second to Paul Oakenfold in a popular Magazine Poll). But most recently he was voted 'UK's Best Hard Dance DJ' at the the Hardcore Heaven Awards 2003, proving his continued popularity within the hard dance fraternity.
'The whole concept behind my DJing is to get people into new music.' begins
Mark 'I try to do this by exploring different areas of hard club music.
Techno will always be my favourite but DJ-ing is all about mood, atmosphere,
reading a crowd and trying to get your message across. It's also about compromise
and keeping the people on the floor at fever pitch. So you have to develop
different styles for different people. As long as you have the tools to
ensure those infront of you are screaming for more, then you can walk away
satisfied. That's what truly matters.'
It comes as no surprise that when it coms to music production, Mark's focus is undoubtedly techno. His most well known project has to be The Anxious, which he and his partner Chrissi have taken to the forefront of the global techno movement. Their sound is dark and driving, relentless and uncompromising. Listen to one of Mark's hard techno DJ sets and you'll realise where this energy comes from. Is it any wonder then that Mark and Chrissi have released music on some of the worlds finest techno labels including Glenn Wilson's Planet Rhythm, Compound, Hereos and Submissions imprints. There have been releases on labels such as Chris McCormack's well-respected Embryo imprint and the now defunct Blueline USA label. Their own label Blackout Audio has seen their work skillfully remixed by names such as Hardcell, Inigo Kennedy, Headroom, Chris McCormack and Glenn Wilson to name but a few.
Under the name The Fuzz on Chris Liberator's Cluster label, they also
release acid techno. They've had releases on other London Acid techno labels
such as Hydrualix and Intected. Although they've also released many sought
after trance productions on Bonzai/XTC and Massive, Germany, Mark feels
that techno is where his heart now lies in the studio.
'We're on a mission to find new ways, new sounds.' says Mark 'You can
push serious boundaries in a room with two people because there's no crowd
there, but you still need to think about what your tracks would sound
like in a club or you might as well disappear in obscurity. We want to
create dark rhythmic music that you can either stick your head in the
bassbin and throw up to, or disappear into your own personal space and
find yourself with.