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London based DJ and producer; MAN2.0 has graced the decks in Berlin, Edinburgh Manchester and Glasgow as well as rocking the closing Two Tribes party at London clubbing institution the Cause, playing on the same bill as Optimo, Kink and Ben Sims among others.
We had the pleasure of interviewing him and this was the result.
Can you tell us a little about your experience? Where are you from/how did you get into music? How did you learn to produce?
Hello there! My name is Mark, I’m from London, well… just outside, a place called Hayes in Greater London, George Orwell lived there and called it a cultural wasteland but they still named a pub after him and gave him a blue plaque, the other famous thing about Hayes is the fact that the EMI record factory was there, my Dad worked there and from as early as I can remember, he would bring home Wham, Iron Maiden and Technotronic 7 inch records
I think I was 14 when I started playing guitar and it all evolved from there really.
Who have been your main inspirations (both musically and in “life”)? And how have they affected your sound?
I guess my parents exposing me to music was the earliest inspiration, but inspiration has always been everywhere, books, art, adverts, Bowie has sort of inserted himself as a bit of a music/style idol, through him I got into Brian Eno and through him I got into synth music, all the while there were TV shows like Top of the Pops which would play Duran Duran and Bananarama. Eventually I worked in my local record store and just hoovered up every release, most of my money went on CDs and eventually I got into more goths industrial sounds like Nitzer Ebb and Front 242, I think you can hear a bit of that in my music, although I’m probably a bit more playful and less butch! There’s also years of going to London clubs like Fabric, Plastic People, the Pickle Factory but my all time favourite club was the End.
How would you define your sound? And how has your sound evolved over the years?
I struggle to define it really. I guess it sounds electronic, noisy and generally ready for the dancefloor. Initially I think I was quite slow and chuggy but as time has gone on the BPMs have gone higher and I’ve definitely become a lot more influenced by rave and electroclash.
What can you tell us about the release? What inspired you? What do you want to transmit?
Scottie (Red Eye) has been a long distance buddy for a few years, he said he was setting up a label and asked me what I had, it was quite clear that at the time I raided my vault, we were both into that sort of 90s UK rave sound. Its not a dead ringer for 90s UK rave but there are definitely some elements in there. Stabs, whoops and hoovers!
What can you tell us about each track in the release? What concept do you want to convey? Why did you choose these?
Substantia Nigra is named after the part of the brain that controls movement and that creates dopamine, I’m sort of obsessed with the human brain, I have a weird brain deformity called a Chiari Malformation and that was the track that I made when I got diagnosed with it. I’ve actually been sitting on that track for a few years. Every time I played it out, Glasgow, London, Berlin, the place went absolutely crazy. I didn’t actually want to release it, just wanted to keep it for myself and unleash at 3am whenever I got booked.
Mind Control is littered with audio clips from Marshall Applewhite and Jim Jones, there’s a sort of sinister galactic death cult undertone going on in it. It’s got a slightly more sinister undertone. I’d like to think it sits in with those other tunes that get dropped towards the end of the night that induce a bit of paranoia, like Bam Bam- Where’s Your Child haha.
Do you feel like the underground scene will continue to persist?
I hope so. Beyond underground or overground, I hope that good music continues to get made and played and that people get to dance to it or sing along to it. I mean, music software is so available, so music is available in a way that it never was in the 70s or the 90s. People can record albums in their kitchens, and they do, and they can get it out there the second they are happy with it to a receptive audience. And I think that’s brilliant. There will always be amazing underground venues, some will close but new ones will always open, decay and renewal.
What projects are you working on right now?
The main project right now is looking after my two boys in the summer holidays, boring answer but it’s true, sadly, I have two boys and both of them have autism, which leads to a proper chaotic household, just how I like it! I’m trying to finish Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pyncheon, almost there, but in terms of music, I’ve been working on an album since last year, I have two side projects with friends bubbling under and I have a monthly radio show on Voices Radio, based in London called Embryonic Soundwave. Other than that, I’m not working hard enough on chasing gigs!
