BnB Interview: Mark Broom
Written by the B&B Crew
It may have been 15 years since his last artist album (Angie Was A Shoplifer), but by no means can one claim that the seasoned UK DJ/producer has failed to leave his footprints on the global electronic music scene. Au contraire: Mark Broom has been delivering a steady flow of awesome productions and remixes on labels such as 20:20 Vision, Saved, and Edit Select, while having gigged in every corner of the world for a solid two decades. Banging techno may have become his trademark, but on his new album Acid House, released today, Mark shows a completely new side of himself...
Mark's interest in house music was sparked at the beginning of the 90s when he first got introduced to the sound of Chicago & acid house while on holiday in Tenerife. He bought his first pair of decks as soon as he got back to the UK and soon found himself gigging at the legendary Nude club night hosted by equally legendary Pete Baby Ford.On the production side of things, Mark teamed up with infamous Black Dog Productions members Ed Handley and Andy Turner ans soon enough started to churn out now classic releases, while his 1996 Angie Is A Shoplifer LP skyrocketed him to the highest regions of the international techno scene. Having gigged 'from Fuse to Fabric', and having released tunes on Warp, R&S, Soma, BPitch Control and his own Bearded imprint, Mark continues to push the envelope as an inspiration to many.
Today, August 2nd, sees the release of Mark's new LP Acid House, an album that once again exposes Mark's signature talent in combining various genre to powerful, very energetic yet always soulful cuts that seem to be tailored for the dancefloor. Merging techno and bits of tech-house with the groove of disco (!), the new album has become another artistic highlight in Mark's already impressive career.
We recently went for a chat with the DJ/producer for first-hand info on his new album, his life on the road and in the studio and much more... Check out the special Mark Broom mix after the interview!
1. Hi Mark, hows life treating ya?
I’m very well thanks!!
2. What have you been up to as of late? Any cool on-the-road stories you'd like to share?
The CLR party at Ibiza's Space with Chris Liebing and Edit Select was a great party. We stayed on the island for one week which was nice.
3. Your new album Acid House has just hit the streets. In your own words, how would you describe its content?
The album is a solid dancefloor collection with a mixture of discoid groovers, house style rollers and some techno belters. The album represents what I would usually play in one of my dj sets.
4. Acid House features your trademarked house & techno grooves, yet we also get to hear bits of modified disco and funk-flavored structures. Why did you pick 'Acid House' as the album's title?
The title is my way of saying thank you to the music genre Acid House, This style of music has and always will have a massive influence on me, whenever I need inspiration I’ll always look back to this style of music and it never fails.
5. How did you experience the production process? Can you explain how you work in the studio?
I use Ableton Live for production and on this album I sourced many samples from my own
Record collection to create the disco sampled based cuts, the more techno style rollers.
I used the usual 909 sounds and as with all my tracks the Pro53 soft synth which I love.
When I was happy with the sound of my tracks they were sent to Mihalis Safras in Athens for some pre mastering.
6. How long have you been working on the album?
It was not made as an album project. Most of the tracks were made over 1 year ago and I had been holding them in the Broom vaults waiting for the right moment to use them. So when this project was conceived the tracks were released from the vaults and into the Acid House world!
7. It's been fifteen years since your last album Angie Is A Shoplifter. What has been the reason behind taking this long to release a new album?
I didn’t feel the need to release any solo albums until now, but it’s the right time. For me I think because my music is getting the right coverage and to bring out an album would be the icing on the cake.
8. The music industry has completely changed in between your last album and Acid House. How did you take this into account in the production and promotion of this album?
Promotion is not my thing and I don’t have a clue about that, so for this project it has been overseen by Adam Carter (thanks mate) at Exclusive Promo. Production wise not much has changed between the years, only the technology. My first album was made with hardware and this one is computer based.
9. You've released a whopping amount of tunes and mixes during your career? Any record in particular you're especially proud of?
One of my personal favourites was Twenty Nine which was originally released on UXB. Later it got released on Bpitch Control too. People are still asking for this track when I DJ
10. As a seasoned artist, what are your thoughts on the music is distributed and acquired these days? How do you anticipate?
I’m still a vinyl junkie so as long as they keep making and selling vinyl then I’m happy!
11. What more can we expect from you this year?
Releases on my Beardman label, some collabs with James Ruskin, Edit Select, amd Mihalis Safras.
12. And on the long run, any plans/scoops you are like to share?
Next year there are plans for a Mark broom/James Ruskin LP on Blueprint...
13. Are there any gigs you're especially looking forward to this summer?
I’m looking forward to the album tour. Dates will be posted on www.myspace.com/markbroom
14. Do you have any time to relax at all?
Yes plenty of time for relaxing. It’s very important.
15. To conclude, is there anything you'd like to share with our audience that we haven't covered yet?
I think we have it all covered! Thanks for the interview and I hope you enjoy the album!
Check out Mark's new deep, thunderous mix oozing with some of his hottest tunes: Click HERE to download!
Tracklist:Mark Broom - Feathered
Mark Broom - Supersnout (Tim Green remix)
Mark Broom - Don't Tell It
Mendo & Danny Serrano - Berlina
Mark Broom - Freedom
Yousef - Firecracker (Nic Fanciulli remix)
Mark Broom - Fire
Steve Mac - The Noise Bastard (Santos Bastard Jack remix)
Mark Broom - Supersnout
Mark Broom - Meltin Pot
Mark Broom - Loose Ends
Mark Broom - 260
Steve Mac - The Noise Bastard
Mark Broom - If You
