Who: DJ Mark Dynamix
When: Thursday, March 9
Where: Tommy Africa’s
Tickets: $20/$15
DJ Mark Dynamix says his beats are the product of ’80s dance music when bands like Depeche Mode ruled the airwaves during his teens.
From the hard beats of techno and progressive he spun at dance parties and raves, to the new house and electro ruling sets at nightclubs around the world, Dynamix has grown through the multiple facets of music, always seeking out the hybrid rather than the absolute, letting each exploration become an extension of who he is.
"A lot of DJs limit themselves by boundaries they make for themselves: they only play break or house," he said. "As a music lover, I always buy different types of music. I love all sorts of stuff. Music reflects on what is exciting me at the time. It’s house and electro right now. Especially the stuff coming out of Germany at the moment."
Dynamix is particularly interested with the new electro sound charging up Australian nightclubs these days, which he will share with North American audiences, including those in Whistler Thursday, March 9 at Tommy Africa’s.
He said the new electro sound emerged three years ago. He defined the hybrid genre as a combination of house, progressive and techno, incorporating the baselines of techno, the percussion of house and the minimization of progressive.
"I found it quite exciting and fresh," he said. "The music scene was really stale three or four years ago. It got dark and boring. House really hasn’t changed over the past 10 years. It needed a new injection of life and electro coming on has been great for the scene."
And Mark has seen a lot of the scene: now a seasoned turntable veteran of 16 years who consistently ranks top two in 3D World Magazine and Technics InTheMix Awards.
While the club circuit has become more commercial over the years, he said the upside is that more and more people are coming on board, continuing to allow the art form to evolve and cross borders, metaphorically and physically speaking. Just last year, Dynamix performed at the first westernized nightclub in New Delhi, India.
Despite working the rounds of a current international tour, a European one set for July and residency at four of Australia’s hottest night spots, Dynamix says he is slowing down his DJ circuit rounds, setting aside time for producing.
"It is one of the most frustrating things I have ever put my head to," he said of the adventure. "These days dance music is so complex. Programming is so complex and it takes time. One track takes at least five, 12-hour days. To write an entire album, it takes three to four months. That is if you have 12-hour days – no one does. It’s a long drawn out process, but when I play that club audience and I get a good response, it’s amazing."
Not even two years into his new role, Dynamix has showcased his production skills on 15 nationally promoted compilations, including multiple platinum-selling Ministry of Sound albums. The 2005 edition became the biggest selling compilation in the country, dance or otherwise, bringing Dynamix’s record sales to more than one million mixed compilations around the world. He will continue touring with Ministry of Sound, and Good Vibrations, into 2006.
Dynamix’s highlight mixes include Stisch’s new single Turn Around, the Fine Young Cannibals’ Johnny Come Home and Darren Hayes’s Darkness. Highlight shows are keeping company with Underworld and Kraftwerk.
And when Dynamix isn’t touring and producing, he’s tuning into his own radio shows, interviewing the likes of Prodigy and Depeche Mode – his most memorable interview.
"A part from peeing my pants through the entire interview with my idols of 15 years, it was hard to keep my cool and ask them the right questions," he said. "It gave me a chance to dig into their history and back catalogue."
Dynamix is running up a history himself with his website holding the record for the largest forum database for an Australian DJ site with more than 1,000 members. He hopes to add more Whistler fans to his list.
Advanced tickets are $15 and available at the HotBox Internet Café, The Hub and Tommy’s. Tickets are $20 at the door. DJ Jamie Vale warms the crowds up at 9 p.m.
