Interview: Mark Farina

On your new Fabric Mix; I was impressed with how you’ve doggedly stuck with your recognisable house sound, despite a global downturn in the popularity of this style of music. What places do you think this kind of music is still booming in at the moment?

The Midwest (USA), California, Canada, Brazil, Ireland, Belgium, just to name a couple spots.

Has your loyalty to house music been a conscious decision, either for the benefit of your long-time fans, or perhaps because you don’t like to be dictated by current trends? Or is it just that you don’t identify so much with the more popular music right now (arguably tech-house)?

I just love House. There’s a certain Chicago – SF jacking deep sound that I enjoy and always try and find new goodies to support that. I think Chicago house has many sub-genres within though.

What do you prefer to listen to at home, funky house music along the lines of your Fabric Mix, or the sound you’ve been credited as coming up with, “Mushroom Jazz”? Any other left-field stuff?

Both. I usually listen to more house because I tend to find more new house tunes than downtempo. I collect weird records – searching for samples too.

Your Fabric Mix contains a few interesting science fiction samples. Where did these come from?

Obscure old spoken word albums I’ve collected over the years.

What about the Japanese samples in Das Shibuya? What’s the guy saying? (something about a computer I think, my Japanese skills are a bit rusty)

The guy is naming all of the Kraftwerk songs they performed at a concert in Tokyo in 1981.

Being a veteran of the house scene, does it disappoint you to see so many kids in America growing up thinking of anything with a 4/4 beat as “techno” in the negative sense, especially since techno and house were conceived in their own back yards?

It’s not their fault. It’s hard in the US to be into house or techno or any other sub genre of electronic club music because all the clubs are 21 and up (meaning you must be 21 to get in).

How’s the scene in America now? I’ve heard you mention in the past few years that rock music is making a big comeback, but I have also seen signs that dance music is gaining ground generally. A lot of American producers are starting to emerge on the global stage, though not necessarily in the house field. What do you make of this?

Still, it's pretty good here. Club style is either house, techno or electro. Then of course there’s the whole hip-hop R&B thing that’s more mainstream.

America is currently your home. Though hosting plenty of talented producers and DJs, it’s dwarfed by the amount of material from Europe. Have you ever had thoughts about relocation, or would it feel wrong considering that both house music and yourself got their respective starts in America?

Probably thought more about relocating to Europe or Canada because of lack of faith in our government than music.

You’ve stated in the past that Detroit, the techno mecca, is actually not that great to play because the clubs close so early. What IS your ideal club night? Are you in the open air on a beach, like the Full Moon parties you’ve played in Hawaii, or in a dank and dingy underground club in the centre of the city? What are people wearing? What’s the décor like?

Detroit is fun to play though, it just sucks when the party has to end too early wherever it may be. I usually prefer clubs in the 300-1000 range.

I wrote an article a while ago about the impact of drugs on the dance music. There are few people who have as much experience as you in the scene. What are your thoughts? Do you think drug use has increased or decreased? Is it detrimental? Would you prefer a crowd of drinkers or drug takers at your parties?

I think music, whichever genre, and drugs or alcohol have always had intertwined relationships. It’s just part of growing up. I think a mix of people is usually best, a few drunks, some druggies and some sober people too.

I’ve heard you like to play video games in your spare time. Are you a console or computer kind of guy? What are your past and current favourite games?

I prefer X-BOX 360 or PSP. Current faves: Grand Theft Auto (X-BOX 360), Call of Duty (X-BOX 360) and Tigerwoods 2008 (for PSP).

I’ve found that my favourite games often have great soundtracks. Is this something you notice too? If so, what games have good soundtracks for you?

The radio stations in GTA 4 are cool. One is a DJ Premier channel.

What’s coming up in your world in the next 6 months?

After the Fabric 40 release this weekend, going to do tours in USA, Canada, China, Japan, Brazil, UK, Australia and New Zealand.

Music Review: Fabric 40 - Mark Farina

Chicago house veteran Mark Farina is on duty for Fabric's latest installment, released next month.

"Jackin" and "funky" are two words I heartily dislike using when it comes to House Music, however they are the two most apt that comes to mind at this very moment.

Like a lot of Fabric's stuff, this one is crammed full of tracks - 21 of them.

While full of constant change, at no stage does Farina's boppy take on house music feel rushed, with a smooth blend of beats meshing together beautifully over seventy-odd minutes to create a wonderful early-evening style listen.

Surprisingly heavy kick drums (for house anyway) form a large basis of the mix, with plenty of raspy percussion giving that "jackin" feel, underscored by strong bass lines and sparse vocal patches to liven things up. To give a feel of continuity despite short song durations, Farina has wisely used vocal snippets over the top of various tracks, pulling things together and giving the impression of one long, long song, rather than a compilation.

Of course, if you know Farina, you know what to expect - his style hasn't changed much in the past decade, and the plethora of sets on the internet are an accurate yardstick as to how this man crafts his works. In this mix, there's even a bit of acid tucked away, in the Tommy Largo remix of Frank Solano - The Blues Line.

Elsewhere can be found sprinklings of flute, piano, and other "housey" accoutrements, testament to Farina's loyalty to his sound, despite the current worldwide downturn in the popularity of this kind of music. I for one found it highly enjoyable ; it's been a while since I've had a good dose of Chicago, and it's a pleasure to receive it from someone with such confidence and experience in their sound.

Though solid, at times the mixing is a little bland or even bass heavy, though never interfering enough to annoy, and ensuring a graceful and highly classy hour worth of music.

If you're a house fan, this is a must-listen:

01. Giom – Together
02. Chuck Love – Yellow Truth (Atnarko Mix)
03. JT Donaldson & Uneaq – Why Not Rock?
04. Ricardo Rae – Lead The Way
05. John Larner & Slater Hogan – Gettin’ Ready
06. Inland Knights – Where Ya At ?
07. Homero Espinosa - Got This Feeling (LNS Disco Dub)
08. Alexander East – Believe En Me
09. Frank Solano – The Blues Line (Tommy Largo Remix)
10. Kris G – Feel My Love (Bobby Valentine Remix)
11. Non Believers – Stasera
12. Johnny Fiasco – Last Word
13. Mood II Swing – Closer (Oliver Desmet & Fred Everything Mix)
14. James Curd – Pick Up What I’m Putting Down
15. Rylan White feat. Olly Brunton– There Goes The Neighbourhood
16. Lawnchair Generals – Broke Acid
17. Jeremy Joshua – Make Dat Shit (Derrick Carter Remix)
18. DJ Sneak – Mumbler
19. Prztz – Brutality
20. Mark Farina – Das Shibuya (Cheeba Remix)
21. King Kooba – Hoose Musik