Mark Instinct is one of Canada’s own, a determined, bass pushing musician thriving both in the world of Djing and production. He has been a standout since he first entered the West Coast Electronic Scene (Culture), taking flight at the early age of 17 in his hometown of Calgary, Alberta and now appearing at such internationally acclaimed events as Shambhala Music Festival (Salmo, BC). Mark’s love of drum and bass, as well as his irrefutable knowledge of technology transgress perfectly into his ever-growing creative process and have played perfectly into the development and recognition of Mark’s arsenal; tracks dripping with technical skill and hard hitting bass lines. His talents gained him early recognition and bookings alongside such heavyweights as Pendelum, Noisia, and Hive (just to name a few) and gave him the opportunity to produce his own tracks through such facets as Rottrun Records, Subhuman, and PlayMe Records. These releases also ensured Mark recognition in the worldwide scene, with tracks such as Detonate and Hit Em climbing and holding down spots in Beatport’s Top 10 Charts.

Mark is a DJ to watch, and for good reason. He is an artist, focussed and driven; continually developing innovative sound to embody his creative vision.

Interview

Q: How long have you been DJing?

A: For 6 years now.

Q: Was there a genre of music you were into when you were younger?

A: I used to go to local punk shows at the multi cultural centre when it was still around, before I got into the electronic music scene, but my true love is drum and bass.

Q: What were some of the things that led you to electronic music?

A: A family friend of mine was going to a lot of raves back in the day. He would always give me mixes and stuff I hadn’t ever heard before. From there it just snowballed.

Q: Now that you have had opportunities to play and collaborate with quite a few of the industry’s big names, is there one moment that stands out to you?

A: I was playing a show at the Galaxy Theatre in Orange County and got to meet Efrem Schulz of Death by Stereo. I had listened to him growing up and after some conversation agreed to work on a track together. “Off The Chain” was released after that and I’m actually still really good friends with him today.

Q: You’ve also had the opportunity to work with a few different labels, did you find signing with Subhuman Records in particular gave you more creative leeway in regards to your production?

A: It definitely did, Dieselboy & Smash Gordon pushed me to keep raising the bar on my productions always trying to out do the last versions of clips I would send lol.

Q: Did this experience open up anymore doors for you?

A:  Definitely, it did. my whole life became full of doors.

Q: With the scene growing at such a rapid rate do you feel it is moving in a positive direction or a negative one?

A:  People (audience) are so important to what I do, of course it is changing, but if you approach it with a pure mind and big love you get back what you put into it.

Q: Do you have any new collaborations or releases coming up?

A: I have a few tracks on the burner. I’m currently working on a release for Downlink’s UplinkAudio Label and a bunch of other things for the end of 2013 and 2014.

Q: Is there anything new you would like to experiment with in your production that you haven’t had the opportunity to yet?

A: I would love to incorporate the live element into my performance. Pairing both the visual and audio side of things. I spent a lot of time as a video and lighting guy in a previous job so it started to get my gears going

 

-Brenna (arntreCANADA)