Mark Farina April 24th at ICE

[vinyltechdjs]

"I look at my job as a modern day traveling minstrel, to bring new music to as many places as I can, and expose obscure records that, otherwise, might go hidden." While Mark Farina may be able to sum up his job description in a sentence, there is much more to be written.

Mark developed his musical tastes in Chicago - listening to house music on the radio, living in one of the country's most primordial breeding grounds for house. Around '88, while record shopping at Imports, Etc., he met Derrick Carter and a friendship began. "I just ended up there between classes, I ended up buying his picks. He steered me toward the cutting edge House producers of the time."

"I started playing when I lived with my parents and didn't have any bills to pay so I could just buy records. My intentions were never to just make money, it's nice, but it's kind of turned into a job by accident - it was a hobby that turned into a job."

Living together and working on tracks together along with Chris Nazuka, they utilized the tight connections between the Detroit and Chicago scenes. Fondly, Mark remembers hanging out listening to Detroit Techno classics - Model 500, Derrick May - eating bologne sandwiches on white bread and drinking Kool-Aid out of a paper cup, prepared by none other than Chef Saunderson himself. In '89, they signed on Kevin Saunderson's KMS Records under the Symbols in Instruments moniker and produced a landmark track called "Mood". "Mood" sold 35,000+ copies in the US and the UK. This record was the first ambient house track ever made and, accordingly, it has taken its position as a classic. The same year, The Face magazine published their year end Top 50 with "Mood" ranking above pop anthems by Dee-Lite and The Pet Shop Boys.

"I used to do mixes with Derrick on the radio at Northwestern, we'd make it at the house and listen to it on the lake where they filmed 'Risky Business'. We would drive around and listen 89.3 WNUR; they had a policy, guest DJs didn't have to be students." Eventually, the University changed their policy and only students were allowed to DJ.

When Farina first started wandering from his passion for the purist forms of House into what grew into one of his trademark styles, Mushroom Jazz, he was playing the main room in a club in Chicago and got demoted to the B-room after playing too many Martin Luther King Jr. samples. Mark experimented with a deeper style, dropping De La Soul, disco classics and other stuff that wasn't being played in the main room. However, in 1992, Mark found a welcome place for his collection of downtempo tunes accompanied by a small run of mix tapes entitled "Mushroom Jazz". Originally launched as a cassette series, the Mushroom Jazz tapes grew from the first Chicago run of 50 copies each…on to the next stage, where 500 copies of several volumes were easily distributed and sought after. As the Acid Jazz boom began, he perfected his sound and fused the newest tracks from the West Coast's jazzy, organic producers with the more urban sounds he had championed in Chicago. While the predominant musical force in SF was still dark, dubby House and Wicked-style Breaks, the city embraced the downtempo movement with a healthy bunch of live bands and DJs generating the tunes.

Mark Farina, along with partner, and manager, Patty Ryan-Smith, created the now legendary weekly club in San Francisco, Mushroom Jazz, in 1992. Every Monday night the crowd slowly germinated - from 100 for the first few months to 600-700 two years later. As time passed, Farina and Patty put their energies into another project, the first Mushroom Jazz interactive CD-ROM for Om Records. After a three year run, where the club had established a fanatical, cult-like following for Farina and the Mushroom Jazz sound, the club closed its doors and transformed into a CD series and accompanying tours. Since 1989, Mark Farina has been traveling the globe performing at literally hundreds of shows a year, sometimes DJing both of his preferred styles in two different rooms at the same party. At other events, he's been known to play extended sets that lasted over eight hours. In his House sets, Mark is known for his uniquely effortless journeys on the jazzy side of Chicago House, mixed up San Fran style.

This wandering record minstrel has played to incredible crowds all over the globe. Consistently drawing new fans to his style of chunky-funky rhythms and deep underground house, Mark plays upwards of 200 shows to over one million (1,000,000) club goers per year. Voted in the top 20 DJ's in the world by MUZIK and BPM Magazine, his taste making skills continue to turn the heads of seasoned veterans as well as youngsters just getting into the music.



saturday, april 24th
Spundae & HOB Presents
Mark Farina
Faarsheed


Ice Las Vegas
200 East Harmon Ave.
21+ clubbing
doors open at 10:30pm
info line: www.icelasvegas.com
map it here

buy tickets here
wantickets
call 702.699.5528 for VIP reservations

[3rdflfactoria]

I'll be in Vegas....what style of music will he be playing at ICE? House I'm hoping?

[vinyltechdjs]

Anyone who has ever been to a Mark Farina show has never left disappointed, by far one of the best House Music Shows you will ever see!!!

[3rdflfactoria]

Any sort of list going on for this? I'll be bouncing all over the place......probably hit ICE after Ghostbar.

[livebehavior]

Mark Farina is perhaps one of the most solid house dj's out there. Very solid and popular in SF where he resides. Thanks for the history lesson vinyl, lol...

[vinyltechdjs]

Haha, yeah no problem, a couple of my friends say that HOUSE is dead out in Vegas, so I figured Id go back, go Waaaaay back so everyone knows who Mark is, because I'm sure its gonna be a very good show, the only show to top PVD next week. Anyways, I'll be there. Lists, As far as I know, there probably will be, but dont know as to whom you should be in contact with. HOB and Spundae I would assume as they work the door for this particular event. If anyone needs anymore information, or just wants to party that night, let me know, Im game for a good time while I am out there.

[livebehavior]

The guestlists belong to Spundae and Ice. Your best bet is contacting Ice and going that route. i will be there that night also cheers!