DJ Marky Fabriclive 55 Review

Having had the Marky & Friends residency at Fabric for a number of years now, it’s surprising that Marky’s entrance into the Fabriclive mix series hall of fame hasn’t come sooner. The Brazilian DJ/producer and Innerground boss – real name Marco Antonio Silva – has been instrumental in the development of the genre in his native city of Sao Paulo and indeed, the country at large, throughout the 90s and well into the new millennium.

Sandwiched in between David Rodigan’s Fabriclive mix released last November and the forthcoming mix from much hyped Hessle Audio poster boy Ramadanman, Marky holds his own and stamps his mark firmly on the series, bringing in the soulful and liquid funk flavours to this 24 track mix. He lives up to his reputation as one of D&B’s foremost versatile and adept DJs, indulging in some trademark scratching to accentuate the live element and remind us of his skills not only as a selector but also as a performer and entertainer.

The mix opens with what was undoubtedly one of the most widely drawn for tunes of 2010, S.P.Y.’s ubiquitous hands-in-the-air rave anthem “By Your Side” and, just a few tracks later, another (albeit rather overplayed) smash hit of last year – “Bright Lights” by Die, Interface feat. William Cartwright. Asides from these more obvious choices, the rest of the selection is a seamless and versatile blend of lesser known, but instantly recognisable tracks from the likes of Logistics, Icicle, Marcus Intalex, S.P.Y, Commix and other household names. Lynx’s “Chess Funk” adds a dollop of humour with slinky drums oozing with funk and Klute’s “Will You Still Love Me?” introduces a darker element to the first half of the mix, employing a warm, rumbling b-line and melancholy strings. Icicle and Skream go in deep, paving the way for Break’s excellent cut “Time After Time”, taken from his recently released album Resistance (check it – it’s big.)

Marky then takes us on a bit of twist and turn as we near the end; with Culture Shock’s magnificent “Cathedral” adding a sprinkling of dancefloor D&B before “Mystic Sunset” closes the piece. Ending aptly with this collab between Marky and his compadre S.P.Y, it’s a testament to his ethos that “music is something I take very seriously and is very emotional to me; all the music I’ve made has a story or history behind it”. Amen to that.

Belinda Rowse