Mark Henning interview

Mark Henning interview

17 June, 2008 | 4.16AM

• Section: Music News Topics: Berlin
• Written by: jamiegardiner1

London’s Mark-Henning has risen up as one of the international underground’s true players - recording for a volley of acclaimed European labels by night and slaving as a corporate whore by day.

But now Mark has freed himself from the 9 to 5 shackles and slog of the city to concentrate on his passion for music full time—rock ‘n’ roll!

Born in 1977 to English and German parents, he has spent most of his life in England, though has never forgotten his German techno roots and has recently relocated to Berlin.

Inspired by a whole range of music (from Dan Bell to Dinosaur Jr. to Ed Rush & Optical), Mark-Henning’s sound sits somewhere between house and techno, with a healthy dose of futuristic bleeps, funk, darkness, groove and deepness.

Additionally, his tracks have been included in compilations such as M.A.N.D.Y.’s latest Fabric mix and Magda’s Minus mix - as well as acheiving airplay on BBC Radio 1’s late night underground shows.

I spoke to Mark as he celebrated the release of his debut album ‘Jupiter Jive’ on Glasgow’s acclaimed Soma Recordings .

The album is exclusively available here on Beatport .

For someone who knows nothing of Mark Henning what can they expect from your first album ‘Jupiter Jive’?

Hmmm, good question. It’s a mish mash of house and techno – it’s deep, dark, groovy, funky and pretty much all dancefloor.

It’s not a concept album or anything like that, more a selection of tracks for both listening and dancing to—nothing more complicated than that!

How did you previously cope with the pressures of a demanding 9-5 city job, DJing and making tracks? There must have been times where you wondered if it was all worth it.

Yes, for sure! 

For the last three years I was living in Cambridge and commuting 3.5 hours a day to London, then working nine hours, trying to produce in the evenings, have a social life and spend time with my wife (though she has always supported me 100%, despite me spending my evenings in the studio).

And then more and more DJing on weekends.

Last year I had to really cut down on the producing as I just didn’t have time.

And so towards the end of the summer I decided that in the autumn I would leave my job and concentrate fully on music.

It must a great feeling to now call something you are so passionate about a ‘career’

Yes, definitely. It’s really a dream come true.

I’ve been pursuing my passion alongside work for a while—it’s been pretty tough.

I’ve had to sacrifice a fair amount and it’s taken many (probably thousands) of hours sat in the studio teaching myself how to produce.

But for sure, it’s all been worth it now!

What’s the story behind the ‘It’s a Harsh Life’ answering message used on the album intro? It’s a familiar experience for a lot of us!

This has a few stories to it actually. 

Firstly, I just had to get my friend Vick in the album somewhere (he’s already featured in a few of my past releases) and this message just fits perfectly.

His surname is Harsh and so that’s another meaning to it.

‘It’s a Harsh Life’ fits in with the whole commuting thing that I had to do every day – me feeling sorry for myself!

Deep, jackin, minimal techno—an accurate description of your sound?

Sure. I think that’s a good summary, though usually I try to avoid the ‘m’ word ;)

I like to just call what I produce and play house and techno.

But stripped down, groovy, deep tracks certainly feature more than ‘big’ tracks in my sets.

How does it feel to have the album picked up by Glasgow’s renowned Soma Recordings label?

Amazing.  I am super happy to be on board with Soma.

I purposely made the album without any particular label in mind.

It was risky, but for me it was important to produce the tracks as I liked them – not totally shaped to fit in with a specific label’s sound.

Yet saying that, I think it fits perfectly with the Soma sound (whatever that is!).

Which tracks from the new album are you most proud of?

My favourite tracks are ‘Moody Bastard’, ‘I Lost My Brain at Wrinchout’ and ‘Stash’.

I’ve been playing all of them for a good while and they always go down really well on the dancefloor.

How did you approach the production of a full length album, as opposed to an EP or being asked to remix a track?

Well, for the album I just thought it was time to put together something else – not just another EP or remix.

It gave me the opportunity to forget about any particular sound or specific label’s interests and dig around in all my older ‘work in progress’ tracks that I’d been working on for the last three or so years.

A lot of tracks that I’d totally forgotten about.

It was fun, but hard work finishing them all off. I won’t be approaching another long player for a good while!

What came first for you (when starting out) - the DJ’ing or production?

Even though most people know me as a producer, I actually started DJ’ing first.

I got into drum and bass at university and played out a fair bit there (in Birmingham), but I soon got the techno bug after spending a year studying in Berlin in 1999.

It was around that time that I started teaching myself production, and since then I’ve never looked back.

Tell us about your upcoming gig in Ibiza’s legendary Privilege this summer. Have you visited/played the island before, and what will you do for an after-party with the new license restrictions?

Well, the party is on a Wednesday so I’m not sure how much after-partying there’ll be – although it’s been 10 years exactly since I last went to Ibiza so I guess I’m pretty out of touch.

Going by how hyped up the island is I guess there’ll be plenty of shenanigans going down, though – even on a Thursday morning!

I’ve never played there before so I’m really looking forward to it.

Looking at your DJ diary over the next few months, with gigs in the US and all over Europe, it seems pretty hectic. How does that impact on your studio work?

I’m used to getting up early during the week and keeping busy, probably because of the 5 AM starts I had whilst working in London.

So even though I’m away at the weekends, I’m generally always back by Monday to get on with studio work.

So I tend to leave the producing behind and just enjoy the time away.

How long have you been living in for Berlin now, and what differences do you notice in the scene compared to London?

I’ve only been in Berlin for two months, but I’m really enjoying it.

I’ve lived here before, though, and have visited on many occasions so am sort of used to the chilled-out lifestyle and partying opportunities.

My wife and I definitely went a bit crazy when we arrived but now it’s time to knuckle down and get on with some work!

Though what’s great about life here is that there is always something going on and friends to go out and party with if you want to – it’s really great.

And in terms of comparing it with the London scene – it’s tricky.

I really don’t think there’s anywhere else in the world quite like Berlin in terms of the music, art etc. It’s unique.

The city is almost completely made up of alternative/indie people into their music, partying, art, culture – this totally shapes the vibe.

For most people ‘Monday morning’ just doesn’t exist as we know it in the UK.

People socialise/party as they please—that’s why it’s also such a dangerous place!

You need to have some self motivation to say “no” every now and then!

Do you have any advice for up-and-coming producers who are trying to make their mark in a highly competitive industry?

Hmmm… The industry now is overflowing with producers, DJs and labels.

It’s extremely difficult to make a name for yourself and push through, though it certainly can happen.

It’s possible to leap frog a whole section of people in the scene by releasing a big hit, but for the average producer it’s tough.

Labels can no longer be bothered to listen to all the demos they receive simply because they get too many.

So my advice would be to not try and copy everyone else (cliché I know) and just crank out another schminimal, doinky doink or generic boring paddy preset-synth house track.

Try and add some groove and surprises to your tunes and send your demos to labels you know personally.

Otherwise it will be a long waiting game that can be soul destroying!

Have you fully embraced the digital era, with regards to your DJ set-up, or do you still prefer vinyl/ CDJ’s?

Yes, fortunately and unfortunately so. I feel sad to have stopped buying vinyl but the convenience of playing digitally (I use Traktor Scratch) just far outweighs the alternative of schlepping my records around the place.

I love the feel of a record but so much more is possible in a live club environment when utilising the whole digital aspect.

Tell us about your studio set-up. Is it purely a digital affair, or do you have a mixture of analog and computer based tools?

It’s all based around my PC.

I use Fruityloops primarily as well as Sony Soundforge and Ableton a lot.

On top of that I use a zillion plug-ins and VSTi’s and have a good mic and a Vermona analogue drum machine to keep things interesting.

What plug-ins/studio gear could you not do without?

Hmmm… now that would be telling!

Without giving any secrets away I’d say my RME Hammerfall soundcard. It’s amazing.

Everyone should have one; they are very expensive, though.

What’s the one special track that takes you back to the time you discovered dance music?

I got into dance music pretty late. For me it was ‘Logical Progression’ by LTJ Bukem.

After a friend lent me the CD I was totally hooked on dance music – it just blew me away.

Who do you draw your musical influences from, as your sound can never be pigeon-holed into any particular category?

I think a lot of earlier indie/guitar music that I used to listen to has really influenced me in some way, as well as more recent electronic music producers.

Here’s a few: Soundgarden, Nirvana, early Foo Fighters, Smashing Pumpkins, Dinosaur Jr, Chemical Brothers, LTJ Bukem and Ed Rush & Optical.

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