We Know The Feeling: Marc Wren (Beatport Denver)

We Know The Feeling: Marc Wren (Beatport Denver)

11 October, 2010 | 9.45AM

• Written by: Sean Lewis
• Filed under: Music News: we know the feeling

By now you know the routine… We’re bringing to you portraits of Beatport’s staffers, to shed some light on how things are conducted behind the scenes. Here in lovely Denver, Colorado, one might think our headquarters houses a workshop of tiny orange people in lederhosen, but aside from our CEO Matt Adell, no one quite fits that description. Instead, the hallways are lined with creative types like Marc Wren, one of our behind-the-scenes technical gurus. Rumors of his musical adventures have whispered past each desk in the building, making him the perfect candidate for an edition of “We Know The Feeling.” We troubled Marc with our silly questions, and he was kind enough to give us the skinny behind the rumors.

Where did you grow up?

I moved around a lot growing up because of my father’s job. As a small kid I lived in France and then in southern England. When I was 10, my family moved to Houston, TX where I went to junior high and high school. After graduating I wanted to live somewhere a little more scenic than Houston so I came to Denver to study at the University of Denver. I’ve been here ever since because I can’t get enough of the weather and scenery. 

What was the first album you purchased?

MC Hammer, Please Hammer, Don’t Hurt ‘Em.

What were some of your earliest musical influences?

As a kid I absolutely loved Paul Simon’s Graceland album. I was a big Michael Jackson and Jackson 5 fan too.

When and how did you get into electronic music?

I first got into electronic music when I was in college. I started meeting a lot of new people who introduced me to a lot of experimental rock and electronic music. I was incredibly influenced by Godspeed You Black Emperor and Bjork at that time. I really started to get into more electronic music when I took an experimental digital music class as part of my degree. It introduced me to all the amazing things you can do with software. We were playing with software like Audiomulch, Reaktor and SoundForge. It was revolutionary to be able to record directly into my laptop and then bend and warp familiar sounds like guitar and vocals into something totally new. Before then I had been using a secondhand four-track cassette mixer. 

Have your tastes evolved since then?

Absolutely. I still love the bands I was introduced to then, but I’ve also found many new artists. Bands like Bonobo, Four Tet, the Books and Kelpe have been huge influences on me over the last few years.

What’s the best thing about living in Denver?

I love the scenery and weather in Denver. I wish the music scene here were a little large and better regarded, but we still get a lot of really great music here and it’s still a great scene.

What do you do here at Beatport and how long have you been with the company?

I’m a software developer at Beatport. I’ve been here for almost six years now.

In layman’s terms, what does that mean?

On a day-to-day basis I’m working on new features for the site. I also do a lot of development work that you wouldn’t see directly but that makes sure your music shopping experience is smooth and secure.

In what way has Beatport changed your life?

I have met some amazing people while working at Beatport. There are a lot of people working here from whom I’ve learned a great deal both with regards to software development and music.

Do you produce or perform?

For the most part I consider myself a producer. I work on a downtempo project with my friend Ross called Moongold. When I perform electronic music, I usually focus more on VJing to my music than DJing because I really enjoy the visual aspect of music performances, and I want that to be an integral part of my music. 

What’s your production setup like?

All of my work starts in Cubase. However, Native Instruments’ Komplete and Propellerhead’s Reason make up a major part of my studio. I also use a lot of guitar and violin, so my microphone is probably the most important part of my setup.

Preferred method of mixing?

When I perform, it’s usually more of a VJ oriented set. I usually have an Ableton Live set running on one computer while I perform visuals in Resolume on a second computer.

Can you tell us more about where you’ve performed in the past? Do you have any upcoming releases or appearances?

I recently released an album as part of my Moongold project (it can be downloaded free at www.moongoldmusic.com). I’m also hoping to release an EP as part of another one of my projects called Soul Fresh by the end of this year. 

Top three producers/ DJs?

Bonobo

The Books

Kelpe

Top three tracks you’ve heard in the past three months?

Gold Panda, “You”

Bonobo, “All In Forms”

The Books, “Thirty Incoming”

Favorite Denver eatery?

Bang!

If you could resurrect one known celebrity, who would it be?

Ray Charles.

If it weren’t for Beatport, where would you be now?

Asleep.

When and why was the last time you went 24 hours without sleep?

A flight to London.

Complete these sentences:

I’ll never forget the time I ________

...worked for a month on a big AV set and then my laptop kept crashing during the set. I ended up playing my music in iTunes while doing the robot.

I hope to someday forget about the time I _________

...broke my arm snowboarding.

If I could be _________ I would be _________because ___________

If I could be independently wealthy, I would be happy because I’d have more time for music and video projects.

I would ________ than listen to _________

I would rather be hung from my toes than listen to trance.

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