Marcus’ passion for music was born in his native Manchester, where he experienced first-hand the energy of the nascent dance music scene as a regular on the dancefloor at the legendary Hacienda club. His interest for the music grew as the scene developed and, after landing his first professional DJ gig aged just 17, Marcus went on to work at the infamous Eastern Bloc record store. From here he established himself on the Manchester scene and began producing tracks together with fellow Mancunian Mark XTC as Da Intalex, appearing on Flex Recordings.
A chance meeting in the early 90’s, through Flex boss L Double, led to Marcus pairing up with producer and engineer ST Files and gave rise to the partnership we know today as MIST. In 1999, the pair’s ground-breaking release ‘How You Make Me Feel’ on 31 Records began a new soulful movement in drum & bass at a time when the scene was driven by predominantly dark and aggressive sounds. Following up their success with a series of high-profile remixes for MJ Cole, Un:Cut, 4 Hero and Solid State, MIST duly established themselves as leaders in the field and, together with Calibre as Mist:ical, turned heads with their debut LP ‘The Eleventh Hour’ in 2007.
Since 2001 and the set-up of Soul:r label, they’ve released their own music and that of like-minded artists including Calibre, High Contrast, DJ Marky, dBridge, Alix Perez and Lynx & Kemo. The stable has grown to be amongst the most respected in drum & bass, reflecting Marcus’ own strong personal belief in innovative music with integrity and a life beyond solely the dancefloor. Sister label Revolve:r provides exposure for more experimental sounds, with Dutch dubstep don Martyn back in the frame for the latest release 'After Seven', in collaboration with Marcus on the imprint where his career began.
More recently, the DAT Music project has brought together fresh sounds and inspirational sounds from the likes Instra:mental, S.P.Y and Lomax over 2 CD compilations. In May 2009, the debut album from Lynx & Kemo ‘The Raw Truth’ was released to critical acclaim, achieving a nomination for Best Album at this year's D&BA Awards and helping to further Soul:r’s reputation for pushing boundaries in drum & bass.
The highly successful Soul:ution residency at London superclub Fabric continues to go from strength-to-strength, with Lynx now added to a core that includes Calibre, Marcus and the ever-reliable MC DRS. Marcus’s Fabric Live 35 mix CD highlighted many of the reasons why, proving that music with lasting appeal and a diverse selection are among the key ingredients. The Soul:ution Radio sessions for Red Bull Music Academy give worldwide reach and remain a focal point for the forefront of the drum & bass scene, keeping Marcus Intalex in constant demand as a DJ across the globe.
Regular appearances for the likes of Metalheadz, Ram and Renegade Hardware have helped Marcus to avoid the obvious tags and pigeon-holes like ‘liquid’ and ‘minimal’ and reinforce his versatility as a DJ. Techno sets have also seen him draw from labels such as Kompakt and Wagon Repair and explore his own roots and influences, whilst bringing something different to the dancefloor.
His remix of Douglas Greed’s ‘Frame’ on an EP for Combination Records in 2008 demonstrated he’s a more than capable techno producer too and tracks like ‘Sark’ (alongside ST Files), ‘Debbit’ and ‘4-4-2’ have recently seen him crossing styles again, with support DJ ranging from Appleblim to Goldie. A solo album may be likely as a future project yet will almost certainly take on various genres, delivered true to form on entirely his own terms.
Quoted as being inspired by an influx of quality music at present on a recent tour of New Zealand, Marcus continues to set the pace and champion new artists wherever he travels. In 2010, we can look forward to more from Marcus and Soul:r, including upcoming collaborations with S.P.Y and an artist LP from long-time cohort MC DRS.
