Mark Barrott

Last updated

Mark Barrott (born 1968) is an English DJ and record producer.

Contents

Early life and career

Barrott was raised in Sheffield. [1] His father was an old car restorer. [1] When Barrott was thirteen years of age in 1981, he began playing synthesizers in groups, motivated by watching a Sheffield City Hall live show of the band Kraftwerk. [2] The works of The Human League was another influence of Barrott's early synthesizer career. [2]

Future Loop Foundation

Barrott went under the stage name Future Loop Foundation, creating ambient drum and bass recordings and being booked at several European gigs. [1] [3] The works of A Guy Called Gerald and the label Warp were also inspirations of his recordings released under the moniker. [4] He was the first drum and bass act to perform on BBC Radio 1. [3]

Barrott met his Black Forest-born wife Sara [4] [5] in October 1999 while touring throughout Europe and migrated to Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin to live with her. [1] [5] When he moved to Berlin, he began making more Kruder & Dorfmeister-influenced material. [6] He felt that "my life had just begun" when moving to the city, and recalled that "It wasn’t like today, where every electronic music producer lives there and it’s become gentrified and safe." [1] He was paid very little for his performances and gigs while in Berlin, garnering most of his cash from composing for British television. [3] When interviewed by The Ransom Note in 2014, he said that he composed successful pop songs, but did not specify which such pop songs he composed. [3]

Shortly after moving to Berlin, a hotel in Milan made a compilation CD that included one of Barrott's tracks, and invited any artist whose works were included on the compilation to perform at the hotel. Barrott made an agreement with the manager to DJ there once a week. [1] A DJ and friend of the hotel manager from a Hyatt hotel in Milan was offered by Barrott an iPod containing his playlists. Barrott then gave his content to eight Sheraton hotels, before the Hyatt company employed Barrott to be their music consultant. [1] The next five years involved Barrott traveling to hotels across the world.

International Feel

When the five-year rent of Barrott and his wife's Berlin home was near an end, the couple moved to Punta Del Este, Uruguay. [1] [5] [7] Barrott formed the International Feel label in 2009 to be creative with the music he was making. [1] [3] [5] Barrott said, "There was no Machiavellian subplot, no big plan—I was just sat on my ass in Uruguay, enjoying the coast and making music to fill the time." [1]

After three years living in Uruguay, Barrott sold his minimoog and the couple moved to Ibiza in October 2012. [1] [5] [8] He began making balearic downtempo recordings. [6] His first studio album to be released under the Mark Barrott moniker, Sketches from an Island, is based on the quiet nature of Ibiza, using Leonardo da Vinci's technique of "Sophistication through simplicity" to represent this concept. [1] In 2014, he stated that he was unwilling to release music from other artists on his label, and preferred to make his own content for the imprint at the moment. [3]

Barrott has done mixes and playlists for magazines and radio shows including Beats in Space, [9] Electronic Beats, [10] The Fader , [11] Thump [12] and Crack Magazine. [13]

By July 2014, International Feel had sold more than 100,000 records. [6]

Artistry

Barrott uses very little equipment to create his music; he makes a challenge for himself to make "clever workarounds" with the limitations of the production utilities he works with: '"When I'm writing a song I'm trying to tell a story - it's a narrative - but the actual parts that make up the plotline have a very simple ethos now, i.e. don't overload people with information." [3] Despite piano training from the first to the eighth grade, he said in 2014 that he has a small setup including a three-octave mini-keyboard. [3] He also doesn't listen to a lot of music from other artists, saying that he would lose original ideas if he did. [3]

Barrott stated in a March 2016 interview:

music is about having a blank page and going forward. If I was to go and make a track this very minute, and I wanted some cricket noises at night, I can tell you now I’d still probably want to go out and record some new ones. [1]

Discography

As Future Loop Foundation
As Mark Barrott

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ibiza</span> Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea

Ibiza, in Catalan: Eivissa, is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is 150 kilometres from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands. Its largest settlements are Ibiza Town, Santa Eulària des Riu, and Sant Antoni de Portmany. Its highest point, called Sa Talaiassa, is 475 metres above sea level.

<i>Technique</i> (album) 1989 studio album by New Order

Technique is the fifth studio album by British electronic rock band New Order. Released on 30 January 1989 by Factory Records, the album was partly recorded on the island of Ibiza, and incorporates Balearic beat and acid house influences into the group's dance-rock sound. The album was influenced by the then growing acid scene, and Sumner's experiences at Shoom in London. It was also New Order's final studio album to be released under Factory Records.

Timo Maas is a German DJ/producer and remixer. His remix of Azzido Da Bass's single "Dooms Night" helped launch his career in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Cox</span> English DJ

Carl Cox is an English house and techno club DJ, as well as radio DJ and record producer. He is based in Hove, Sussex, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pete Tong</span> BBC Radio 1 disc jockey from Dartford, Kent, England

Peter Michael Tong is an English disc jockey who works for BBC Radio 1. He is the host of programmes such as Essential Mix and Essential Selection on the radio service, which can be heard through Internet radio streams, for his record label FFRR Records and for his own performances at nightclubs and music festivals. Tong has also worked as a record producer and is regarded as the "global ambassador for electronic music."

Balearic beat, also known as Balearic house, Balearic, Ibiza house or Ibizan chillout, is an eclectic blend of DJ-led dance music that emerged in the mid-1980s. It later became the name of a more specific style of electronic dance/house music that was popular into the mid-1990s. Balearic beat was named for its popularity among European nightclub and beach rave patrons on the Balearic island of Ibiza, a popular tourist destination. Some dance music compilations referred to it as "the sound of Ibiza", even though many other, more aggressive and upbeat forms of dance music could be heard on the island, such as Balearic trance.

Danny Rampling is an English house music DJ and is widely credited as one of the original founders of the UK's rave/club scene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sven Väth</span> German DJ and producer (born 1964)

Sven Väth is a German DJ and electronic music producer. He is a three-time DJ Awards winner, and his career in electronic music spans over 30 years. The single "Electrica Salsa" with OFF launched his career in 1986. Referred to as "Papa Sven" by his fans, Sven Väth has made his mark in the music community by being one of Germany's pop stars in the nineties, running two night clubs in Germany, and starting his own company Cocoon, which encompasses a booking agency, record label, and a branch for events. He is recognized for cultivating the underground electronic music scene not just in Germany but in Ibiza as well, with his own night at Amnesia for eighteen years and after-parties at creative locations around the island. Sven Väth is a major proponent of vinyl, using only two decks and a mixer for his extensive DJ sets, his longest set having been 30 hours.

Balearic trance, also known as Ibiza trance is a trance music subgenre which evolved from Balearic beat. The earliest known Balearic trance compositions date back to a few years after the emergence of Balearic beat in the 1990s.

BE-AT.TV is an online global community connecting clubbers and electronic music fans with big-name DJs, venues and festivals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Torsten Stenzel</span> German music producer

Torsten Stenzel is a German music producer and composer. Classically trained from an early age his roots are within the field of Electronic Dance Music. His interest for music first started at age five when he received piano lessons by academic piano teacher Andre Terebesi.

Nicky Holloway is an English DJ and record producer, who rose to fame in the 1980s and 1990s, and has been called "a prototype of the superstar DJ".

Alfredo Fiorito is an Argentinian DJ. He has been credited as the "Father of the Balearic beat".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luciano (DJ)</span> Chilean-Swiss DJ and producer (born 1978)

Lucien Nicolet, known mononymously as Luciano, is a Swiss and Chilean DJ and producer. He is a five-time DJ Awards winner and ten-time nominee. He helped promote the underground electronic music scene in Chile. His DJ sets are strongly influenced by Latin American music. Luciano's initial style of minimal techno has evolved into a blend of house and techno.

Tropical house, also known as trop house, is a subgenre of house music, and a derivation of tropical music, with elements of dancehall and Balearic house. Artists of the genre are often featured at various summer festivals such as Tomorrowland. The genre was popularized by artists including Thomas Jack, Klangkarussell, Kygo, Klingande, Robin Schulz, Bakermat, Matoma, Lost Frequencies, Felix Jaehn, Seeb and Gryffin. Tropical house hits include Kygo's "Firestone", Klingande's "Jubel", Felix Jaehn's remix of "Cheerleader", Robin Schulz's remixes of "Waves" and "Prayer in C", and Lost Frequencies's remix of "Are You With Me".

Future house is a house music genre that emerged in the 2010s in the United Kingdom, described as a fusion of deep house, UK garage and incorporating other elements and techniques of other EDM genres. It is high in energy, generally consisting of big drops, 4/4 beats and is sonically bass heavy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gud (music producer)</span> Swedish DJ and music producer

Carl-Mikael Göran "Micke" Berlander, known professionally as Gud, is a Swedish DJ, music producer and rapper best known as a member of rapper Yung Lean's Stockholm-based group Sad Boys. He began producing at the age of twelve, making psychedelic trance music, which heavily influenced his sonic palette. His production as a part of Sad Boys has been well received.

<i>Sketches from an Island 2</i> 2016 studio album by Mark Barrott

Sketches from an Island 2 is the second studio album of British producer Mark Barrott, released on 1 July 2016 by the International Feel label. The record is a follow-up to Sketches from an Island (2014), a record based on Barrott's experiences living in Ibiza. Sketches from an Island 2 is a balearic downtempo album with the same concept, and was also produced by Barrott with the same equipment used for making Sketches from an Island. Sketches from an Island 2 garnered generally favorable reviews from music journalists, some reviewers spotlighting its musical style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dixon (DJ)</span> Musical artist

Dixon is a German musician, best known as a house and techno DJ and producer, as well founder of record label Innervisions, based in Berlin. In recent years, he has also made endeavours into fashion and technology, and is the joint owner of club-wear clothing brand Together We Dance Alone. In 2019 he launched an Ibiza residency and digital platform of the same name, Transmoderna. Dixon was voted as the number one DJ on Resident Advisor's Top 100 DJ Poll every year from 2013 to the last annual poll in 2016.

<i>On Vacation</i> (CFCF album) Album by CFCF

On Vacation is a mini-album by Canadian electronic musician Michael Silver, known by his stage name as CFCF, and the second record in Balearic beat music label International Feel's On Vacation mini-album series. On Vacation was initially planned to be a project of two extended plays titled Road Movie and House Music; this was before an International Feel A&R worker suggested to Silver he should make the project one whole album. International Feel first released vinyl versions of the LP in Europe on February 17, 2016 before releasing it in digital shops all around the world on February 19.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Cooper, Duncan (9 March 2016). "Making Chill Music On An Island Is Just As Amazing As You’d Imagine". The Fader . Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Fifteen Questions Interview with Mark Barrott". Fifteen Questions. p.1. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Boorman, Mike (2014). "International Feel: Banter from an Island". The Ransom Note. The Culture Space. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  4. 1 2 Beta, Andy (24 July 2014). "Electric Fling: Sketches from Ibiza Island". Pitchfork Media . Conde Nast. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Lutz, Michael (20 October 2012). "Mr. International: An interview with International Feel founder Mark Barrott". Electronic Beats. T-Mobile . Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 Schlichting, Lars (9 July 2014). "Mark Barrott: Notes from a Small Island". DJ Magazine . Thrust Publishing Ltd. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  7. ↑ P. Ferguson, Joshua (21 July 2014). "Exclusive Mark Barrott Interview". Dialogue Incorporated. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  8. ↑ Reynaldo, Shawn (28 June 2016). "Mark Barrott’s Love For Ibiza Is A Spiritual One". Red Bull Music Academy. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  9. ↑ "BIS Radio Show #738". Beats in Space. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  10. ↑ Brailey, Louise (23 June 2014). "Mark Barrott's ultimate Balearic playlist". Electronic Beats. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  11. ↑ Cooper, Duncan (28 June 2016). "FADER Mix: Mark Barrott". The Fader. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  12. ↑ Barrott, Mark (30 June 2016). "Bliss Out with Mark Barrott's Past, Present, and Future of Balearic Playlist". Thump. Vice Media. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  13. ↑ "Mark B (International Feel)". Crack Magazine. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.