Marcus Intalex Interview: Some of the older stuff will never be bettered

Image: Marcus Intalex

Long running Drum & Bass party Soul:ution has been at the centre of the more forward thinking caveats of a genre for what seems like an eternity. As the name suggests the grooves on offer tend to be of a more soulful inclination, but the focus usually leans towards the more progressive and dynamic aspects.

Their next event on Friday 27th September finds an odd way to focus on the progression of the genre by inviting a legend of the scene down to do a classic set. But this isn’t your usual run of the mill play the hits focus, instead it involved the iconic Grooverider going through the vaults to drop two hours of Headz and Blue Note classics, selecting the tracks that were released on the hugely influential Metalheadz record label and that soundtracked his epochal residency at the Sunday party Blue Note.

Both were intrinsic components of a genre in its nascent stages, sonically astounding forages which helped shape the scattered ashes of the rave scene into a form of music that is still cutting the mustard on a global scale. So it’s a celebration of drum led dynamism rather than some misty eyed forage into the past. We caught up with the lynchpin behind the night, iconic D&B producer Marcus Intalex, to discuss why he selected Grooverider for this show. His Trevino alias, the joys of shorter travelling distances and a lack of golf also cropped up.

Marcus Intalex - FABRICLIVE Promo Mix (Dec 2012) by Fabric on Mixcloud

Hi Marcus, thanks for speaking to us. Soul:ution is coming up, and you’ve booked Grooverider to play a two hour set focused on the gems of the genre in the nineties. What was the thinking behind that?

For me Grooverider was the pioneer. The leader of this sound we call drum and bass. His sets throughout the whole decade of the nineties pushed forward and created the landscape for progressive dance music. The pinnacle perhaps was when he was playing regularly at the Sunday sessions at the bluenote.

A good friend of mine told me of a recent blue note old skool set he played in Berlin and that it pretty much wiped the floor which everyone else who played. For me he has to be the first choice for hearing that sound. It’s the first time for groove at Soul:ution so I pretty much expect this event to sell out. 

Now modern dance music is relatively old, do you think it’s important to go back to musical time period frequently, and is this something you get to do yourself in your sets at all? 

Yeah there’s quite the history behind us, a wealth of great and influential music. Now that the tempo of the music has stayed the same for 15 or so years it’s pretty easy to mix old with new. It’s something I have always done… some of the older stuff will never be bettered. 

Where else have you enjoyed playing this year? 

I have been all over Europe and the UK which I have enjoyed immensely. Less long distance touring has been helpful for me to get more studio time. 

Your last release for Martyn’s 3024 was an absolute belter, selling out really quickly. Have you enjoyed working under this pseudonym in a different genre?

Yeah it’s given me a new lease of life, taken the pressure off just doing drum and bass and allowed me to enjoy it all a lot more because of that. 

What made you decide to take on another persona? 

For one reason only, which was to be able to separate the sounds when djing and performing. I don't want people asking for dnb when I play techno and vice versa. 

There must be many occasions where you’ll be playing drum ‘n’ bass one night, then house and techno the next night. How do you find that? 

It just means I have to spend more time in the week listening to music and having a mix. Its double the music input hence I really need to know the tracks I want to play. I spend more time in the studio these days than I have ever done. I have very little time for other things which sadly means less golf… 

What remixes and productions can we look forward to from you, both as Trevino and Marcus Intalex? 

Trevino remixes for Dolly, Ben Sims and Mark Force coming soon plus two releases on a new label hopefully by the end of the year. Got some fresh Intalex stuff also, just need to work out what I am going to do with them…

In between producing and DJing, you somehow manage to run two revered record labels! How do you manage to fit it all in? How do you enjoy being a label boss?

It's not easy, if anything, the labels have suffered in the last couple of years. I'm just a lot more selective with what I release... I'm even starting a new label in the near future and seriously thinking of finding somebody to help run them as there is a ton of music building up

What else lies in the future for you?

More of the same I guess, keep developing the Trevino sound the odd Intalex 12 and we are working on the next DRS LP for soul:r.

And finally, dream situation time... you can go back to any period in clubland history, and play at any club. Who would you have playing alongside you and what tune would you drop that would define the evening?

I have luckily played lot of the influential clubs over the last 20 years or so. The most notable one I never got to play is the Bluenote and I guess alongside Grooverider, Fabio, Doc Scott and Goldie would of been the dream line up... I’d be happy to just of warmed up there and then let the masters get on with it.

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