Mark Brown
Cr2 records
His unfaltering talent for recognising a hit and tenacious approach to getting music signed and heard has seen him rise through the ranks to become one of today’s most respected figure heads within the industry.
One of Mark’s most prolific roles is as that of label boss and A&R extraordinaire. He started Credence – the seminal dance imprint of EMI back in 2000 and signed massive acts including Eric Prydz and Brit-boys Dirty Vegas amongst others; their album subsequently sold over 2 million copies world wide and was even #7 in the American charts, while their single ‘Days Gone By’ went top ten in the UK. Credence also won Label of the Year for 2003 in IDJ magazine.
In a time when dance music often played second fiddle in the charts to pop and guitar bands Mark garnered commercial success for the dance acts he signed, so when in 2004 EMI decided to close Credence (making Mark redundant) it was a no-brainer that he’d soon be back doing something on his own. Just one month later Mark set up his own label – Cr2.
“I wanted Cr2 to be a continuation of Credence but bigger and without the constraints of being tied to a major label.” says Mark.
Success so far for Cr2 includes the # 1 hits David Guetta Vs The Egg ‘Love (Don’t let me go’) and Fedde Le Grande – ‘Put your Hand’s up for Detroit’, other hits include Danny Howells & Dick Trevor ‘Dusk til Dawn’ and many more. The label has also set up the touring brand ‘Live and Direct’ which encompasses tours and albums, the next release under this banner will be ‘Oscar G live from Miami’. IDJ awarded the same accolade to Cr2 as they did to Credence 3 years earlier and voted Cr2 as label the year in 2006.
Aside from the obvious achievements with Credence and Cr2 Mark is also an accomplished producer and one half of the DJ outfit M.Y.N.C. Project with Nick Corelli. They are renowned for their four-decks/ two-mixer shows and innumerable effects units, where they take DJing beyond simply playing other people’s music into the realms of musical creation and live performance, twisting pre-recorded sounds into new and original dancing spells. Mark and Nick make up this dynamic duo, who have created their own brand of quality underground house and have been playing together for eight years.
M.Y.N.C. started DJ-ing at Passion in 1999 in the Redroom, and the influential residency resulted in the pair being voted ‘Future Heroes for 2002’ in M8 Magazine. In 2003, they moved into the Main Room of Passion, outgrowing the space that shaped their sound. The act then launched M.Y.N.C. Sessions at Leicester University in 2004.
Together they have notched up 6 singles including ‘Something on your Mind’ with Abigail Bailey and ‘R U Sure’ which was a Beatport top 10. They have also completed 5 compilations since 2001 including EMI’s ‘Dedicated Followers of Passion’, ‘Credence Volume 1’ and forthcoming is the new Sessions release on Ministry of Sound (due in September 2007). For this release Nick and Mark decided to do separate mixes to showcase their individual tastes. Mark comments “Everyone knows us as a 4 deck-2mixer DJ outfit and so we thought we’d do something different on this album– we like lots of different things as individuals so it made sense.”
The latest addition to Marks production bow is ‘Brighton Belles’ co-created with Steve Mac, it is getting a full release on Cr2 in October 2007. The track has already confirmed some stellar guest remixes coming from Manoo of Buzzin’ Fly fame and 2001 – a massive talent hailing from Holland.
In the pipeline for Mark as a solo artist is a remix for Kylie and a rather special track linked to a well known bank advert – watch this space! And of course Mark continues his efforts with Cr2, keeping it one of the biggest independent dance labels on the planet today.
NAME: Mark Brown
PLACE OF BIRTH: LONDON
RECORD(S) ON CR2:
RU SURE
SOMETHING ON YOUR MIND
BELLS OF BRIGHTON WITH STEVE MAC
THE JOURNEY
STROBELIGHT WITH DANNY RAMPLING
EVERYBODY?S FREAKIN WITH DIRTY SOUTH
1-How would you describe your sound?
I Play quality underground house with a touch of funky techno thrown in
2-How did you first get into DJing / Producing? Influences/places etc
I started djing 15 years ago. I have been producing four 4 years now. My favourite place to dj in the world is Space in Ibiza.
3-Do you have any advice for budding DJ/Producers reading this now?
Keep focused and stay strong to what you believe you are the creator of your own destiny.
4-If you were stuck on a desert island with a set of decks what DJ other than yourself would you get down to play for you? (only 1!)
Laurent Garnier
5-What are your top 3 Cr2 records/Remixes to date?
Kylie ? 2 hearts ? parlophone recs
Perasma ? swing to harmony
Single ? strobelight with danny rampling acid house!
6- Can you sum Cr2 up in 3 words for us ?
ITS MY BABY!