Marcus Barnes is a music and showbiz journalist with nine years extensive experience in both print and online writing. He recently left the MailOnline to focus on music journalism full-time, contributing music features, reviews and interviews to various publications including Resident Advisor, Ibiza Voice, The Word (Belgium), i-D Online and Notion Magazine.
Late last year I interviewed Dan Ghenacia and Dyed Soundorom but missing from that interview was their friend, and third piece of the puzzle, Shonky. Just like Dan and Dyed, Shonky is someone I rate highly for both his dexterity as a DJ and the music he makes, too – there’s something about his production style that is so easy to identify, it’s what I call the ‘Shonky sound’. After seeing him in action at WMC in Miami earlier this year, I caught up with him for a chat and he handed me an exclusive mix, too.
By Marcus Barnes | Arts - News, notes and quotes on the Arts world -, Music | Tuesday, 22 May 2012 at 4:30 am
In Miami last year I discovered a DJ named Heidi Van Den Amstel, who played a brilliant set at Sunday School one of the closing events during Miami’s annual party week (WMC) in March. When I got back to London I made sure I checked her out again as soon as I could, the next time I saw her play was an eight hour long set, during which time she kept my friends and I dancing all night.
By Marcus Barnes | Arts - News, notes and quotes on the Arts world -, Music | Monday, 21 May 2012 at 4:00 am
Soul Clap are one of my favourite DJ duos on the circuit, and it’s not just me who loves them – they have a huge following around the world and their parties are always an essential destination for anyone in search of a good time.
By Marcus Barnes | Arts - News, notes and quotes on the Arts world -, Music | Wednesday, 16 May 2012 at 4:00 am
Making music only to give it away for free may seem like a strange notion, but in an age where file sharing and illegal downloads are widespread, adopting a different approach to spreading your musical message is sometimes the only way to achieve success. Pretty Lights (AKA Derek Vincent Smith) did exactly that and he recently joined electronic music superstar Skrillex on tour as well as amassing his own huge following.
By Marcus Barnes | Arts - News, notes and quotes on the Arts world -, Music | Monday, 14 May 2012 at 4:00 am
Since the dawn of time many different styles and forms of music have been created and, unfortunately, forgotten. Psych is a form of music that has its origins in the sixties, that heady era when the world went through a cultural revolution. For many, psychedelic rock became the soundtrack to this era – but, of course, the sixties couldn’t last forever.
By Marcus Barnes | Arts - News, notes and quotes on the Arts world -, Music | Wednesday, 9 May 2012 at 10:30 am
Earlier this year video of DJ duo Art Department playing a track with the chorus ‘You and I, we are like…cocaine and ketamine’ spread like wildfire on the net. The infectious, and blatant drug-related lyrics striking a chord with many partygoers around the world. As with many exclusive, unreleased tracks, nobody knew who it was by and so the hunt began.
By Marcus Barnes | Arts - News, notes and quotes on the Arts world -, Music | Monday, 7 May 2012 at 4:00 am
Nic Fanciulli is proof, if ever it were needed, that hard work and dedication – along with some balance – can really help an individual to succeed. His love affair with music has been incessant since his early teens and, now in his early thirties, he has his own record label (Saved), tours the globe regularly and isn’t a bad DJ either. On top of that he has a reputation for being one of the nicest guys in the business.
By Marcus Barnes | Arts - News, notes and quotes on the Arts world -, Music | Wednesday, 2 May 2012 at 4:01 am
Fritz Kalkbrenner is successful producer from Berlin, that ever-trusty hub of creativity. Although he’s been making music since he was in his teens, Fritz initially pursued a career in music journalism, before he found the success of himself and his older brother, Paul, meant that he could ditch the journalism to become a full-time musician. He’s a famous face in Germany and recently put his talents to work on an excellent mix CD for the Suol label. A retrospective mix that represents his various influences, it includes everything from Boo Williams through to Pete Rock and CL Smooth.
By Marcus Barnes | Arts - News, notes and quotes on the Arts world -, Music | Monday, 30 April 2012 at 1:03 pm
A little while back I received an EP from No.19 Records, their Spring Sampler – a collection of tracks from a various different musicians. I wasn’t overly impressed to begin with (although I love it now) but there was one track that really stood out for me. It was called Falling From Grace, by Tony Smart and Terence Kissner, and it completely blew me away. Deep, sullen and rolling – I had it on repeat for ages. I recently to get in touch with one of the guys who made it, Tony, and we had a really interesting chat about his on/off relationship with music, his dad’s influence and his connection with a famous UK DJ… and he recorded a brilliant exclusive mix for me too.
By Marcus Barnes | Arts - News, notes and quotes on the Arts world -, Music | Monday, 23 April 2012 at 12:07 pm
Bristol is without a doubt one of the country’s most fertile cities in terms of electronic music. Exports such as Massive Attack, Portishead and Roni Size are a testament to Bristol’s ability to produce musical talents who can really make an impact on the world stage. Today the city continues to sprout new talent and exciting new acts, one of those being Waifs & Strays (Amos Nelson and Rich Beanland). Last year their thunderous house track ‘Yeah Yeah’ was ubiquitous, so much so that I named it as one of my top tracks of 2011 and they’ve carried on the momentum created by their success last year into 2012 with lots of exciting projects on the agenda and a hectic touring schedule.
By Marcus Barnes | Arts - News, notes and quotes on the Arts world -, Music | Thursday, 19 April 2012 at 4:00 am
1How the Mail Online turned us into misogyny addicts
2It was Bayern who denied the Germans victory in the Champions League final, not Chelsea
3Charitable rape: Peacekeepers’ dirty little secrets
4Islam is not “the enemy” – irrational hatred is
5The next couple of months could shape the future of Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal
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