'bout half way through it right now (listening whilst toiling away for the man, grrrr) and it's pretty right on, Marcus! I don't know shit about Techno, and figured I wouldn't go for it but that it deserved a listen. I must say, I've been impressed and have gotten caught (twice) by passers by doing the head bob. For a guy that listens to mostly hard stuff, that's saying something! Back to the grind...

That made my day! Thanks. It snuck up on me a few years ago when I wasn't looking.

I think Globule wants me to make a Trance mix, so I have that penciled in for the near future.

Yup. I totally dug that sample you sent me. MTA: Where online can I find a good guide to the different genres of electronic/techno/dance?

Yup. I totally dug that sample you sent me. MTA: Where online can I find a good guide to the different genres of electronic/techno/dance?

That sample MP3 is called Epic Trance. Why you ask? Go back to listen to it again, pay attention to the breakdown (where the bass drum drops out). Coming out of the breakdown there is this huge amount of tension built up with those synth lines and snare drums. Someone decided it sounded Epic and thus Epic trance. The vast majority of electronic music has breakdowns in them regardless of genre. Extremely long breakdowns that build up massive amounts of tension are referred to as epic. The trend these days is to snap out of a breakdown rather then explode. This is so hard to explain. I still like epic breaks if done correctly, but trance like that song I sent you is very dated. There are some pretty nice internet radio stations that feature different channels dedicated to a particular genre. Try www.di.fm or www.protonradio.com. I am currently in talks with both sites about a regular show. Another way to listen to little clips of certain genres is to go to www.beatport.com and just surf around. Click on every genre and then listen to the samples of the top 10 downloads. You should get a pretty good idea. On a very high note, I found out this weekend links to my mixes are being published on boards in Europe..and they like them.

i played your stuff for dh. he enjoyed it. he really likes trance and introduced me to techno. i'm still learning and aquiring a taste. so far gabriel and dresdan (sp?) are about all i can get into. i was listening to something you put on myspace and i liked it alot! i know it doesn't mean much, but wanted you to know!! i'm a dj marcus fan!

Gabriel and Dresden are great. They are sort of like me in that they can switch genres. Or maybe I am like them. Well I am glad you liked what you heard. If you liked anything you heard on myspace you can download that mix from my server or through iTunes. All of the mixes in my myspace player are downloadable. Here or on iTunes
If you have 30 minutes to kill just listen to a little bit of all those mixes through the myspace player and let me know which one you like. That will let me know what genre your ear took you towards. Once I know that I can suggest some other's music for you to check out.

oh and yeah for you being liked in europe!

Thank you. Actually I am not surprised the Europeans like my music since most of what I play is produced in Europe. They know good proper dance music. Americans...not so much. I just can't figure out how little ol me popped up over there, but downloads from my server soared this past weekend from European websites. Australia too.

Hey, Marcus, I lurk in the swamp (never going to post there again) and saw that coach Reese helped you with your swimming workouts at UT. Wow, I'm seriously impressed! That's so cool. That's all.

I sort of had an inside route because I worked at the swim center part time in the swimming retail store, so I was there a lot. One day I just walked up to him on the pool deck, introduced myself officially, told him what I was doing, and asked if he could suggest some workouts for me. He was so cool and nice to me. He gave me little tips here and there when I was in the pool, like minor stroke adjustments, etc. I also knew his brother too (although I can't remember his name). He was the Austin area master's coach and I met he and his wife at HEB of all places. I was wearing a Speedo t-shirt and had shaved legs, so his wife asked if I was a swimmer. 2 minutes later she introduced me to her husband and then I said "I know your brother!". Small damn world. I worked out a few times with the Austin maters but their workout times didn't fit my schedule.

Yup. I totally dug that sample you sent me. MTA: Where online can I find a good guide to the different genres of electronic/techno/dance?

Check out: http://techno.org/electronic-music-guide/ The guy is a music elitist, but he knows his stuff. You can read his bias on certain genres, and I think some of the genres could use better samples, but for the most part, it is spot on.

I opened for G&D in Atlanta once. I like their older stuff but once they got famous their productions became overproduced and predictable (even for dance music). Last I heard, they are separated. At least I got an autograph of On A High (G&D) before that.

Come to think of it, I have not heard much from them lately. I had no idea they were broken up though. I would never play anything they produced, but they were worth listening to.