Growing up in Sao Paulo, Marky was surrounded by music from an early age. His father was a multi-instrumentalist and vinyl enthusiast - a bug which he caught early. His early childhood was soundtracked by Motown, soul, funk and jazz, the traces of which still permeate his music today. However, it was when an older friend first introduced him to the concept of DJing that his journey truly began.
Picking it up with ease, his prodigious talent was immediately recognized and he was DJing professionally by the time he was 15. Initially playing house and techno, he soon discovered the UK-centric sounds of hardcore through the likes of Dave Angel, Altern8 and Prodigy. Honing his focus, he followed the evolution of hardcore through jungle and into drum and bass as it is known today.
Working in Up Dance records, the only record shop in Brazil to be selling jungle at the time, he met Englishman Adrian Harley who was so impressed by Marky that he invited him to London where he met the likes of DJ Hype and Brockie at the first True Playaz night at the now defunct club The End. He would also go on to introduce Marky to his managers who after seeing a VHS recording of him playing flew out to Brazil to meet him.
As jungle exploded in Brazil, Marky was catapulted to fame, regularly playing across the length and breadth of the country. During this period he picked up a number of residencies including one at Lov.e in Sau Paulo, which he held for 10 years. It was there that V Recordings head honcho Bryan Gee spotted him in ‘98, subsequently inviting him to play at the seminal Movement night in London.
It is Marky’s unparalleled talents behind the decks that won him his fame and numerous awards, however, it is production credits that have won him some of his highest accolades. His early collaboration with XRS ‘LK’, which was released on V Recordings, became an international phenomenon, reaching the top 20 in the UK and leading to him playing on Top Of The Pops and touring across the world from Japan to Australia, England to Austria.
Marky has not looked back since, touring around the world and continuing to enjoy success with a series of collaborations with artists like S.P.Y, Makoto and Total Science. He takes his Marky and Friends nights across the globe and recently recorded the 55th mix in the internationally renowned fabriclive mix series.
Alongside all this, the Innerground label that he started with XRS in 2003 with ‘Rotationz/Rudebwoy’ has gone on to be one of the most revered labels in drum and bass. A series of releases from the likes of Calibre, Random Movement and DJ Marky himself have continued to push the envelope of what can be done with drum and bass, with the label still going strong 8 years later.
Fast-forward to the present day and Marky continues to push forward his chosen artform. When he isn’t touring the world as one of the most in demand DJs around, he is hard at work in the studio continuing to channel his unique vision through his music. He is also set to unveil a brand new live show this summer in Brazil.
Marky’s undeniable passion and finesse have made him an international icon and driven him to become of the greatest artists working in electronic music today, and with plenty more up his sleeve he has no plans to stop any time soon.
