Electronic Groove welcomes back the multitalented DJ and producer, Mark Slee, for an exciting conversation ahead of his performance at our ADE Week 2023 Fundraiser.
Based in the serene English semi-countryside, just outside Brighton, Mark has a musical journey spanning over 15 years. He’s a true master at blending technical expertise with intuition, creating sets that tickle both the mind and soul.
In this interview, we dive into Mark Slee’s plans for ADE, his musical influences, and even his go-to dance move when the beat drops.
Mark is scheduled to perform at Electronic Groove, Listed, and Manjumasi’s fundraiser event during ADE Week 2023 on October 19th at Duke of Tokyo. He will share the stage with Atish, Maxi Meraki, Ivan Sandhas, Arianna Danae, Rivellino, and a surprise guest artist. Grab your tickets here.
EG: Hi Mark! Welcome back to EG. It’s a pleasure to have you here with us. How have you been? Where are you right now?
Mark Slee: I’m good! Currently at home in the English semi-countryside, just outside of Brighton, where I’ve relocated with my family over the past year or so.
EG: So, ADE is just around the corner, which has us all very excited! What are your plans this time around? What mischief will you be up to?
Mark Slee: Not as much mischief as I’d like! It will unfortunately be a quick in-and-out trip for me this year, just coming for the one night. So we’ll have to see what Gunita tells us all to do after the Duke of Tokyo closes…
EG: You’ll be a part of our ADE Week 2023 Fundraiser, which will take place on Thursday, October 19th, seeking to raise funds for AnimalRIghts.NL! What can we expect from your performance?
Mark Slee: I’m really looking forward to playing some tunes with atish, so you can expect a groovy good time. We love the vibe at the Duke of Tokyo, where we’ve done a few ADE events in the past. It’s a great intimate size and always has a nice playful loose vibe in the room. Never too serious, so I think we’ll be leaning into the fun side of stuff we like to play.
EG: Speaking about playing…What track has been doing the rounds the most in your recent sets? Why?
Mark Slee: For early mood-setting, I cannot get enough of Dorisburg – Voices – such a hypnotic and beautiful lead synth riff. I have also found myself listening to this one a lot on repeat at home.
“I’m really looking forward to playing some tunes with atish, so you can expect a groovy good time”
EG: Now, you’re about to drop the most epic track at the ADE event. What’s the one dance move you’d bust out when the beat kicks in?
Mark Slee: Maybe the Charleston, if I do it right with the whole hands-over-knees thing I guess this also means I’m hiding behind the booth. I’m definitely a more bashful DJ.
EG: Speaking about tracks and music…. rapid-fire round!
- Current Favorite Banger… Jakke – How Do You Love (TÂCHES Big Picture Mix) [DistroKid]
- Musical Pet Peeve… Guess it’s gotta be the air horn thing.
- I hate it when DJs… Insist on keeping track IDs secret – somebody else made that music and deserves recognition! (Exception if the producer asked them to keep it under wraps, of course.)
- I love it when DJs… also release great tracks of their own
- Guilty pleasure track… James Taylor – That Was Your Mother (Gui Boratto Remix)
- When I’m not sure behind the decks, I reach for… my drink? Or an Andre Lodemann classic, or a killer groove from The Mountain People, context-dependent.
- Your favorite music memory is when… narrowing it to my own DJ memories, probably either dropping Aki Bergen’s Cornflakes For Dinner, or Aidan Lavelle’s – Get Yourself first time playing Robot Heart with atish
EG: What are three essential items you always carry in your DJ bag?
Mark Slee: USB stick, headphones, and earplugs! I’m boring.
EG: What’s your go-to pre-gig ritual or lucky charm that gets you in the groove?
Mark Slee: Always nice to have time to hang with the other artists, enjoy a nice meal and a drink, particularly if there’s a label connection, and obviously if atish and I are playing together it’s great to just be able to catch up a bit.
“Always nice to have time to hang with the other artists, enjoy a nice meal and a drink”
EG: Most importantly, if you could have a holographic DJ battle with any historical figure, who would it be, and what’s your secret weapon track?
Mark Slee: Wow what a question. For some reason reading this immediately made me think of a classic old Photek minimal jungle track 0Ni – Ten – Ichi – Ryu.0 I’m not really sure who that’s meant to be deployed against, can we call Master Shredder from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles a historical figure?
EG: Finally, what’s the one thing you’re most looking forward to at Electronic Groove’s ADE Week event this year?
Mark Slee: Playing some tunes with atish! Since COVID we have both had kids, which has made life very busy, to say the least. I think we have only gotten together for maybe one other post-pandemic gig, so it should be great fun.
EG: Thank you for your time, we can’t wait to catch up at our ADE Week event! See you soon!
Mark Slee: Thanks for having me – very much looking forward to it!
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