A familiar figure in the underground party circuit the South African born maestro has a string of well known parties under his belt. Possibly best known for co-starting the popular Keep on Going after party, Dean Marc is now focusing on parties further a field. As a busy summer comes to an end we caught up with the man himself to talk about his early musical influences, the London afterparty scene and whats in store for the future.
You currently have five parties under your belt Keep on Going, Point, Soft Porn, Creatures and Just Because how do you manage your time between them all?
I left Keep On Going last year to concentrate on my other projects but I still play as a resident. With Point I run it by myself, it's a weekly Sunday party most of the venues I use are already set up and ready to go, which saves me a lot of time. With Creatures, Soft Porn and Just Because I have partners to share the work load.
Growing up in South Africa when did you first get exposed to electronic music?
In 1992 in Durban I first discovered electronic music at a club called 330.
"An open-minded oasis in a closed minded society, especially as it was at the beggining of the end of South Africas apartheid period"
"CARL COX commented - This is the wildest & best club in the world!"
How did the Acid House movement in South Africa influence your musical direction?
The first time I went to 330 I fell in love with electronic music. After that I went every single weekend. It wasn't until much later that I started djing.
Did you attend any warehouse parties during this era? If so did these early experiences influence you to put on your own parties on later on in life?
When we weren't at 330 we were at warehouse parties. It definitely influenced me and a lot of what I do now refects to growning up in Durban during that time.
Upon moving to London what motivated you to start Keep On Going, was there anything like it on at the time?
At the time there was just Jaded, but that was more Techno, and a lot of house parties, I was sitting with Leandro (co founder of Keep On Going) in my old warehouse in Hackney Wick and we decide to start an after party there since the place was always a mess.
You are well known in the underground circuit in London, in your opinion what are its best and worst elements and why?
Bad thing: it's getting harder and harder to find venues. More flats are being built in areas where we could have done parties. Because of this the price it cost to hire venues is rising. Good thing: London is always up for a good after party.
The recent closure of venues and licensing laws has affected many parties within London, how have you managed to keep all five of your events above the water?
I've actually taken a break from afterparties, but will be back on it soon. Soft Porn is more of a saturday night party so it's not so difficult to find a venue for that, even though we've recently brought it back to a warehouse.
Parties such as Keep on Going and Point have become well known within the underground circuit, how have you created such a loyal following?
I just make sure I give the people what they want.
How do you regularly manage to find new and exciting places to host your parties in a climate where venues in London are rare?
I have a few people that help me with that. I also get on my bike and ride around a lot and when I see somewhere that looks good I knock on there door and ask them.
You host a forest after party that is highly anticipated, how did the idea for this come about?
I've been doing forest parties the last four years with Keep On Going, and now with Creatures. A venue that we were going to use four years ago cancelled on us last minute so we decided to move the party to the forest, the weather was great and never looked back
Other than your own events which London parties do you enjoy going to?
Damaged, Halfbaked, Juntos, Cartulis Day, eastsunrise/110 london, Toi Toi, Wetyourself just to name a few.
Which artists are you really into right now?
I really like Vid, plus a lot of local talent.
What was the last record you bought?
SERGEJ NICOLAJ / ESC SOUNDWORK
Compatible EP (Illegal Series 006)
What are your plans for the future, any more projects planned?
Yes, lots planned for this winter including more parties in Berlin.
DEAN MARC MEOKO SOUNCLOUD MIX
Interview by Mahala Ashley
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