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When it comes to dance music, Belfast might not be the first destination most people would turn to for raw, uncompromising Techno of a global standard, however in recent years all that has changed. A troubled past and on-going rioting by minority groups has for a long time held the city, and country at large, back from making true progress. As a direct reaction to this, however, an underground and hedonistic club culture blossomed as a younger generation, determined to take a different approach to life and community, took hold. Leading the way in this development is one of the capital city’s most prolific sons, Mark Rogan - accomplished producer, sound designer and DJ - and integral part of the Northern Irish electronic scene.
Born and raised in North Belfast, Mark was exposed to and instilled with a passion for music from an early age, taking special influence from his father’s record collection, which exposed him to everything from late 60s/70s rock to disco to 80s electronica. Bored by the mainstream output of radio, he quickly launched himself into record buying, a hobby which began at an early age. One of the great turning points for Mark, however, was the teenage discovery of House, Hard Trance, Techno and Hardcore that took off in the nineties.
“I had to settle with buying or copying tapes, which I got off my cousins who went to the clubs. They were some of the best days of their lives - it was a total release to the strains of growing up in the shit going on here. I learnt first hand that music itself was a common bond and brought people together.”
It was at this point that Mark got his hands on his first set of belt-driven turntables along with a basic two channel mixer. Throwing himself into making mix-tapes for friends and DJ-ing at house parties was just the beginning. His cousin, who had been caught by the techno bug after living in Amsterdam, taught him how to beat match and mix properly, helping to introduce him to the proper underground sound of Techno.
Moving away from the Hardcore and Trance scene, he started playing, listening and exploring further the musical roots of Techno: from the deep and soulful, from Detroit to Chicago, from the funky to the hypnotic and atmospheric. Techno consumed him, as he, himself, admits, “I became totally engrossed by Techno. I loved everything about it; the feelings, the emotions that came with it.” Soundtracking his day-to-day life from then on were artists including: Juan Atkins, Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson, Jeff Mills, Underground Resistance, Richie Hawtin, Carl Craig, Robert Hood, Chris Liebing, Dave Clarke, Surgeon, Regis, Ben Sims, Speedy J, Umek, Carl Cox, Trevor Rockcliffe, Vince Watson, Paul Mac, Chris Cowie, Mauro Picotto, Marco Carola, Adam Beyer, Slam, Steve Rachmad, Joris Voorn, Smith & Selway, Ian Pooley, Damon Wild, A.Paul, Jamie Anderson, Hardcell & Grindvik, Mhonolink, Joey Beltram, The Advent, Rino Cerrone, Michael Burkat, Lars Klein, Bas Mooy, DJ Rush, Felix Krocher, Sven Wittekind, Pet Duo.
This feverish consumption of music and dedication to DJing led quite naturally to his first attempts at making beats on an old computer. An ignited passion for making his own productions then saw Mark take music onto college education, gaining distinctions in First Diploma Performing Arts in Music, a National Diploma in Music Technology and a City & Guilds Diploma in Multi-track Recording and Composition.
Armed with this technical knowledge and grounding in music theory, Mark continued to lay down industrial-strength slabs of Techno and began sending out demos. It was not long before he was picked up by small independent label, Hereket, managed by up-and-coming Techno producer, Ilgar Khaligov. This first EP, Boriquas was a bold statement of intent and a warning sign of what was to come in from succeeding releases. Since then he has released on Paul Mac’s Sula Muse Recordings, Chris Cowie’s Bellboy Records, Labrynth Recordings, Triple Recordings, M_Rec Digital, Static Recordings, DSNT Records and A. Paul's Naked Lunch.
With a theory of producing quality over quantity central to his beliefs, no Mark Rogan production is ever the same. His characteristic wave of other-worldly, off-kilter stabs, distorted pads, bolstered by 909, bass-heavy kicks goes some way to describing his signature, uncompromising sound, but in each production there is something new to discover.
His undying passion, talent and commitment as a producer and DJ sets him apart from many working in the field of Techno nowadays. 2013 will see Mark release further new material and continue to climb the ranks within the global techno community. Listen up.