SX Interview August 26 2004 Making your Mark
Written by Matt Taylor
Twenty years in any job can be a long, hard slog unless, of course, you have taken the leap of faith to follow your passion when most days at work will seem as fresh as the first. In 2004, a very healthy looking Mark Alsop celebrates his twentieth year with as much spring in his step as his first. With very little knowledge he set forth into an industry that was still forming to make his mark on Sydney’s gay and lesbian dance music scene.
“As I knew nothing about the DJ industry, I had very few people to talk to and no-one to reference,” said Mark. “The technology was available, but I didn’t know what to buy. I remember purchasing two belt-driven turntables which would make a whirring noise every time I tried to mix.”
With a vibrant personality like Mark’s, it wasn’t long before he started to make connections which set him on the right path. After teaching himself the basics, David Hiscock who was working at the time in Disco City in York St. provided a mentorship.
“David would hand me music from dance remix services in the US. As I was listening to this, I couldn’t believe that this music wasn’t being played here. I thought it was fantastic.”
Now with increased skills and the discovery of a style of music that inspired him, he made his first promo cassette and took it to Club 45 (45 Oxford St). Having initially started on a Friday night, it took just a few short months before Mark became their only resident. He remembers it as a kind of apprenticeship where his boss, Chris Crunch, was the first to recognize his talent and potential, particularly in the music style that he submitted. Chris gave Mark the opportunity to develop in ways that only experience can provide. Mark loved working in Club 45 as he could play his favourite style of dance music to a great audience in an intimate environment.
“A typical night out used to start at either the Unicorn, Flinders or Albury Hotel, and then a quick dash across the road to the FourAm (later the Detour) which was a sleazy kind of dive – it was fantastic and very underground. Then it was off to Flo’s Palace, (Caps had just burnt to the ground), and then to the Oxford and Exchange Hotels. In the early morning, the trend was to fall into Club 45, Patches (later DCM) or the Midnightshift.”
“I remember having my drink spiked on a couple of occasions, sometimes over indulging on alcohol and making mistakes, the rain dripping on the lighting circuits and having to place an umbrella precariously over the electrical supply while I played so I wouldn’t be electrocuted. I did get zapped in the butt a couple of times when I inadvertently sat on the chaser box that ran the lights.”
Although Club 45 won no prizes for its glamour, (there were areas where you could look directly through the floor to the downstairs restaurant!) Mark loved it and became further enamored of the dance music scene. When he looks back on his twenties he thinks of the Midnightshift with its amazing sound system, the cruise-feel with men in jeans and flannelet shirts with moustaches.
“These were the men I have always loved. They were good time people. These guys appreciated music. There was no such element of trance, techno, Hi-NRG or handbag. It was just music and what a fantastic time we had listening to it.”
Mark became not only an intrinsic part of the gay nightlife scene in Sydney picking up further work at places like the Shift, but also was an integral DJ at the larger Hordern parties held on a weekly basis, and promoted generally by posters on bus shelters, poles, gay papers, toilets or word of mouth.
“My name was often on these posters and over the course of a year, it became synonymous with these parties. I then became the token gay DJ at the straighter parties! I did a number of 100% straight parties, mixed parties and quite a few parties called Sweatbox that were aimed at the metrosexual of that day.
“I decreased my time on Oxford St because I had these major parties every Saturday. The Hordern parties involved a huge, intense crowd, often numbering from 2,000 to 7,000 or more people. I learned at these parties to trust my music and my feelings and not to plot or structure my set. I learnt to just let go and utilize the vibe of the crowd.”
These days, big parties are highly commercial events. Twenty years ago a party had a different vibe. Not only were big parties during the 80s dynamic, and underground, they were the place to hear the newest in music that was untested in the clubs. These events had no place for classics, anthems or retro halls as Mark remembers, they were always intended to be cutting edge.
“Within six months of starting work at these big events, ecstasy started to come on the scene. It arrived with a momentum that blew everyone away. Ecstasy was what made those parties and it was also a part of their eventual death. It was an “ecstatic”, exciting time to be a DJ. However, with the eventual over-indulgence of the drug in combination with the AIDS crisis, it came to a crashing end around 1991. It was indeed an end of an era”
Mark remembers one recurring underground party in particular of that time called Paradise Garage of which he worked on nearly every event. This is a good example of how dance parties then are different to those of today.
“These parties started off with a bang in an old film studio that the promoters had found near Danks St. They went off! I would DJ right up near the ceiling having to climb a ladder with my records. The heat was so intense that black stuff would drop off the roof and stain everybody’s clothing. The second (Tropical Paradise) was aptly named as it became so humid that a large puddle of water formed on the records about one minute after placing them on the turntable. I had never played “aquatic” music until that night. I had no idea that records could be played underwater!”
Also, this time saw the introduction of Chicago House and the Acid House revolution. Every Monday night Mark would play this style at a party called SDP (Summer Dance Party), which was hosted by the midnight Shift. It was so successful, that Mark kept it going for a year and a half. “I could tell that this was a fad style of music, and that its longevity would be limited, so we had a special night that became very popular with all of the industry and fellow DJ’s. I closed the night whilst it was still busy, as I saw that the music was starting to venture away from this theme.”
Mark Alsop has created his own remixes, traveled overseas on many occasions and become one of our most enduring DJs. He has recently been interviewed for a book entitled Ambrosia, where he has provided commentary on the importance of new music genres to modern culture.
He has continued to move forward with his music style, and remains current in today’s ever-changing environment.
You can check out an in-depth two-part interview with Mark on the German web site Hotdiscomix. http://www.hotdiscomix.de/stars_clubs/djs/alsop_en_interview.htm
Or visit his web site at http://www.markalsop.com/ Mark can be heard on his weekly radio show on Beat FM each Sunday from 4.00pm, and plays regularly at Manacle, the Civic Hotel and ARQ. When it comes to having a good time, he is still “making his Mark”.
Twenty years in any job can be a long, hard slog unless, of course, you have taken the leap of faith to follow your passion when most days at work will seem as fresh as the first. In 2004, a very healthy looking Mark Alsop celebrates his twentieth year with as much spring in his step as his first. With very little knowledge he set forth into an industry that was still forming to make his mark on Sydney’s gay and lesbian dance music scene.
“As I knew nothing about the DJ industry, I had very few people to talk to and no-one to reference,” said Mark. “The technology was available, but I didn’t know what to buy. I remember purchasing two belt-driven turntables which would make a whirring noise every time I tried to mix.”
With a vibrant personality like Mark’s, it wasn’t long before he started to make connections which set him on the right path. After teaching himself the basics, David Hiscock who was working at the time in Disco City in York St. provided a mentorship.
“David would hand me music from dance remix services in the US. As I was listening to this, I couldn’t believe that this music wasn’t being played here. I thought it was fantastic.”
Now with increased skills and the discovery of a style of music that inspired him, he made his first promo cassette and took it to Club 45 (45 Oxford St). Having initially started on a Friday night, it took just a few short months before Mark became their only resident. He remembers it as a kind of apprenticeship where his boss, Chris Crunch, was the first to recognize his talent and potential, particularly in the music style that he submitted. Chris gave Mark the opportunity to develop in ways that only experience can provide. Mark loved working in Club 45 as he could play his favourite style of dance music to a great audience in an intimate environment.
“A typical night out used to start at either the Unicorn, Flinders or Albury Hotel, and then a quick dash across the road to the FourAm (later the Detour) which was a sleazy kind of dive – it was fantastic and very underground. Then it was off to Flo’s Palace, (Caps had just burnt to the ground), and then to the Oxford and Exchange Hotels. In the early morning, the trend was to fall into Club 45, Patches (later DCM) or the Midnightshift.”
“I remember having my drink spiked on a couple of occasions, sometimes over indulging on alcohol and making mistakes, the rain dripping on the lighting circuits and having to place an umbrella precariously over the electrical supply while I played so I wouldn’t be electrocuted. I did get zapped in the butt a couple of times when I inadvertently sat on the chaser box that ran the lights.”
Although Club 45 won no prizes for its glamour, (there were areas where you could look directly through the floor to the downstairs restaurant!) Mark loved it and became further enamored of the dance music scene. When he looks back on his twenties he thinks of the Midnightshift with its amazing sound system, the cruise-feel with men in jeans and flannelet shirts with moustaches.
“These were the men I have always loved. They were good time people. These guys appreciated music. There was no such element of trance, techno, Hi-NRG or handbag. It was just music and what a fantastic time we had listening to it.”
Mark became not only an intrinsic part of the gay nightlife scene in Sydney picking up further work at places like the Shift, but also was an integral DJ at the larger Hordern parties held on a weekly basis, and promoted generally by posters on bus shelters, poles, gay papers, toilets or word of mouth.
“My name was often on these posters and over the course of a year, it became synonymous with these parties. I then became the token gay DJ at the straighter parties! I did a number of 100% straight parties, mixed parties and quite a few parties called Sweatbox that were aimed at the metrosexual of that day.
“I decreased my time on Oxford St because I had these major parties every Saturday. The Hordern parties involved a huge, intense crowd, often numbering from 2,000 to 7,000 or more people. I learned at these parties to trust my music and my feelings and not to plot or structure my set. I learnt to just let go and utilize the vibe of the crowd.”
These days, big parties are highly commercial events. Twenty years ago a party had a different vibe. Not only were big parties during the 80s dynamic, and underground, they were the place to hear the newest in music that was untested in the clubs. These events had no place for classics, anthems or retro halls as Mark remembers, they were always intended to be cutting edge.
“Within six months of starting work at these big events, ecstasy started to come on the scene. It arrived with a momentum that blew everyone away. Ecstasy was what made those parties and it was also a part of their eventual death. It was an “ecstatic”, exciting time to be a DJ. However, with the eventual over-indulgence of the drug in combination with the AIDS crisis, it came to a crashing end around 1991. It was indeed an end of an era”
Mark remembers one recurring underground party in particular of that time called Paradise Garage of which he worked on nearly every event. This is a good example of how dance parties then are different to those of today.
“These parties started off with a bang in an old film studio that the promoters had found near Danks St. They went off! I would DJ right up near the ceiling having to climb a ladder with my records. The heat was so intense that black stuff would drop off the roof and stain everybody’s clothing. The second (Tropical Paradise) was aptly named as it became so humid that a large puddle of water formed on the records about one minute after placing them on the turntable. I had never played “aquatic” music until that night. I had no idea that records could be played underwater!”
Also, this time saw the introduction of Chicago House and the Acid House revolution. Every Monday night Mark would play this style at a party called SDP (Summer Dance Party), which was hosted by the midnight Shift. It was so successful, that Mark kept it going for a year and a half. “I could tell that this was a fad style of music, and that its longevity would be limited, so we had a special night that became very popular with all of the industry and fellow DJ’s. I closed the night whilst it was still busy, as I saw that the music was starting to venture away from this theme.”
Mark Alsop has created his own remixes, traveled overseas on many occasions and become one of our most enduring DJs. He has recently been interviewed for a book entitled Ambrosia, where he has provided commentary on the importance of new music genres to modern culture.
He has continued to move forward with his music style, and remains current in today’s ever-changing environment.
You can check out an in-depth two-part interview with Mark on the German web site Hotdiscomix. http://www.hotdiscomix.de/stars_clubs/djs/alsop_en_interview.htm
Or visit his web site at http://www.markalsop.com/ Mark can be heard on his weekly radio show on Beat FM each Sunday from 4.00pm, and plays regularly at Manacle, the Civic Hotel and ARQ. When it comes to having a good time, he is still “making his Mark”.