Interview | Spanish Producer Mark Alow Talks Gigs, Influences & Goals.

The enigmatic Spanish producer Mark Alow has defined a new wave of organic deep house with a collection of standout tracks lighting up summer dance floors from Ibiza to Burning Man.
This year has seen Alow’s swift ascension of the scene, beginning with his Golden Tiger EP on the praised Sol Selectas label. The track White Tusk, a percussive groover with warming tribal vocals, became a constant feature in deep house sets on the summer festival circuits.

In June, Mark Alow released his most recent project, the Nebula EP, on Solar Distance. The three track project featured ‘Trip To The Lonely Planet’, a melodic organica masterpiece with
tech undertones.

With the steady stream of top notch releases, Mark Alow remains the best selling Deep House artist of the year. To close out his career defining year, he will cross the Atlantic for his first ever North American dates. In October, Mark will visit Canada for the first time and take the reigns behind the decks in Ottawa, Toronto, and Montreal. We caught up with Mark to discuss the buildup to his first gigs outside of Europe, his musical influences and goals, and what to expect from him going forward.

HS – Mark, thanks for chatting with us. Did you have a nice summer?
MA – Hi, thanks to you for having me. Yes, I started the summer in Ibiza when I went to play in the Sol Selectas showcase and when I returned home I started to work on new music that will be released in the upcoming months, so I have spent all the summer at the studio.

HS – We’ve been big fans of your productions for some time now. How did you work your way into producing dance music?
MA – Two or three years after I started listening to electronic music I became interested in the production because I was very curious to know how that music was made, so a friend taught me to use Ableton Live and then I did an initiation course in electronic music production. The way I learned the most things was spending a lot of time experimenting at the studio.

HS – What are your thoughts on the growth in the organica deep house scene recently? Who are some of your favorite artists at the moment?
MA – I’m happy with the growth in the organica deep house scene because it means that my music reaches more people. Some of my favorite artists at the moment are Kora, Gab Rhome, Hraach, Armen Miran, Sabo and Amentia. I really enjoy listening to and playing their music.

HS – How do your track selections as a DJ compare with your style as a producer?
MA – I think they are very similar because I try to produce the music I would like to listen to when I’m on a dancefloor, so the music that I play and the music that I produce is closely related.

HS – What have you heard about the Canadian scene prior to your first gigs here?
MA – I don’t know very much about the scene as I’ve never been to Canada before, but I’m very excited to explore the cities and meet some new friends at my gigs

HS – What other parts of the world will you be checking out in the next couple months?
MA – I’ll be heading to Tulum and Beirut in a few months, which are both places I’ve never been to before so I’m very excited..

HS – Can we expect any new music coming out of the studio soon?
MA – Of course, I have been working on new music all summer. I also have some interesting ideas on old projects that I have recovered and that I am going to develop and adapt to my
current tastes.

HS – We’re looking forward to your set, thanks again for chatting with us Mark!
MA – Thanks guys, see you next week!

October 5th | City at Night Ottawa