BBC RADIO 6 MUSIC PRESENTER.GEORGE LAMB SHOW MONDAY-FRIDAY 10AM-1PM
MINISTRY OF SOUND RESIDENT DJ
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MARC HUGHES
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Marc Hughes summed up in three words would be understated, successful and brilliant. What he has achieved over the past 15 years has been more than many DJs may only consider in a lifetime, but not enough people know that because Marc isnt one to tell them. He wakes up to make house music and stays awake to play it and that is his place on this planet. And it just so happens that he is incredibly good at it.
Hailing from west London, Marc Hughes has been rolling around the house scene since the early 90s when he teamed up with Jazzy M and Julian Jonah via Jazzys shop Vinyl Zone on the Kings Road. Initially going in to buy Hip Hop, Marc eventually swapped scratching for the big room sound of house, and once this musical choice was made, it didnt take Marc too long to reach big room status.
Marcs first rise to DJ stardom happened very quickly in 1994 via his production skills with East 57 Street a collaboration with Julian Jonas and Saturday with Jazz & Groove, which went straight into the Top 20. Even though Marc had been making a name for himself on the club circuit via his own night The Vibe at Iceni and various sets around the capital, this was the pivotal point for the launch of his triumphant career.
In the early 90s the place to be seen and see was Ministry of Sound, where Marc spent most weekends mingling with DJs, listening to the music and waiting for his moment. This moment came along swiftly as Marc was offered his first set in 1995. Blowing the dancefloor way, Marc was immediately asked back to play on a regular basis, moving from back room to bar to box and eventually on to the infamous Ministry of Sound UK tours. It was in 1999 that Marc was then invited to become resident for Ministry of Sounds global tours, which took him to SE America, Europe and Asia often playing on the same bill as house heroes including Deep Dish, Masters at Work, Felix da Housecat and Tiefschwartz to name but a few and also into the famous Pacha main room where he was resident every Friday night at Ministry of Sound, Ibiza, a position previously held by Erick Morillo and CJ Mackintosh. He also hosted the Ministry magazine Saturday morning Saturdays at Space.
When asked about his style Marc states that he only plays and makes good house music, in his words house music with a large amount of substance that infiltrates the crowd with bass, a feeling and an everlasting mark. Due to his extensive and dynamic diary Marcs style, inspirations and sets are constantly evolving and adapting to suit the club, country or continent that he is visiting, making for a very unpredictable and exciting musical journey whenever he plays.
In 2003 Ministry of Sound invited Marc to become resident at its flagship and world-renowned venue in South London. This coincided with the launch of the clubs Saturday Sessions night and its first ever compilation album aptly entitled Saturday Sessions that Marc mixed alongside Saville Row founder Jon Carter.
It was in the same year that Marc teamed up with Justin Spier in the studio to make one track, the one track being War / Idiot Box that sent dancefloors, DJs and airwaves crazy, featured on numerous compilation albums and solidified the partnership Hughes & Spier.
It was here that Marc and his partner became members of the House Brit Pack, a collective of producers and remixers including Audio Bullys, Switch, Jon Carter and more who have crept into the house arena in the past 5 years and sent it rockin, jackin and bouncin into an entirely new dimension with its distinctive leftfield British sound that uses samples from genres such as Hip Hop and Ragga making it fresh and upfront. Hughes & Spier are certainly ringleaders within this movement as they continue to produce and remix some of the finest house music to come out of the UK including Audio Bullys Snake; The Scissor Sisters Numb and more recently Britalics See you Through whilst releases have included Gordin/Sonck; Revelations and Put ya Body in it on Elementary Group and Show You Like This on Toolroom Records as part of the Saturday Sessions series. (See attached Hughes & Spier biog for further information)
So with this already covetable CV that includes global recognition, prestigious club residencies, chart hits and highly acclaimed studio output whats left for Marc to do? Easy he says, carry on as I am. Which for us means playing awesome DJ sets, producing and remixing first-class music and continuing his house music journey.
Let us all enjoy the ride.
