Having recently announced MK's headlining New Year's Eve apperance at London's Ministry of Sound for Defected In The House, we take a closer look at the past, present and future of one of the hottest house artists in the world.
"One of the first house music records I heard was ‘Jack Your Body’ where it's just drums and a bassline and a vocal repeated over and over. That was the stupidest thing ever for me. But then, I got it. I started to understand it. And once I understood it there was no stopping me." MK
The producer known around the world as MK was an early starter, no doubt. Making his first record aged 14, he quickly became one of Detroit’s – followed swiftly by the world’s – most sought-after producers and remixers, and while this transformation from wide-eyed music enthusiast to five-figure fee commanding artist wasn’t exactly overnight, the upward trajectory of Marc Kinchen’s career has without doubt been impressively rapid. So how did a self-confessed “quiet and alternative” kid from Detroit come to become one of electronic music’s superstars?
From his very first record, MK has managed what so many producers strive for a lifetime to achieve; to create a sound that is unique, yet accessible; varied yet recognisable and – perhaps most importantly for his current lofty position as musical hero to the masses – danceable. As simplistic as the programming and production may now be in retrospect, his first ‘official’ record – ‘First Bass’ under the Separate Minds alias – bears all these enviable hallmarks, and caught the ear of techno pioneer Kevin Saunderson, who signed it to his legendary KMS label. So began a fruitful period for the young MK, you had “unrestricted” access to Saunderson’s studio in which he began to hone his skills.
Of course, for most casual music fans the first experience of MK will have been through his seminal reworking of Nightcrawler’s ‘Push The Feeling On’ a mix that he threw together “in about 30 minutes” after the initial version was rejected. The record famously went on to sell over 3 million copies, securing its creator offers galore at a fee of $20,000 a pop. Somewhat counter-intuitively, it was this insatiable demand for MK’s services that lead to his withdrawal from dance music. "Everyone just wanted another Nightcrawlers” he told Resident Advisor back in 2011. “I just thought, “Nah, you're taking the fun out of it now!’”
A chance encounter with Quincy Jones lead to a well-documented foray into mainstream production, during which he amassed production credits of working alongside a frankly ridiculous array of A-list talent (think Will Smith, Snoop Dogg, Jay Z, Celine Dion, Pet Shops Boys, the list goes on). “It’s a lot of fun producing that stuff,” MK admits “but it can be very political. You don’t have the same type of freedom on those pop projects as when you’re doing some really cool underground track”. Luckily for MK, the door back into the world of the underground was about to be thrown wide open.
“There is no questioning the undisputed brilliance of Marc Kinchen, the Detroit maverick who changed house music” DJ Mag
Over a decade after he first walked away from dance music, Defected Records released House Masters MK, a retrospective collection of MK’s finest moments and a fitting tribute to a man whose records soundtracked the clubs and raves of the 90s, even if he wasn’t around to witness it first-hand. “Simon [Dunmore] reached out to me a couple of years ago, when I wasn’t doing any dance music at all. He wanted to release my back catalogue and I was like, ‘cool’.” Cool indeed, but as strong as the catalogue undoubtedly is, even the Defected Records founder would have been hard-pressed to predict just how frenzied the reaction would be to the refocusing of attention on tracks like ‘Burning’, ‘Always’ and ‘4 You’. This was the catalyst that re-introduced MK to a new generation of fans, reignited his passion for dance music, and set the tone for everything that was to follow.
These days of course its nigh-on impossible to be a successful, in-demand producer without someone wanting you to DJ. So it proved with MK, who despite having worked in the industry for the majority of his life had never previously had the beat-matching pleasure. Again, Defected was somewhat instrumental in kick-starting this aspect of MK’s career. “I used to have to take my brother, Scotty Deep with me when I was booked to play; he would do all the work and I’d just stand there pressing a few buttons!” One of the first ever times MK played solo was at Defected’s infamous Heads Up events at London’s The Horse & Groom, something that MK described as “the best party atmospheres I’ve ever seen.”
Without question, MKs reintroduction has been well-timed. During the dark days of minimal, new fans of MK’s characteristically upbeat, invigorating sound might have been few and far between. These days however, MK is about as relevant as it’s possible to be; a pin-up DJ for a legion of fans younger than many of his records. Not that something as irrelevant as age has stopped people getting to know his back-catalogue, drop ‘Burning’ on a reasonably clued-up crowd these days and you’re likely to find a chorus of smiling faces singing it back to you, word perfect.
“I don’t think I ever DJed a set without at least playing one MK track.” Kerri Chandler
His recent association with the darlings of party house, Hot Natured has no doubt eased his reintroduction. MK first met Jamie Jones and Lee Foss when they asked him first to DJ at their Miami party – not realising this was something he didn’t really do at this stage – and then to remix their summer hit ‘Forward Motion’, the success of which further propelled MK into the widening limelight. A number of mutual collaborations followed, including one with vocalist Anabel Englund on the Electricity EP. The threesome is now working together more permanently as Pleasure State, a “proper group” which will see both a full live tour and an album soon to be formerly announced.
2013 saw another milestone in the career of MK, yet again in collaboration with Defected Records. Released earlier in the year, Defected presents MK In The House showcases a hand-picked selection of records both new and old, and – somewhat incredibly – is the first mix compilation MK has ever produced. Awarded Compilation of the Month in Mixmag (June ’13) and described as “flawless” by DJ Mag (May ’13), the dance music press were near universal in their praise for this first foray in the mix format from a producer whose tracks have been omnipresent on mixes and dancefloors for over two decades.
"MK is a true innovator and originator, a pioneer of true deep house. Todd Edwards was playing a few of his classic tunes at the Ministry on Saturday and they still sounded wicked." Felix (Basement Jaxx)
MK is now reaping the rewards of such unassuming consistency, undoubtedly one of the few DJs who can provoke as fervent praise from those who work within the industry as those who unfailingly flock to the parties at which he performs. At a appearance for Defected In The House at Savannah’s backroom earlier this summer, the atmosphere was more like a gig than a DJ booking; lines of revellers waiting patiently in their hundreds for the chance to squeeze into the tiny room and party with their DJ idol. Similarly, in some circumstances you don’t even need the man himself to be present; try dropping his Dub III of Storm Queen’s ‘Look Right Through’ on a full dancefloor without being blown away by the near-hysterical reaction.
With a full commercial release scheduled for early November – and having already been added to a variety of mainstream radio playlists – ‘Look Right Through’ could end up becoming one of those all-too elusive house records; a genuine, crossover hit, born in the underground and achieving greatness down to the quality of the production, rather than any artificially created hype. Regardless of what the record does in the mainstream however, MK’s year looks to be ending even more impressively than it began, with a headline New Year’s Eve slot at London’s Ministry of Sound for Defected In The House promising to be the biggest – and, if current developments are to be believed, fastest-selling – nights in the capital.
So where now? After conquering the pop and underground music scenes (twice), is there a limit to how far MK’s star can rise in the foreseeable future? To speculate is probably unwise, given his propensity for making decisions other people might see as crazy; he’s got form after all. For now though, MK is undoubtedly one of the biggest and most-revered talents in underground house, with the assured potential to go all the way to the top. For all our sakes, let’s hope he continues to have fun – as long as that’s happening, we’ll continued to be blessed with a truly unique artist.
The rise and rise of Marc Kinchen continues…
Words: Greg Sawyer
MK plays Ministry of Sound for Defected In The House this New Year's Eve – click for full line-up info and tickets
MK In The House is out now – buy from iTunes
