So here's how it goes. We're deep in the Chicago sound. Dance Mania, Relief, Prescription, Trax and all the wax that could never come from anywhere else. And the Chicago dj's? Incredible, original, inspirational and all making those insanely good records. I mean, thats how we found out about them! Whenever we booked one of our Chi Town heroes, Cajmere, Gemini, Farris, Carter, it was primarily because we knew their tunes. Bought their tracks!
But back then Mark Farina never released records (one in 89 under a pseudonym). His outstanding reputation filtered through to us from his Chicago compadre. From in the know agents and old friends. They all said the same thing.
Mark Farina is legend!
Then the opportunity arose to book him.
The recording here is from, I think, his first visit to Tribal Funktion. Some time in early 96. I have stacks of DATs from Tribal nights but currently no DAT machine and this recording has been lifted from a chrome cassette bearing only his name, TF and the year 96. No matter. It sounds great and as soon as I clapped my ears on it I was transported back like a tardis on steroids.
Who else could blend Jeff Mills with Sting or anything with something you'd not expect. And this was no gimmick. This was just how he djed. How he expressed his love for music. That and his compulsion to play records in a way you've never heard them before. To take chalk and cheese and blend them to sound like Ella and Louis. And all this with two (or three) turntables. No laptop, cd's, software or modern methods that dj's all take for granted now. It made it all so bloody exciting.
So before I settle into my "back in my day" armchair please click here to download what I think is Mark's first visit to Tribal. Enjoy and stay tuned for more in the very near future.
