Engineering the New Timeless
Marko was born in Lake Placid, New York, and raised on a wide spectrum of music. His parents’ record collection moved effortlessly from classical to pop, soul to rock, laying the groundwork for a lifelong musical curiosity. He taught himself guitar at a young age and went on to form several bands in high school, including a metal outfit that played clubs around Minneapolis, where he grew up.
Over time, heavy riffs gave way to jazz chords. Discovering jazz expanded his musical language and deepened his understanding of harmony and composition. Around the same time, his father, a fan of funk and synthesizers, bought him his first sampler. Marko immersed himself in production, mastering the machine by the time he enrolled at Music Tech of Minneapolis (now McNally Smith College of Music) in 1997.
After graduating, he relocated to Boston, where he reconnected with distant cousin, Tari. Already immersed in DJ culture, Tari introduced Marko to house music in a way that changed everything. One particular record, “Sitting in the Sun” by Dialect left a permanent mark and shifted his creative direction toward the dancefloor.
In 1999 Marko met producer Dana Kelley, also known as DKMA. After hearing one of Marko’s CDs playing at Satellite, Kelley passed it along to Rick Salzer, A&R at Under Cover Music Group in New York. A release on Plastic City was slated, but the events of 9/11 halted the project before it could see the light of day.
Deeply affected by that period and other personal experiences, Marko wrote “Good People,” which became his first official single on Bananza Music. The track marked the beginning of a steady stream of releases and established his presence within the house community.
Following the formation of Trademarq with Tari, the duo went on to release music on labels including Nervous, Classic, Dot Bleep, Uniform, Innuendo and Dirty Trick, with tracks licensed to the House of Om mix CD curated by Colette and DJ Heather.
Outside of Trademarq, Marko’s solo work has appeared on numerous compilations, including releases mixed by John Debo, DJ Fluid and DJ Heather. “Good People” received remix treatment from Ted Patterson, Seminal Grooves and house legend Frankie Knuckles, with a release delivered on Knuckles’ Noice label.
Marko continues to produce forward-thinking music, with releases spanning Bananza, Dirty Trick, Lazy Days, Dot Bleep and BlackCherry, maintaining a sound rooted in musicality, groove and authenticity.
Mixtapes
Production
Evidence of Fun
