Mark Fanciulli - Saved In Miami

Mark Fanciulli carries a recognisable surname in the world of house music, being the younger brother of ex-Radio 1 and world renowned DJ and producer, Nic.  Whilst he may not deny that such a connection has had some bearing on his direction, Fanciulli the younger  has been making an ever more indellible imprint on the dance music world in his own right, having DJ'd in an impressive number of clubs and recenly releasing his much anticipated record, Sacrifice, on his own Saved label.  With huge support from all the right people, most notably Pete Tong and Laurent Garnier, the DJ and producer is set to smash this year's Miami and Ibiza season, so we sat him down for a chat and grabbed a guest mix from him.

Pulse Radio: Did your older brother Nic help you find your way into Djing and dance music? Mark Fanciulli: Is there any competition between the two of you?  He was the one who introduced me to both. I would always hear him mixing in his bedroom when he started out playing and I got more and more into it.   First through buying mix compilations and recording radio shows then buying my first set of decks at 14. With regards to competition there isn't any, he's a great brother and really supportive with me not only in my music, but in all I do.

You co-run label Saved - how's that going? what can we look forward to in 2012?  Yeah it's going really well thanks. 2012 has been going good so far and we have been releasing music from artists old and new to the label which is nice.
We have some great music coming up in thte pipeline which we are looking forward to releasing as well as starting our parties at Ministry in London, SET, Miami for the conference this week and back to our hometown in the coming months.

You have a new single coming out for this summer, can you tell us a little bit about it? Why are we going to be dancing to it? Why choose this song for release?  This is my 1st release on Saved. I originally started it in the middle of last year on a late night studio session. I kept working on it every so often and I got to a point where I thought a vocal could work well on this. I then started to write some lyrics for it which when I was happy with them brought a session musician in to lay down the vocals. I think people will be dancing to it because it's a very catchy, accessible record. Producing this type of record is important to me as I would like as many people to enjoy it as possible. It's primarily a house track with a real old school chicago feel to it, but I love having my friends who are Techno DJ's tell me they are into it.

How important are vocals to your tracks? How do you play with them?  Vocals are very important to me as they can make a track a whole lot more interesting, it can bring it up to a new level. Once I have them laid down and recorded in the studio, I will have a play around with them in the arranger, seeing what works with them and what doesn't.  I will use as many effects (if necessary) as I can to make them unique and stand out. I can see myself using them a lot more in future, but not strictly for every release.

What's it like as a young DJ coming into the house scene which has such a history? Are you influenced by anyone from it?  It's great to try and work it into a scene which has a big past and has produced a lot of talent over the years. There are so many people that inspire me with my music and each for different reasons. I like Todd Terry for his loud pumping kicks, &ME for the warm drummy feel his tracks possess, and for basslines I think Carlo Lio produces some of the best.

You've gathered the support of some big names - what's that been like? Is there anyone in particular which you're proud of getting on your side?  It's been great. I am grateful for all the feedback I get both good and bad, but having the support from the big players in the game is so nice to have.  They are the people I aspire to be and if the crowds and DJ's like it as well, I know I'm doing something right.  If I had to pick a few it would be Pete Tong, Laurent Garnier, Carl Cox, Adam Beyer and Ashley Beedle.

There's a long list of places you've played - do you have a favourite club? What's it like travelling the world with your music?  It's hard to choose just one but one of my favourite clubs is Ministry of Sound, I've played there many times over the years and it still rocks. What's also good is that it also caters for a crowd across the board.  If you want something more techy you can go to the box, or if you're feeling something housey there's the bar. We're launching our Saved parties there on March 10th.  Vanguard in Las Vegas is a cool spot as well. A fun, underground, and raw venue to play in. Getting to travel to places like these and play my sounds is really good fun and something that I am very grateful for and hope to build on for many years to come.

How would you compare London's scene to the rest of the world?  London's scene is very healthy. It is still I think thought of as one of the leading places for electronic music. There are other great places in europe of course and America is expanding in both the underground and commerical, but a lot of people abroad I think still want to having a real clubbing experience in the UK, especially as there is a lot of history here.

What are you playing out at the moment? Favourite track in your set?  There is so much great music coming out at the moment, If I had to pick 1 record that is the favourite track of my sets at the moment it is Clio with "Into The Disco". He is a really unique artist who has his own sound going and sounds very original.

Will you be taking your sound over to Ibiza this summer? How are you preparing for Ibiza season? Any favourite moments from past years out there?  We are just working on some dates over there at the moment. Other than that I think I'll be making a few sneaky trips over there for leisure purposes. Ibiza has brought me, like many people so many great memories. Each time I visit the island I come back holding more to look back on. One of my favourite memories was going to space for the first time in 2005 and seeing the Discoteca in full swing, a room which I'd like to play in one day.

Tracklist - 

Nyra - Funf [Never Learnt]
Macromism - Roll Tabor (Sante Eemix) [Kiara]
Little Fritter - On the Down Low [Ama]
Maetrik - The Reason [Cocoon]
Marcelus - Shape [Deeply Rooted House]
Santos - Primitive Cannible (Tanov remix) [Monique Musique]
Marcel Dettman - Planning [Ostgut Ton]
Reset Robot - Purple Shoots [truesoul]
Ripperton - For All The Wrong Reasons (Skudge remix) [Tamed Musique]
La Pena - Discodogs [La Pena]
Leon - Unusual Suspects [Waveform]
Alex Tepper - Playing Up [Inmotion]
Roman Lindau - Avide [Fachwerk Digital]
Hattara - Lips [Affin]
Frank Haag - The Verdict (Konrad Black's Split Focus mix) [Get The Curse]

Mark Fanciulli - Sacrifice is out now on Saved Records

Listen to Mark Fanciulli on Pulse Radio