Return of the MK

The last twelve months have seen a growing number of producers and DJs reference the classic U.S. house sound of the nineties, with one artist from the decade seeming to enjoy a particular renaissance. Marc ‘MK’ Kinchen first started out in Detroit as a teenage protégé of techno legend Kevin Saunderson before later moving to New York, where he quickly established himself as prolific figure in the dance music community.  Renowned for the tracks ‘Burning’, ‘Always’, K.E.L.S.E.Y’s ‘Boy’ and 4th Measure Men’s’ ‘4 You’, he also delivered 200-plus unmistakeable remixes for artists ranging from Bizarre Inc to Blondie, none more famous than his mix of Nightcrawlers’ ‘Push The Feelin On’; output which helped him come to be revered by lovers of house and garage worldwide. To celebrate MK’s achievements and influence as a producer, Defected recently compiled a retrospective of his work as part of House Masters series, offering the perfect excuse for Pulse’s Colin Chapman to catch up with the now L.A. based producer for a chat.

Pulse: You started producing aged sixteen – how did you originally get involved in Detroit’s house and techno scene and what inspired you to make your own productions?  Marc Kinchen: I was always interested in making music and playing around with sounds, but at that time it was mostly alternative stuff that I loved; Ministry, Skinny Puppy, The Cure, Depeche Mode were my favourites, so being from Detroit my tastes were definitely a little different than what you might expect. However, house and techno became like the pulse of the city so it was really hard for those styles not to have an impact on you.  Looking back, Detroit has always been the mecca of rhythm, soul and dance music, after all it the birthplace of Motown. I thanks that when these particular musical roots were later merged with alternative and electronic sounds, house and techno was born. Getting involved in house music just seemed like a natural direction for me to go in.

Kevin Saunderson seems to have acted as a mentor for you early in your career – when did you first meet and how did your relationship develop?  I actually met Kevin through one of his KMS artists and A&R director, Chez Damier and he really put me and Kevin together, they are both super nice people. Kevin and I really hit it off, so I started hanging out in the studio with him and we became friends.

How important was he in helping your development as an artist?  He was super supportive and important; he showed me so many things and really helped me learn how to work in a real studio.

You moved to New York in the early nineties – what prompted this? Did you feel that you would be afforded more opportunities as a producer given that your sound perhaps had more in common with records coming out of the city than Detroit?  So much seemed to be happening in New York and I was getting all these calls about my first couple of releases, it just seemed like the business was out there so I got a plane ticket and went.

Looking back, how important do you think this change was for your career?  It was monumental; Kevin gave me some names of people that I should meet which is how I got hooked with my manager, Marci Weber. She was also managing Kevin at the time.

The nineties became an amazingly prolific period for you, particularly due to the number of remixes you worked on – can you explain how this all started? It was based on the success of a couple of my 12 inches, ‘Burning’ and my Fourth Measure Men track, ‘Just For You’; we started getting all these remix requests, my manager was definitely all over it and the offers started coming in like crazy, they were lots of fun to do.

Did the success of your ‘Dub Of Doom’ remix of Nightcrawlers ‘Push The Feeling On’ help push you further in this direction?  Oh, ‘Dub of Doom’ definitely helped give me opportunities, in a big way. Its popularity really opened the doors for me in the UK and Europe and helped with the launch of my own MK album, which came out on Charisma/Virgin at the time.

What was your general approach to the remix process? Is it true that you wouldn’t listen to the original track and just ask for a copy of the vocals?  Yes, most times I would tell Marci, my manager that I didn’t want to be sent the track because I felt that it would be distracting for me and I wanted to take a completely fresh with my remixed version.

You’re well known for the distinctive way you cut-up vocals on your remixes – what was it that first inspired you to take this approach?  It was just really my own way of making them like new songs.

You stepped away from working on house music in the mid-nineties and began working with R & B and hip-hop with the likes of Pitbull, Jay-Z, SWV and Snoop Doggy Dogg – how did you make this change? I’ve read that a meeting with Quincy Jones opened up a lot of doors for you – is this true?  Yes, it is true, I moved to LA started working with Quincy, which gave me the opportunity to get involved in full on productions and song-writing on the kind of tracks that before I might have just remixed as MK. I started using my own name and focused more on my R&B sound, which led me to produce and write for so many people, including Diane Warren, Enrique Inglesias, Shakira, Paulina Rubio, Tyrese and of course, Jay-Z and Snoop. It’s funny but I kept my house name, MK separate in the early days of working on those type of projects; I don’t think Jay – Z even realized that I was MK the house guy. I’m still not sure if he knows!

You’re now working with Will Smith, as well his children Jayden and Willow and you’re also Pitbull’s producer – what sort of projects have you been involved with?   I met Will a long time ago, we worked together for a few years and we’ve stayed friends. He and his main guy, Omar and I have just started a new production team, Stoopid Robots and we’re doing a lot of projects together.  I first met Pitbull when he used my Nightcrawlers remix as the basis of his single, ‘Hotel Room’; we hit it off and started working together.

What do you think was the most important thing you learned as producer in the early days that’s helped your career now?  That you should be true to yourself and make sure your surround with the people you trust.

In recent times, you’ve made a return to house music and have started DJing – what prompted this and what kind of reception have you had?  I started getting the calls after ‘Hotel Room’ went crazy and people were asking for remixes again. Simon Dunmore and Aaron from Defected kept asking me to license my tracks, so naturally I got curious about what was happening in the scene again. The reception has been crazy; people have been so enthusiastic and supportive and it’s been a lot of fun.

What do you think of the current house scene? It seems like the nineties house sound is definitely making a comeback, with more DJs playing tracks from this era (including your own) and artists like Maya Jane Coles seeming to take taking inspiration from you – what are your thoughts on this?   A lot of the house music coming out now has a retro feel but with a fresh vibe. I love Maya Jane Coles; I think she’s amazing and if someone like her does consider me as an inspiration then that’s really flattering and humbling.

Can you please tell me a bit about your Housemasters compilation for Defected that’s just been released? How did it come about and how did you choose which tracks to include?  It’s an honour to be asked to do this collection and Defected have done a great job getting all those remixes licensed and cleared, it has so many great tracks. I know it probably sounds funny but I really like the work and it still sounds fresh to me now. Some of my favourite remixes are on the collection and have a few of my own tracks have also be included, like ‘Burning’ and ‘Always’, which both feature Alana on vocals. It even includes my recent remix of ‘You’ve Changed’ a track by Lauren Flax from Creep that also features the singer, Sia as well as my own personal favourite, a remix of ‘Colour Of Love’ by Kevin Saunderson’s Reese Project.  I’ve wanted to do something like this for a long time but I knew there’d be a lot of negotiating and paperwork. All of the tracks come from different companies, so there were a lot of approvals to get from publishers and labels but Defected did a great job of sorting it all out to help get the album together; Aaron, Simon and I all chose what should be included.

Finally, what can we look forward to from MK as an artist and producer?  I am always making music and have a couple of really exciting things up my sleeve. We recently leaked out my remix for Dev; I’ve also done remixes for Ellie Goulding and Rough Diamondz featuring Katy B while Geenius did a song based on my track, ‘Burning’ called ‘You Got Me Burning’. I’m also working on more Willow tracks - her current single is ‘Fireball’ which features Nikki Minaj as well as songs for Jayden with Stoopid Robots. I’m also getting my DJ skills primed for a return to the UK and Europe; I’m going to playing at the Defected NYE party and hopefully I’ll make my Ibiza next year. I’ll also be working on some new MK material as well as more remixes for Creep too; bring on 2012, here I come!

Marc 'MK Kinchen plays at Defected's NYE Party.  For tickets and info, head here

Defected presents Housemasters- MK is out now

Listen to Marc 'MK' Kinchen on Pulse Radio