It's that time of the month for Best Promos, ladies and gentle...no, not that type of time of the month, silly! It's the time of the month where I dress up as Michael Parkinson and sit down with a member of the dance music community to talk about their life, their desires and their favourite things.
This week is a very special interview with a very special man. Man2.0 is on the up and up. He's a DJ, a producer, a radio disc jokey and an evil mass murderer who targets vulnerable OAPs.........
...LOL, only joshing with ya! The only thing Man2.0 murders is a dancefloor (in a good way).
For the interrogation, I reserved a candlelit table for two at J.J. Moon's Wetherspoon's in Ruislip Manor, by the window. J.J. Moon's is well known for it's famous clientele. As well as Man2.0 and the editor of Best Promos, the other celebrity regular is The Wealdstone Raider. As Man2.0 and I put the world to rights, The Wealdstone Raider sat a couple of tables away, nursing a massive pint of lager on his own. I thought about inviting him over to join us, but I didn't want any trouble; he can be a right nasty cat after a few massive lagers.
As hundreds of middle-aged alcoholics wheezed loudly about "the illegals" and "the scum nurses", I shut the world out and gazed into Man2.0's big, gorgeous, colourful eyes. The interview began...
Q. What's your name, where do you come from and what do you do?
A. Good Afternoon Big Promos! I hope you are well! My name is Mark and I sometimes make music and DJ as MAN2.0. I am an occasional presenter on a late-night radio show on Voices Radio which is called Embryonic Soundwave.Q. Are you looking forward to Christmas? What is Christmas and New Year looking like for you? Talk us through your Christmas Day.
A. Christmas is going to be an interesting time. There has been a lot of change this year, so it might be a little complicated, but generally I do love a bit of Christmas. I like to cook, and there are people in the house who like to eat food, so there's a bit of a symbiotic relationship there. Generally, I'll be woken up by Boy2.0 and Boy2.1 in the hours between 3am and 10am. Presents generally get opened around 9am, and I will play roughly a 3-5 hour set of euphoric Trance, Fleetwood Mac, New Beat, Christmas Carols and about 50% of my own tracks. I am toying with the idea of live streaming this year's festivities. ("Oh! Please do", I replied.)
After that, I'll cook up food while the boys are playing with presents, mainly cheap synths that I have bought with the intention of not letting them use come Boxing Day.
Q. What is the best Christmas present you've ever had? Mine was a Super Nintendo in 1992. Tell us about your favourite ever Christmas.
A. Usually I get socks, which are really good, because you can never have too many socks, right?
Q. Who is your best friend in dance music?
A. Neil / Tronik Youth was one of the first people to sign my tracks and put stuff out, we've maintained a good relationship over the years and played together quite a few times. His missus recently cooked us both a very nice veggie curry which taught me where I am going wrong in my own curry making process.
Q. You are offered £500,000 to DJ at the wedding of David Walliams and Janine Butcher off of EastEnders. You are asked to sign a confidentiality agreement and non-disclosure contract because, and you are told this at the time, there will be some activities going on at the wedding reception which would cause irreparable damage to the reputation of David and Janine, and would almost certainly bring unwanted digging by the police. Although you are not allowed to disclose the goings on at the reception, your appearance as DJ is heavily publicised by David and Janine on social media. All artistic credibility you have built up over the years will vanish immediately and you will be a laughing stock amongst your cool friends, but you will have half a million in the bank. Do you accept the job?
A. Strangely, I have already been offered this job BUT I couldn't in all good conscience take it since I once DJ'd at the wedding of John Leslie and Julie Goodyear in Ibiza in 1988. (I was literally 8 years old at the time. and the marriage didn't last long, as Julie Goodyear dumped him for Justin Fashanu.) It was very well paid but the fallout in the years following considerably damaged my reputation as a superstar DJ and while the likes of Sasha and Paul Oakenfold went on to become the dominant stars of the electronic music scene, I had to go on to a GNVQ in media studies while being hounded by the press and having my name tainted on Myspace and Bebo.
Q. What's your favourite colour and why?
A. Tough question, I like black because it's the colour you have to wear to get into Berghains, but I'm also a bit of a sucker for red as well, although I'm not really sure why. ("You'd look so, so fab in red", I grovelled.)
* * * DECIUS at Snap Crackle & Pop - Friday 20 January 2023 - TICKETS HERE * * *
Q. Aside from work, do you go clubbing much? If so, where to, etc.?
A. I've not been out nearly as much as I'd have liked to have done in the last few years but I used to go pretty regularly to Snap Crackle & Pop because Harry who runs it is a lovely lad. I spent most of my 20s at The End and Fabric, but don't want to sound too much like a burnout.
Q. How do you sit down and write a song? Do you start off with the drums or the bass line or the melody or what?
A. The start of a track usually starts with me listening to another track and trying to remake that track but it will usually start with a hook or a sample of some kind and warp it to the point where I can't be sued and then build something around that. The process changes depending on whether I have a new bit of software or a new cheap synth that I have stolen from my children.
Q. Best Promos is so successful and lucrative, with loads of advertising money and sponsorship coming in, that it is now my day job. I can provide for my family through Best Promos...and then some! I only continue to work in IT as an Infrastructure Design Analyst for a local government, blue-light organisation as a bit of a fun hobby. For a laugh. Is dance music your proper job or do you subsidise it with proper work?
A. Real talk, Music has always been a wee bit like therapy for me. I've never considered it a full-time career but more a hobby and eventually a side hustle, I would do it full time but it would need to fit around my life as a full time carer for a severely autistic lad. It is my lad, I haven't stolen him from anywhere just in case anyone was thinking that.
Q. You have incredibly strong ties to Eastcote and Ruislip. What is it about the place that it seems to continually produce so many great artists and writers?
A. I think the travel links help! It has always been easy for artists who live in Ruislip to link up with folks in Ruislip Manor for example. Those links help people feed off of each other's creativity. I think the mystery of what goes on in Northolt Airfield captures a lot of people's imaginations and one walk up Eastcote High Street, you can just feel the energy, the history. ("Amen to that!", I hollered.)
Q. Have you got decks at home, and a home studio thing? Can you tell the nerds and the geeks who read this all about your tech stuff, please?
A. Because of a complicated household, I don't really have a conventional set up. I have a very basic DJ controller that I put mixes together on, I have a few synths - the most expensive one I have is an Arturia Microfreak, I have a keystep, a Korg Volca Modular, an Alesis SR-15, a Korg Monotron Delay and Abelton Live 11 with an assortment of free VSTs which generally see me through the production process.
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Q. Your new EP on Death Decay Magic is brilliant. Why is it so brilliant and what is the story behind this brilliant release?
A. A lot of it was stuff I made during the second lockdown, with Heathers, I'd not long watched the theatre adaptation of the 80s movie Heathers (I know, posh right?!), and I had been told I'd never made a proper house record by an anonymous Soundcloud user, so I had a crack at that. I'm not sure how housey it actually is but it does have a breathy sample in it of someone saying something which sounds like "heathers", although I think it actually says "Heaven". The others are the result of finding a new bit of software or a new synth which I had stolen from my children and fed the noises into the computer.
I'm also very close with Jordan / Black Light Smoke, which is strange because having become quite close pen pals over lockdown, I went to see him once at Fabric for a Superfreq night years ago, and I was a bit of a fanboy. There are a few other honourable mentions: Brad and Pete who occasionally run Det Sync records are lovely lads. ("Ahem, cough cough, aren't you forgetting someone, Man2.0?", I flustered.)
Q. If you could sit down with Father Christmas for half an hour, what would you ask him? What would you talk about?
A. There would be a lot of chat about logistics and his fave biscuits. I'd probably ask him to choose a current favourite track, an all-time favourite track and one of his own. Did he get into Berghains when he was in Berlin? That sort of thing.
Q. If you could sit down with Father Christmas for half an hour, what would you ask him? What would you talk about?
A. There would be a lot of chat about logistics and his fave biscuits. I'd probably ask him to choose a current favourite track, an all-time favourite track and one of his own. Did he get into Berghains when he was in Berlin? That sort of thing.
Q. You are offered £500,000 to DJ at the wedding of David Walliams and Janine Butcher off of EastEnders. You are asked to sign a confidentiality agreement and non-disclosure contract because, and you are told this at the time, there will be some activities going on at the wedding reception which would cause irreparable damage to the reputation of David and Janine, and would almost certainly bring unwanted digging by the police. Although you are not allowed to disclose the goings on at the reception, your appearance as DJ is heavily publicised by David and Janine on social media. All artistic credibility you have built up over the years will vanish immediately and you will be a laughing stock amongst your cool friends, but you will have half a million in the bank. Do you accept the job?
A. Strangely, I have already been offered this job BUT I couldn't in all good conscience take it since I once DJ'd at the wedding of John Leslie and Julie Goodyear in Ibiza in 1988. (I was literally 8 years old at the time. and the marriage didn't last long, as Julie Goodyear dumped him for Justin Fashanu.) It was very well paid but the fallout in the years following considerably damaged my reputation as a superstar DJ and while the likes of Sasha and Paul Oakenfold went on to become the dominant stars of the electronic music scene, I had to go on to a GNVQ in media studies while being hounded by the press and having my name tainted on Myspace and Bebo.
Q. What's your favourite colour and why?
A. Tough question, I like black because it's the colour you have to wear to get into Berghains, but I'm also a bit of a sucker for red as well, although I'm not really sure why. ("You'd look so, so fab in red", I grovelled.)
 |
Q. Aside from work, do you go clubbing much? If so, where to, etc.?
A. I've not been out nearly as much as I'd have liked to have done in the last few years but I used to go pretty regularly to Snap Crackle & Pop because Harry who runs it is a lovely lad. I spent most of my 20s at The End and Fabric, but don't want to sound too much like a burnout.
Q. How do you sit down and write a song? Do you start off with the drums or the bass line or the melody or what?
A. The start of a track usually starts with me listening to another track and trying to remake that track but it will usually start with a hook or a sample of some kind and warp it to the point where I can't be sued and then build something around that. The process changes depending on whether I have a new bit of software or a new cheap synth that I have stolen from my children.
Q. Best Promos is so successful and lucrative, with loads of advertising money and sponsorship coming in, that it is now my day job. I can provide for my family through Best Promos...and then some! I only continue to work in IT as an Infrastructure Design Analyst for a local government, blue-light organisation as a bit of a fun hobby. For a laugh. Is dance music your proper job or do you subsidise it with proper work?
A. Real talk, Music has always been a wee bit like therapy for me. I've never considered it a full-time career but more a hobby and eventually a side hustle, I would do it full time but it would need to fit around my life as a full time carer for a severely autistic lad. It is my lad, I haven't stolen him from anywhere just in case anyone was thinking that.
Q. You have incredibly strong ties to Eastcote and Ruislip. What is it about the place that it seems to continually produce so many great artists and writers?
A. I think the travel links help! It has always been easy for artists who live in Ruislip to link up with folks in Ruislip Manor for example. Those links help people feed off of each other's creativity. I think the mystery of what goes on in Northolt Airfield captures a lot of people's imaginations and one walk up Eastcote High Street, you can just feel the energy, the history. ("Amen to that!", I hollered.)
Q. Have you got decks at home, and a home studio thing? Can you tell the nerds and the geeks who read this all about your tech stuff, please?
A. Because of a complicated household, I don't really have a conventional set up. I have a very basic DJ controller that I put mixes together on, I have a few synths - the most expensive one I have is an Arturia Microfreak, I have a keystep, a Korg Volca Modular, an Alesis SR-15, a Korg Monotron Delay and Abelton Live 11 with an assortment of free VSTs which generally see me through the production process.
A. A lot of it was stuff I made during the second lockdown, with Heathers, I'd not long watched the theatre adaptation of the 80s movie Heathers (I know, posh right?!), and I had been told I'd never made a proper house record by an anonymous Soundcloud user, so I had a crack at that. I'm not sure how housey it actually is but it does have a breathy sample in it of someone saying something which sounds like "heathers", although I think it actually says "Heaven". The others are the result of finding a new bit of software or a new synth which I had stolen from my children and fed the noises into the computer.
BUY IT: HEATHERS BY MAN.20
Q. What's your favourite ever club night, your favourite ever DJ and your favourite ever producer?
A. The bestest ever club night over the years has been Bugged Out!. It's always been off the wall and always had my favourite DJs playing my fave producers there. Over the years, folks like Erol Alkan and Justin Robertson have provided great soundtracks to nights out but currently, I'd say May McLaren and Ambient Babestation Meltdown are two I listen out for. Difficult not to get excited about David Vunk, too.
My fave producer varies day to day, It could be Brian Eno, Richard Fearless, Rex the Dog, DC Salas... I'm really going through a bit of a phase with Mani Festo and Borai and their little twist on that '91 sound. Basically I'll just name everyone so that nobody gets offended.
Q. What's your favourite ever club night, your favourite ever DJ and your favourite ever producer?
A. The bestest ever club night over the years has been Bugged Out!. It's always been off the wall and always had my favourite DJs playing my fave producers there. Over the years, folks like Erol Alkan and Justin Robertson have provided great soundtracks to nights out but currently, I'd say May McLaren and Ambient Babestation Meltdown are two I listen out for. Difficult not to get excited about David Vunk, too.
My fave producer varies day to day, It could be Brian Eno, Richard Fearless, Rex the Dog, DC Salas... I'm really going through a bit of a phase with Mani Festo and Borai and their little twist on that '91 sound. Basically I'll just name everyone so that nobody gets offended.
 |
| Elton John on his piano |
Q. The Shakin' Stevens one or Elton John one?
A. I'm glad you asked that question, because the answer is the Elton John one: that bassline tho'. That kick drum tho'. It has a breakdown. It's essentially a techno record. People often say that the 'innovators' (my sarcastic scare quotes) were inspired by Kraftwerk and Electro, but when I went to Kevin Saunderson's house to help him set up his first email account (BigFun69@hotmail.usa.uk) I saw a test pressing of 'Now That's What I Call Christmas: Volume One'.
Elton John. All day, every day. ("No, it's the Shakin' Stevens one", I muttered under my breath.)
Q. Best Promos has a weekly global reach of almost 100 people, per week. What upcoming music or events would you like to plug on here, to almost 100 people?
A. Heathers on Death Decay Magic is out now, digitally, or for those that prefer something physical and tangible in a throwaway age, I have a vinyl EP out at the moment called Music is My Drug on Next Door Records. I'd also like to let people know I'm available to play parties because I'm not officially booked to play anywhere between now and June 2023, so if you'd like to see me at your party, slide into my DMs (Direct Messages, not Doc Martens!).
Buy the 10/10 rated Music Is Our Drug EP by following this link here, now: Music Is Our Drug
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What a nice man! Please join me in wishing Man2.0 the very best of wishes for Christmas, the New Year and all of the following year to come. I'll be following his career closely from now on and cheering it on like a hunky, American cheerleader.
Buy the 10/10 rated Music Is Our Drug EP by following this link here, now: Music Is Our Drug
-------------------------------------------------------------
What a nice man! Please join me in wishing Man2.0 the very best of wishes for Christmas, the New Year and all of the following year to come. I'll be following his career closely from now on and cheering it on like a hunky, American cheerleader.
Next week, I'll be telling you why I'm only going to be playing songs off of the new Mainframe EP by the shadowy, shady, shit-smashing super DJ: MPX, at my exclusive NYE bash at Best Promos HQ in Eastcote.
Mainframe got a WHOPPING 10/10 when I discussed it in private with The Wealdstone Raider. It's OUT NOW on APE-X and I'm tellin' ya now, it's Grrrrrrrrrrilliant!
BUY IT: Mainframe by MPX
Follow MPX on Twitter: ?????????
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Follow MPX on Instagram: ?????????
Have a smashing Christmas, everyone. Be good...and if you can't be good, be careful!! LOL.
Have a smashing Christmas, everyone. Be good...and if you can't be good, be careful!! LOL.
Ch-check out the National Autistic Society and DONATE if you can/aren't Ebeneezer Scrooge McDuck.
Email me: BestPromos4Eva@gmail.com
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