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Marky Star - EUPHORIA RECORDS, USA

1) What is your name? (the one your parents gave you)

Mark Brian Hobold - don’t ask where the Marky Star thing came from, I don’t even remember anymore…

2) Where are you from? Where are you living now?

From St. Louis, but I’ve lived in Dallas, Rome, Chicago and New York.

3) What language/s do you speak?

English is my primary language. But I also know Latin and Italian. I have studied Ancient Greek, Old French, Old Spanish, Modern French, Norwegian, and German. I want to learn Japanese very much.

4) Dogs or Cats? Explain...

That’s a tough decision – doggies are so loyal and loving, but cats are so cute and cuddly. I think I like both of them.

5) For you, what came first: paying to go to the club or breezing in for free?

Paying. I started Djing late. I was raving, then clubbing and producing and buying vinyl before I ever stepped up to the wheels of steel.

6) Which of these came first: DJ'ing or producing?

Producing – well, I was always in bands or trying to make music and I was committed to pursuing music as my lifelong goal early on. I began Djing when I realized you can’t make great tracks for DJ’s unless you are a DJ yourself. You have to be able to know how it’ll be used by the DJ. Or how to create a track that lends itself to versatility in the hands of a skilled DJ.

7) What is your worst DJ experience? Explain.

Playing at a bar in Chicago that had one 1200 and some belt-driven Gemini piece of shit hooked up to a two-channel battle mixer with no EQ. I had to play 80’s music instead of house.
And I’ve had a couple of doozies in St. Louis. Once I played a club there called The Living Room. Played to a HUGE, but empty space… They gave me no drink tickets. A dude ran up to me and requested Dirty Vegas – I said I didn’t have it – he runs upstairs to his loft, comes back to the booth with a copy of the DV record and says, now will you play it? Of course I don’t… later that same night a girl comes up and tells me to play faster and harder (mind you, no one is dancing, there are like 20 people there, so I don’t oblige her). Later she comes up and say “You suck!” wow… St. Louis… what a dump…

8) What is your best production experience? Why?

Every experience with Omni A.M. is good. And I have to say working with Mark Ambrose and Grant Dell and Casey Hogan have been absolute delights!

9) When did you realize you'd "made it" - or have you?

Could you repeat the question?

10) When touring/DJ'ing what is one thing you MUST bring? Why?

Toothbrush + Grooveglide. Keep those teeth nice and clean – and keep

those records clean too!!! Also, a good attitude is essential.

11) What is your musical guilty pleasure, come on, be honest... If you say Berlin or Madonna we won't laugh, we're all friends here!

Berlin, Madonna, Duran Duran – all New Wave & 80’s, Dub & Reggae and that one Alice Deejay track…

12) What is your favorite thing to cook?

Anything Asian or Italian!!

13) At the nude beach... do you 'cover your shame' or do you go au naturel?

I'm not shy about nudity, but I'm a pretty skinny & pale dude... should probably cover it up! ha! ;)

14) Where can you find the most beautiful girls in the world? (please don't say "on the internet!")

Japan and Italy.

15) Explain the origins (or meaning) of the expression "your ass is grass!"

I asked the question cuz I have NO IDEA where it came from!

16) What's your stance: Vinyl or CD? Or the happy co-existence thereof?

happy co-existence thereof… why can’t we all just love one another?

17) What is your favorite DJ mixer?

DJM-600/500 cuz they seem to be an industry standard so I feel comfortable

playing on them. I really like the DJM-3000 too, but with the Rotary Knobs installed.

I also love that old Roland 4 channel mixer w/ effects. And anything by Rane…

18) What is your favorite cartridge? Does it make that big of a difference?

Ortofon DJs – the new Shure Whitelabels are pretty nice too…

19) If you could go back in history, where would you go and what would you do?

I’d like to meet Charlemagne or Julius Caesar.

20) If you could ask us any question, what would it be?

I’m not about to talk to myself… that’s just embarrassing…