We caught up with all round good guy Mark Fancuilli (brother of Nic) to chat about what he’s been up to recently.

Hey Mark, thanks for joining us today. How are you doing and what have you been up to recently?

I’m good thank you, currently enjoying a very productive week in the studio working on new music. The past few months have been great with my latest release getting a positive reception and some unbelievable gigs such as the Social Festival in the Americas.

You were known for being Nic’s brother but have gone on to become a highly respected underground artist in your own right. Which artists have had an influence on the music you’re producing today?

There are a lot of artists who influence me, for example on the more housey and jacking side of things I would say Paul Johnson. Carl Craig has long been an inspiration too, especially with the baselines he creates. Adding one more name to that list, I would say Truncate, he has such a distinct sound going on which I just love.

It’s nearly been a year since you launched your label Between 2 Points. What was the concept behind the label and do you have plans to do any label parties?

The concept behind the label is for it to be a reflection of me, as I make and play music across the House & Techno spectrum. Certain releases will only suit certain labels, but with B2P you get the whole package. The radio show also expresses the same purpose. I play music that’s doing it for, music that has influenced me and also get to invite guests onto the show who inspire me.

We’re premiering the track ‘Back In The D’ from your next release on the label. What equipment are you using in the studio to get your sound?

For percussion I am using 808 / 909 sounds a lot. These will either come from audio files or software synths like the Drumazon which will then be processed using plugins from Waves and UAD. I’m also using a lot of outboard stuff from Roland like the JV1080. Simple changes like that are making the sessions much more productive. For ‘Back In The D’, the bassline came from the Novation Bass Station and I also brought in a session singer and processed the vocals, heavily pitching them down several semitones.

https://soundcloud.com/changeunder/cupremiere-mark-fancuilli-back-in-the-d-between-2-points

There seems to be a big trend for the industry moving towards analogue recordings right now. Any plans?

I just recently got hold of my Dad’s old Reel to Reel player. It’s over 40 years old and i’ve been listening back to some of his old Disco collection on it, even just listening to that is inspiring. I’m going to get it serviced and then i’ll start to put some audio through it for tape saturation. I’ll use it mainly for drums and perhaps some vocals but maybe even for the whole mix. Some of my friends do it, but some people disagree with the results that it produces. Either way I’m going to give that a try as that’s how great things can be discovered.

Are you using turntables in your DJ sets?

I’m not currently using turntables in my sets but am not ruling it out for the future. Record shopping is something that I still enjoy doing. Whats not to like about hunting through basements in shops around the world trying to find some rare tracks that aren’t available on download?

Can you tell us what other gigs or projects you’ve got coming up?

The release schedule is packed for the summer months. After the EP on Between 2 Points, the next release that I have coming is on Argentinian label, Rules. Following that will be an EP on my friend DJ3000’s label, Motech, which is receiving the remix treatment from both him and Mazepa. Summer looks to be another fun one with trips to the US planned and of course, many festivals.

Do you and your brother have a good chemistry behind the decks and in the studio? And do you have any plans to link up again in the future?

Yeah totally, we know one another inside out and understand what each other is about and stuff. Behind the decks we know each other’s style and in the studio it’s the same. We’ll link up for some B2B gigs and studio work again I’m sure, we were even talking about it today, but for the moment we’re busy doing other stuff and it’ll come naturally soon.

Are you two competitive and who’s the better DJ in your opinion? 🙂

My brother is the guy who introduced me into DJing and has always supported and influenced me with it. He introduced me to so many genres as a teenager and whenever we hang out there’s always that exciting element of “Here, have you heard this record?????”. I know it’s a bit bias coming from me but he is and always has been forward thinking and pushing boundaries. A DJ that can be placed in many different clubs whilst retaining his own style, that’s something I try to incorporate into what I do.