Born in 1980, Marcus Homm’s passion for electro music ignited at 15, leading him to buy a turntable and start mixing records. His first gig came at age 21, and he later returned to his native Romania, where he met his current production partner, Mihai Popoviciu. Together, they explored the burgeoning club scene and opened a record store. Alongside DJing, Homm was a professional Latin American dancer, influencing his rhythmic sensibilities. In 2006, he began producing music in Moscow, creating a unique style spanning Deep House to Tech House. His constant musical evolution led to successful releases with various labels. In 2009, his summer hit “Bis Co” garnered widespread acclaim. Despite his international success, Homm continues to innovate, as seen in his live project, The Highgrade Disharmonic Orchestra, and his endless stream of impressive musical offerings.
Markus recently dropped a three-track EP on Steve Bug’s Sublease Music imprint, further solidifying his claim as one of the world’s most profound underground talents. You can download/stream Markus’ ‘Cubicle’ EP here: https://subleasemusic.lnk.to/Cubicle.
To mark the release of his latest record, Markus joined us for an interview where we discussed music, the industry, his personal life and more:
Thanks for joining us, Markus. Where are you writing to us from, and what have you been up to over the last few weeks?
Hi guys, I am currently on a flight back from Shanghai to Germany. I have just been in China for the first time since the pandemic. It was a great trip. Now I have a few days home, and then I’m off to the last trip for this year to the US, starting in Los Angeles.
Tell us about your journey into music and what led you to this point.
I started back at the end of the 90s as a teenager collecting music on vinyl as it was the only source back then to listen to up-to-date club music. So, I bought a second-hand 1210 (which I still have today). The resident DJ of the local club also worked in the record store, so I would walk in the next day and ask him what he played last night.
Later, I bought a second turntable (second-hand, too ) and learned how to mix; shortly after, I started getting gigs. A few years later, I started with music production. I was always curious how all this music was made, so I saved up and bought Logic 6, I believe it was. I still remember it was pretty expensive for me, and there was no YouTube help, sample CD or anything like that, so for a long, long time, everything sounded just terrible :) But I stuck to it and really wanted to get better, and slowly, things turned out OK.
How do you effectively promote yourself as an artist?
To be honest, not very well, lol. I post upcoming releases, record live sets, and post them, and I’m thankful for interviews like this.
But it’s nothing I grew up with, so it doesn’t come naturally to me. It has always been my passion for music, and working on my DJ and music producer skills.
Times have changed, I understand that, but music and talent should always be first.
Tell us about your latest release.
My last release is an EP on Sublease Records.
It is a label from Berlin run by Steve Bug and his crew. It’s my second release there, I believe. I like what they do. I respect Steve’s musical taste and being in the business for many years, so it feels very good to work with them.
It’s a three-track EP With slightly different tracks, but all have one thing in common: very dubby and groovy, just like I like it. There is always a Hypnotic feel to it.
What has the feedback been like from your latest release?
So far, I got very good feedback ☺
How do you take care of your mental health?
Well, one thing for sure that works for me very well is the fact that I don’t only do music. I have other jobs and interests in my life that allow me to be picky and to be more free in the choices/decisions I make in music.
Talk us through your creative process.
That really can be anything. It can be a night out and returning to the studio the next day. It can be a mood I’m in or something I visualize on the dance floor. I usually start a lot of tracks on my travels and then finish them back in my studio.
What advice do you have for other artists?
Work on your skills as a DJ and music producer. I believe that’s most important and should never be less important than posting a picture.
Then, of course, I would give the same advice that I live by. Have something else in life which allows you to be free in music.
What is your biggest goal this year, and how close are you to achieving it?
One of my goals was to travel less this year and spend more time at home, and I can say I failed :) So, for next year, I will try again. I already changed some plans.
Lastly, what can we expect from you in the future?
A bunch of new music. I’m always looking forward to getting back to the studio. Now, over the winter, it’s the perfect time to do lots of music and have it ready and out, hopefully for 2024.
Markus Homm’s ‘Cubicle’ EP is out now on Sublease Music. You can download/stream it here: https://subleasemusic.lnk.to/Cubicle.
Markus Homm
Sublease Music
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