Ruby Skye Presents
DJ MARK FARINA - Mushroom Jazz 6 World Tour
Saturday, January 24
With DJs Mark Farina, Rooz
“I look at my job as a modern day traveling minstrel, to bring new music to as many places as I can, and expose obscure records that, otherwise, might go hidden.” While Mark Farina may be able to sum up his job description in a sentence, there is much more to be written.
Mark developed his musical tastes in Chicago – listening to house music on the radio, living in one of the country’s most primordial breeding grounds for house. Around ’88, while record shopping at Imports, Etc., he met Derrick Carter and a friendship began. “I just ended up there between classes, I ended up buying his picks. He steered me toward the cutting edge House producers of the time.”
“I started playing when I lived with my parents and didn’t have any bills to pay so I could just buy records. My intentions were never to just make money, it’s nice, but it’s kind of turned into a job by accident - it was a hobby that turned into a job.”
As the Acid Jazz boom began, he perfected his sound and fused the latest tracks from the West Coast’s jazzy, organic producers with the more urban sounds he had championed in Chicago. While the predominant musical force in SF was still dark, dubby House and Wicked-style Breaks, the city embraced the downtempo movement with a healthy bunch of live bands and DJs generating the tunes.
Mark Farina, along with partner, and then manager, Patty Ryan-Smith created, the now legendary weekly club, Mushroom Jazz, in 1992. Every Monday night the crowd slowly germinated – from 100 for the first few months to 600-700 two years later. Simultaneously, the Mushroom Jazz tape series evolved – from the first Chicago run of 50 copies each on to the next stage, where 500 copies of several volumes were easily distributed. As time passed, Farina and Patty put their energies into another project, the first Mushroom Jazz interactive CD-ROM. After a three year run, where the club had established a fanatical, cult-like following for Farina and the Mushroom Jazz sound, the club closed its doors and transformed into a CD series and accompanying tours.
Since 1989, Mark Farina has been traveling the globe performing at literally hundreds of shows a year, sometimes DJing both of his preferred styles in two different rooms at the same party. At other events, he’s been known to play extended sets that lasted over eight hours. In his House sets, Mark is known for his uniquely effortless journeys on the jazzy side of Chicago House, mixed up San Fran style, and flawless as always.
This wandering record minstrel has played in front of some fairly amazing backdrops. The ACA-Sound Festival in Acapulco is one example, where the event organizers cleared a huge piece of land and brought in the world’s finest DJs. Farina joined Carl Cox, Moby, the Chemical Brothers and LTJ Bukem in the Mexican paradise.
Rooz--Count me in for Ruby Skye.
Tom Edwards
Posted by: Tom Edwards | January 21, 2009 at 12:59 PM
Hey would love to get on the list, Felix Mentzel and Noralina Robinsong please
Posted by: Felix Mentzel | January 21, 2009 at 03:29 PM
Jonathan Perel & Sofia Ayala for guest list! Thanks!!
Posted by: Jonathan Perel | January 21, 2009 at 05:31 PM
MR. ROOZA!! its my bday and i know yours was recent too!! happy belated,CHEERS! mos def count me in and if possiable +2 for the ladies.. thanks thanks!! : D
Garrett Toring
Posted by: Garrett Toring | January 21, 2009 at 06:11 PM
I am there! And, the Birthday underground too!
Posted by: Alex Davis | January 21, 2009 at 09:42 PM
Awesome !!
Posted by: Alexis Felts | January 22, 2009 at 09:45 AM
Got you all on the list just make sure you stick around after Marks set as i drop some chunky techno on Ruby's insane sound system... cant wait ;)
Posted by: rooz | January 22, 2009 at 10:26 AM
Hey Rooz, What's up! Can you please put Dave Kurtz and Lucia Lee on the Guestlist for Sat night? Thank You!
Posted by: David Kurtz | January 22, 2009 at 01:13 PM
Rooz, looking forward to sat night. Can you put Francisco Villaherrera and Christine Liezel Ugto on the guest list for saturday night? We will definitely be tearing up the dance floor to some nice tech house beats!
Posted by: Francisco Villaherrera | January 22, 2009 at 01:26 PM
Please add Tony Shan, Cindy Chenxing Qiu and Jeff Mann. Thank you!
Posted by: Tony Shan | January 22, 2009 at 02:28 PM
Hey Rooz, i'd love to get the following people on the list:
Tony Shan
Nir Matalon
Chenxing Qiu
Jeff Mann
Thanks!!!
Posted by: cindy | January 22, 2009 at 02:46 PM
please add Jon Downing and Joel decosta!!! thanks!!!
Posted by: jon downing | January 22, 2009 at 08:03 PM
Hey Rooz, I'm reposting because I think I had a technical glitch. Would you please add Dana Wolfe and Elsa Tretter to the list? Namaste.
Posted by: Dana | January 23, 2009 at 09:54 AM
Hey Rooz!!!
I'm Lucia and I'm already on the list but would you care to add my friend Mostapha Elhams to the list? Thank you! I am really looking forward to getting down on the dance floor!!!
Thanks so much! See ya there!
Posted by: Lucia Lee | January 23, 2009 at 11:04 AM
Hey Rooz, can you please add Greg Comstock +1 to the list thanks.
Posted by: Greg Comstock | January 23, 2009 at 07:24 PM
Rooz its Sina. I'm going to call you tomorrow (pick up your phone) about something and we can talk but just in case im writing here, can you put me +1 on the guest list. Thanks
Posted by: Sina | January 24, 2009 at 05:46 AM
Would like to get on the list, please add me + 1 , thanks for letting us know. I will also email you the info.
Posted by: Varun | January 24, 2009 at 10:29 AM
rooz, can you PLEASE add mitch wackerman +1 on the guestlist?!
Posted by: Mitchell Wackerman | January 24, 2009 at 06:01 PM