DJ Mark Lewis is Considered a Pioneer Of The Electronic Music Scene
“Dropping a sneaky, unexpected track and watching the dancefloor going off as one mass of positive energy and love… it never gets old.”
This unwavering commitment to making sick-as-fuck dancefloor moments has kept UK-born US-based industry pioneer, DJ and producer DJ Mark Lewis at the top of his game since the late ’80s. It’s why he’s Carl Cox and Paul Oakenfold’s go-to DJ. It’s why he has big plans — from studio, to stage, to screen — for 2020.
Former member of Interstate, Grammy-nominee Mark plans to drop his artist album, Velvet Rope, by the summer. From deep house to euphoric hands-in-the air moments, the album will be a cohesive collection of tracks that draw on Mark’s fascination with killer beats, haunting melodies and textured sound design, cemented by his mantra that “love is the message”.
DJ Mark Lewis has played a pivotal role in the development of the club scene in the States, organizing the first US tours for a number of well-known British DJs.
Having rocked dancefloors from Asia to South Africa, Europe to South America and in every major city in the US, DJ Mark Lewis is as happy slaying big-room venues like LA’s famous Avalon, as he is playing intimate gigs like the city’s Club Logic, where his sets veer into “deeper, dirtier, sexier house territory”.
Of course, living in LA, DJ Mark Lewis is no stranger to celebrity parties either. His skills behind the decks have been called upon by everyone from Elton John to Massive Attack and from actor Rob Lowe to celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck. The best designers in the business also call on Mark to programme their runway shows during the annual LA Fashion Week.
On the other side of the spectrum, DJ Mark Lewis has a long-standing connection with Burning Man — a place he considers his spiritual home. He was instrumental in Carl Cox’s first Burning Man performance in 2008, which inspired Cox’s vision for his own — and now legendary — Playground Experience camp on the playa.
Playing on the Playground Experience stage, as part of the Playground family at Burning Man, is always a highlight. “It’s without doubt my favourite festival to play,” says DJ Mark Lewis. “I always absorb the intensity of the playa and it sets me off on my most creative and spiritual music journeys.”
Away from the dust, DJ Mark Lewis is always happy to play fundraising gigs that help make the Playground Experience camp possible, with plans to ramp up fundraising efforts in LA. “It’s important to give back,” he stresses.
DJ Mark Lewis’s experience touring the world is also the catalyst behind his DJ Destinations concept — a TV show offering true insights into the life of big-name DJs. Talks are currently taking place with TV executives to bring DJ Destinations to our screens.
For the last 15 years, DJ Mark Lewis’s marketing firm Mixology Agency has teamed brands with dance music events, and also with TV shows and documentaries via media giants Universal, ITV, Netflix and Google, while his ear for a great tune makes him a successful A&R man and had led to many successful licensing deals with heavyweight labels including Warner Bros, Ministry of Sound, Global Underground, Perfecto Records and Universal Music.
“With so much going on, including a global tour, 2020 is shaping up to be a massive year,” says DJ Mark Lewis. “I’m so inspired right now. I don’t see myself slowing down anytime soon.”
