OBEY RECORDS EPISODE 73: MARSMAN

"This mix was recorded at the Operator studio in Rotterdam at 7am, just before I went to the gym. Yes, I am a morning person. Lately I have been rediscovering my Italo-Disco collection, it is the music where it all started for me as a DJ. So this mix is a reflection of that."

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At the helm of his beloved label, Marsman preaches the ‘Pinkman sound’ to congregations of devoted followers. Holding court for over ten years now, he released more than 100 records and hosted countless club nights all over the world.

With over 15 years behind the decks, and the breathless release schedule he orchestrates for Pinkman and its subsidiary labels – Mindri, Broken Dreams & Charlois – Marsman has become a central figure in a close-knit scene of rough-around-the-edges DIY dance music.

Marsman’s DJing can ride through uplifting synths and thunderous drum patterns that are equally suited to dark, sweat-drenched basements and cavernous industrial warehouses. But dig beneath the dirt and there’s brightness to be found, with a glossy Italo sheen never far from Marsman’s selections.

Keeping clubrooms locked into groove for hours on end by meticulously building atmospheres of unease, he can pierce the tension whenever he feels the time is right with moments of hands-in-the-air euphoria. Combining euphoric disco and wave with darker, harder sounds is a trademark move from one of Rotterdam’s finest exports.

And he’s done it at all the best spots the Netherlands has to offer, with appearances at Dekmantel, Garage Noord, Pip, Drift Festival and Intergalactic FM. Further afield, he played at renowned international clubs like Panorama Bar, Tresor, Khidi and FOLD.

Beyond all this, he’s a founding member of cherished radio station Operator, and previously ran the sorely missed Pinkman record store in the heart of Rotterdam’s creative Schieblock, giving Marsman a well-deserved cult hero status for independent music in the harbour city and far, far beyond.