Marques Wyatt
Om Records, DEEP,
Biography
Discography
Schedule
Booking Form
Press Kit
|
|
BIOGRAPHY
International DJ and producer Marques Wyatt is an influential
messenger of the deepest, most soulful kind of house music.
Beneath his relaxed, spiritual and unknowingly suave persona,
therein lies a man partially responsible for giving birth
to the West Coast house scene by bringing the fresh sounds
of New York (a la Frankie Knuckles, Tony Humphries and
Larry Levan) to Los Angeles beginning in the mid '80s.
Carefully pointing out that he has "always had a
deep passion for music," you know that his adoration
of house has been a gateway into the lives of thousands
and thousands of people. Over the years promoting and
playing an enormous amount of parties including BBC, Brass,
MAC's Garage, Does Your Mama Know? and currently LA's
biggest house club DEEP, Marques has changed the face
of Southern California nightclubbing and the presentation
of its music, sound and scene.
Today, he spends much of his time taking the sounds that
emanate from his soul around the world, or laying them
down in the studio in remixes and original compositions.
Yet, he always returns to the club scene in his hometown
of Los Angeles. He grew up in a loving, musical family
that exposed him to everything from unique Afro rhythm
sounds, jazz and soul to psychedelic rock. As a DJ he
draws on a little bit of all these influences in silky
smooth sets that never fail to be a buoyant celebration
of life.
You will find the latest incarnation of his sound on a
new mix album, Horizons, on OM Records. The album's name
symbolizes a new horizon … new day, new hope experienced
through the healing powers of music. "What makes
it stand out from my other mixes," explains Marques,
"is the ethnic feel of it and the encouragement to
understand the direct connection of music and spirituality.
What I tried to create on this mix is a spiritual and
cultural journey in which every track enlightens your
soul through the presentation." No doubt, Horizons
will stand as one of the most inspirational mixes of the
year.
To know how Marques came to this place, one must look
into his personal history as a DJ. It all started with
a pilgrimage to NYC in 1984, which infinitely shaped his
musical style. It was in the city's underground clubs
that he heard music he never knew existed - house music.
Although never losing track of the frequency within his
own soul, Marques returned to the West Coast to begin
his life's work of seamlessly combining melody, groove
and a 4/4 beat with his own graceful essence and deep
understanding of many musical genres. "From that
point on," he explains, "I was on a mission
to bring that music to the scene in Los Angeles."
Soon he was offered the DJ spot at the well-known celebrity
haunt, Helena's, where a jet set crowd (Madonna, Prince,
Jack Nicholson) came to socialize and groove to the soulful
house sets he had perfected. From Helena's came other
clubs where Marques could play his music like Water The
Bush and LA's first alcohol-free dance club, MAC's Garage
where live house acts and DJs like David Morales would
go off. "It was such a phenomena," remembers
Marques, "every Friday everyone would end up there,
and it was one of the first clubs in LA where crowds would
make noise on the song breaks. It was such an amazing
scene!" Residencies in San Francisco followed as
a dawning of house music emerged in Southern California
with Marques Wyatt at the forefront. His club, Brass (1990),
a Sunday night affair that ran for five years, was launched.
It introduced groundbreaking soul/jazz artists like Brand
New Heavies, Digable Planets, and Jamiroquai to Los Angeles.
On a roll, Marques was now running a Monday nightclub
(Max's), Friday nights at Prague, and a Saturday monthly
called Candelabra. For Prague's closing night, Marques
was the first person to bring New York legend "Little"
Louie Vega to the West Coast in 1994. In turn, Marques
flew east to open for Louie's main room at the legendary
Sound Factory Bar and Giant Step. Through Candelabra he
hooked up with Tony Largo with whom he launched LA's seminal
sever-year running Does Your Mama Know? (1992). At that
time, he was also playing the Saturday night hot spot
High Society.
Currently, Marques' club DEEP is an institution. It was
born in the intimacy of the Sunset Strip's Viper Room,
but it was immediately obvious that demand outstripped
capacity, and a new location was quickly found that could
accommodate those who like to get down. "What happens
at DEEP is real," explains Marques. "The meshing
of different kinds of people, the family atmosphere is
something you cannot buy." Today, DEEP stands as
a sanctuary of sound, dance and good times for faithful
revelers to see the best in dance music from luminaries
like Louie Vega, Mark Farina, Miguel Migs, Timmy Regisford,
King Britt and Joe Claussell to up and coming West Coast
talent. Once a month, DEEP's own maestro himself commands
the decks all night to satisfy the Wyatt faithful.
When not traveling or promoting DEEP in Los Angeles, Marques
dedicates his time to writing, producing, remixing and
recording top tunes for his own mix albums and a forthcoming
artist album, as well as working on projects for other
artists. His massive single, "For Those Who Like
To Get Down" released by OM Records, became a signature
tune all over the world, showcasing his talent as an artist,
writer and producer. 2000 brought with it his mixed album,
Sound Design, Vol 1, followed by For Those Who Like To
Get Down (the album w/ the aforementioned standout track
included) in 2002, both on OM Records.
His remixes for Afro Mystik ("Rhythm Is"), Joel
("Won't Take No" on Electric Monkey), King Britt
("Superstar"), Smitty & Davenport, feat.
Kandace ("Spend The Night"), Kaskade ("It's
You, It's Me"), Andy Caldwell, feat. Omega ("I
Can't Wait" on UK's Inspirit Music), Kim English
("Learn To Love"), Eddie Amador ("House
Music") are just a few of the gems you hear being
thrown down in sets around the globe. Yet Marques' biggest
success in 2003 came with DEEP: Where House Lives, a mixed
album released on the United DJ's of America series from
Mixer/DMC.
No matter what he is doing, Marques Wyatt possesses an
unshakable sense of purpose and style, not only in his
music, but also in everything and everyone he meets. His
soulful grace is unmatched in dance culture. This alone
makes him one to watch in 2004. It is this soul, style,
integrity, commitment, consistency, modesty and delivery
(with his unassuming nature and talent) that belies a
determined resolve dedicated to musical celebration. Marques
has delivered on the promise over the course of countless
good times, and in doing so has become a global ambassador
to packed dance floors all across the planet.
|
