The world of electronic music was shaken last May by the unexpected passing of producer and DJ Marcus Kaye. Better known under his production aliases Marcus Intalex and Trevino, Kaye was a long-standing figure in Manchester’s electronic music scene.
First making a name for himself in the mid-90s through his influential radio show Da Intalex on Kiss 102 FM, co-hosted with DJ Mark XTC, Kaye was a pioneer of the 1990’s drum-and-bass scene, moving on to found the labels Soul:R, Revolve:R, and Birdie. Later in life, Kaye moved towards a sound more influenced by house and techno, producing under the alias Trevino and releasing records via 3024, Aus and Hotflush.
Following Marcus’ death, his friends and family set up the Marcus Intalex Music Foundation and have planned several events in Manchester. The line-up for the first event has been announced, and including performances from Special Request, Martyn, LSB, Doc Scott and more. Taking place at Manchester’s Soup Kitchen, the event will be the first in a series aimed at raising funds for the foundation.
Ahead of the first fundraiser event taking place on Saturday 14th July, we caught up with Soup Kitchen resident and Polarity curator Nick Sinna to find out more about his relationship with Marcus Intalex, the aims of the foundation and what he hopes to achieve through the fundraiser.
Interview by Matt Mullen
"Marcus was more than happy to share his knowledge and help develop the next generation of musicians, especially in Manchester. The foundation will be an extension of this."
Could you describe your personal relationship with Marcus? When did you both meet?
I’ve known Marcus since his days working at Eastern Bloc Records. We became quite good friends when he started his night Guidance at then called Sankeys Soap, as I worked at the venue. From then onwards we realised we could both be just as grumbly or really into similar things – so it was very easy to become good mates. Marcus was a great human being as well as a hugely successful musician, he’d rather talk about you than what he was up to. He was always a very supportive friend to many of us.
How did the idea for the Marcus Intalex Music Foundation originate? I have heard that Marcus’ mother and partner are involved – how many others are involved in the project?
The idea came about through a conversation with Del (MC DRS) and Mark XTC. We had been talking a lot about preserving Marcus’s legacy. Marcus was always very keen to help people in music, especially when he could see they had the desire and something about them. If he liked what you were doing, even if you weren’t there yet, he’d do his best to get you there. This has been the case with many now established musicians. I can imagine there’s a lot of artists out there that would agree that without Marcus’s input they might not be doing what they are now.
Marcus was more than happy to share his knowledge and help develop the next generation of musicians, especially in Manchester. The foundation will be an extension of this. Marcus’s mum Pat is an amazing woman that has shown unbelievable strength and love to all of us during this difficult time, and the same can be said about Ayumi his girlfriend.
When they both gave their blessing to do this, we knew that between all the brilliant people that we could reach out too, many of whom were close to Marcus in Manchester, and beyond – such as foundation ambassador Martyn (3024) – we could create something that would be fitting of his ideals and benefit the city.
Anyone that enrols with us, or professionally utilises the studios, will have access to some of the best resources, most skilled and prolific people in the industry – something other institutions would find it difficult to offer. That’s where we will stand out.
What do you see as the core aims of the foundation? Do you have any specific plans for projects over the next year?
One of our main goals for the foundation is to create an inclusive space that allows access to music, for both budding and professional musicians from all backgrounds. We want to create a community that integrates and shares their skills and knowledge. Manchester is a thriving city with a lot of very talented people working in music, we want to bring them together and interact.
Additionally, educate those who want to learn, and those who might not have the opportunity for whatever reason but have an interest- whether it’s music production, deejaying, recording or one of our other courses and workshops. We have a great team taking shape with lots of experience; working as audio professionals, musicians, community outreach, youth work plus much more.
Is it primarily a Manchester-based project, and do you have plans to expand into any other areas of the UK or the world?
Focusing on Manchester will be our main objective. It’s very important to all of us to get this project right, it’s a big one, so there’s lots of planning and considerations needed to be made. That said, there are people involved such as Martyn whom I mentioned previously. His input will no doubt lead to collaboration beyond the UK.
In terms of the lineup of the fundraiser – can you tell us about why you selected these artists and their connection to Marcus?
Simple really, these are all people that were friends and close to Marcus . It would’ve been his birthday and we’d like to celebrate his life- whilst raising money for something that will help continue his legacy. It’ll be a very special night
The Marcus Intalex Music Foundation Fundraiser takes place at Manchester’s Soup Kitchen 14th July 2018 featuring Special Request, Martyn, LSB, Doc Scott, Dub Phizix, DJ Lee, Spirit, MC Fox.
