DJ Marco Morales

Marco Morales’ turntable trickery set the tone for his career as both a DJ and underground house producer. Rooted in the Chicago-influenced sounds of funk, jazz and jack, Morales crafts uptempo tracks styled in the classic vein of deep house. Inspired by his father’s vinyl collection of funk, soul and disco, Morales started scratching and mixing when he was just 17. Assuming the moniker of “The Hustler,” he began entering—and usually winning—dozens of Chicago-based DJ competitions throughout the late 1990’s. His success during battles earned him guest appearances at Chicago clubs including, SmartBar, Boom Boom Room, Zentra, The Note, and Crobar, to name a few. Morales also claimed top prize in the city’s Golden DJ Battle, the Real Productions Battle, and the Projekt Revolutions battle, hosted by Grammy-award wining artists Linkin’ Park. His skills landed him an opening DJ spot in front of a crowd of 11,000 fans later that year. Morales work on the decks also caught the attention from producers of “The Jenny Jones Show,” who invited him to spin during a live, studio taping. Morales wanted to extend himself beyond turntablism. In 2002 he applied and was accepted to the prestigious Red Bull Music Academy (RBMA) in Sal Paulo, Brazil. Here, he immersed himself in production and performance techniques. His success in the program earned an invitation to play the Sonar Festival in Barcelona, Spain as a RBMA alumnus. Since playing Sonar, Morales has dedicated the bulk of his creative time to producing house tracks. Taking influence from Chicago-heavy masters such as Mark Farina, Derrick Carter, Paul Johnson, DJ Sneak and Diz, Morales anchors his tracks marked by heavy basslines and an organic soulful ness. In early 2007, his production work caught the attention of the Junky Trunk label, which will release two of Morales tracks later this year. “North Side” is tracky, DJ Sneak-inspired cut that snaps with vocal samples, disco loops and breaks. “Mission10” walks the line of deep tech, layered with old school, acid bass lines, synth-heavy chords and choppy drums. Both demonstrate Morales versatility as a Chicago-based producer. Look for Morales to meld the diversity of sound on his own music label in the coming year. “Love Story Records” will feature a mixed music roster of jazzy, funky house tracks, alongside funky, down tempo hip-hop. The continuing duality of track selection mirrors his creative background as a turntablist, DJ and producer in Chicago and beyond.

Bio courtesy of BeatBlend Media beatblend@hotmai.com