In 2017, D'Marc Cantu released the critically-acclaimed "The Lodge" LP on Altered Moods, which was the first chapter in a two-part story. The second part is now incoming, in the form of a remix EP of one of the most popular cuts on the album, "S. E. G." The new record contains both the original track and three remixes created by both up-and-coming and legendary artists in the industry. It closes the story of D'Marc Cantu stepping completely out of his own comfort zone to visit the ultra deep side of house music Starting off on the front side is the original mix and an exquisitely atmospheric reshape by the one and only Larry Heard (aptly titled the "Atmospheric Mix"). He chops up the original and sprinkles it into a spicy stew of his most cherished chords and keys. On the flip, Altered Moods chief director Malcolm Moore puts his spin on the original with a rapid, charged-up number filled with bubbly leads, boxy drums, and jazzy keys. Finally, Chicago Skyway comes through with a really hot jack mix that starts out mellow before ramping up and bringing the whole EP as well as the story itself, full circle." More

After a quiet 2016 which saw the label release only a single EP, Altered Moods Recordings launches the first in a steady stream of releases for 2017 and beyond with its first double-pack since "Love...Lost and Found", the first vinyl record it released back in 2006. With "The Lodge", AMR has joined forces with techno and jakbeat wunderkind D'Marc Cantu, who has a long, storied history with labels such as M>O>S>, Creme Organization, and Nation, and with his mentor and friend Tadd Mullinix as their duo 2AMFM. On this double-12, he shows us and the world his more melodic, deeper side, while still maintaining a sense of urgency and a fingerhold on the jakbeat throughout. We have listened to this release for a long time and it never gets old to the ears. We are confident that this release will end up being a timeless classic in the coming years.
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Keeping up the urgent pace set by the Strength In Numbers collection, Thema now turns to a modern master of the JakBeat, D’Marc Cantu. Hailing from Ann Arbor on the fringes of Detroit, Cantu has worked for more than a decade developing a sound that carries the torch from the box jam originators of techno and house music. His first appearances were alongside the mighty Tadd Mullinix (better known as James T. Cotton) with their 2 AM/FM project, before bringing Traxx into the fold for the X2 venture. As a solo artist Cantu has shored up on labels as highly regarded as Crème Organization, M>O>S, Nation and Desire, bringing a rich, full-bodied sound laden with powerful synth hooks, crafty drum programming and a live, jammed-out delivery that overflows with imagination. Given his adventurous tendencies and punchy Midwestern finish, Cantu is a perfect fit on Thema and the six tracks that make up this record show a great deal of the diversity the man is capable of, from dancefloor burners to atmospheric introspections More

Typically bold and 'playable' gear from this Ann Arbor based machine head. Heavy on the jak, this one. More

With this release, Anne Arbor's jakbeat man delivers 6 minutes of electronic mania; a piece of repetitious, dance-inducing machine funk with a hook that hits you like a punch in the face with a velvet glove, brooding pads, and a top line like steel drums on acid. D'Marc Cantu twists the sound of Detoit techno and Chicago house with his own visceral production style and makes it his own. "Sonically I'm reminded of old home videos, a lower quality presentation of a memory. Decay has that quality to it that reminds of a time gone but stills feels familiar and comforting" DMC "Rival was the first experiment of my first alias, Rival. It was recorded in with a Volca drum machine the first day I got it, no effects and no edits, as is the basis of the alias, unedited analog sessions. One take" More

The release was a follow up of sorts to my remix of Ricardo Tobar’s « If I love you ». Having spoke to Jerome Mestre of Desire a few times since the remix, he and I decided that it would be great to follow it up with a dance focused release.
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The explosive initiation of One Electronica's "1210" series comes from Ann Harbours D'Marc Cantu. The series will consist of one twelve inch and one ten inch vinyl. No mp3's as per with One Electronica and its main aims are to give the artist freedom to do what ever he or she wishes! The extensive palate of sounds available on this pack range from slower ambience influenced grooves, outright "jak", industrial grit pursuing to intense, pace-ridden, electronic mayhem; as heard in "Microdots". More

18 Months after serving up his debut LP ''Fallen'', D'Marc Cantu returns to his other home from home, Crème Organization. He’s back with a six track EP, Alternate Frequency, that sees him explore the same prickly analogue house and techno that has made him into the revered producer he is today. The title track opens up the EP with fizzing analogue synth lines and a nervous, howling melody before acid, muffled vocals and coarse claps all get chucked into the dense sci-fi mix. 'Size And Shape' is a more propulsive and dancefloor facing track. Surfing along on a lively kick drum, repeated vocal phrases interact with choppy percussion, glowing pads light up the backdrop and a delightfully lively melody runs amok at the centre of it all. Like an old school garage house track in overdrive, it’s full of charm. 'Straight Shooter' is then a zithering, 100 mile an hour piece of skeletal acid techno that grows ever more frantic and 'Tazakuro' is a liv ely anal ogue brew of cowbells, freewheeling synths and tumbling drums. ‘Titanium Control Arms’ lurks deep in outer space with the humdrum of intergalactic space travel gurgling all around the central melodic motif and 'Speed Freak' is just that, a hyper-driven bit of electro with frantic percussion and riddled with unnerving synth lines that makes you want to jiggle every bone in your body.

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Michigan resident D'Marc Cantu serves up his next album on the ever-excellent MOS Recordings on June 11th 2012. Though essentially a house and techno producer, American Cantu often goes further than most, calling on a world of influences to ensure his jacking productions are as far away from standard as possible, yet still do damage on the right dancefloors as have previous EPs on this label, Nation and Crème Organization. His latest offering, A New World, aims to capture, detail and relay many different stories from within the re-born city of Detroit. Across the course of eight tracks, many different moods and styles are explored from dark and abstract to more synth lead and serene. There are plenty of squelchy acid lines and frantic percussive workouts, but so too are there pockets of slower, deeper, dubbier introspection that speak of mystery and intrigue as does the city of Detroit itself. Says D’Marc of the album.. "Detroit, MI has a rich history and is filled with amazing people and I wanted to capture what I feel every time I go there. With every song there’s an evolution that leads you to a new yet familiar place. These songs all have a story and each revolves around the concept of growth, community and rebuilding. "Spirit Form", "The First Planet" and "Genetic Script" all drive the idea of rebirth, utilizing dreamy pads and primal rhythms as they dig at the soul, while "Good"'s levity reaches at the heart of what I love about living in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It continues to inspire me, with its many amazing artists and diversity." Despite all these conceptual ideals, the album will not disappoint existing fans, as so too does the album deal in the sort of thing that people have come to expect of this considered producer. Tracks like "Green Bike Seat" and "Mobile Communication" aim to encapsulate the honesty and decaying beauty of urban life, never allowing you to forget the reality of life in a sprawling metropolis. A true journey of investigation, realisation and re-discovery, A New World is far more than just another house album, but instead demands and rewards the close attention of anyone listening. More

The world just got a little bit warmer again with this upcoming debut album of D'Marc Cantu. After several releases on Creme JAK, M>O>S>, Nation as well as collaborations as 2AMFM and Saturn V there finally is a full length showcase of this Chicago native's extraordinary talents. Limited edition 2LP of 300 copies in handnumbered/stickered sleeves with poster.

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After the 2AM/FM release, next up in the 10'' series on MOS_deep is a solo-project of D'Marc Cantu. D' Marc delivers two surprisingly melodic, sexy and hypnotizing housetracks. "Set Free" opens with a hard-hitting flanged bass-sound and a devastating kick and slowly evolves into a dreamy and atmospheric track full of mystery. "Tonight" is a hypnotic and haunting latenight-dancefloor track, combining long stretched melodic stabs, an ultra-deep bassline and D' Marc's whispering vocals taking you down deep in the uncanny and eery underworld of his soul.

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Originating with HoneyLuv, made in collaboration with Tuskegee co-founder Seth Troxler, and featuring portions of Paul Johnson’s classic 1998 track ‘So Much’, ’Sex & The City' is HoneyLuv’s homage to one of house music’s greats and an encapsulation of Tuskegee Music’s ethos of honouring the genre’s Black & Hispanic origins. Detroit house legend Marc Kinchen’s interpretations of the track imbues Sex & The City with all the beloved MK touches, from the inimitable drum patterns to the instant-earworm melody. The release marks the return of the label founded by Seth Troxler & The Martinez Brothers in 2014. In addition to music from its label heads, Tuskegee Music featured artists including Omar-S, Jamal Moss, K' Alexi Shelby, D-Knox and William Djoko before going into hiatus in 2019. The label’s upcoming schedule will continue to focus on its remit of supporting BIPOC artists, through the elevation of new talent and collaborations with some of house & techno’s most important and influential figures. More

With previous releases on Tuskegee Music coming from the trio The Martinez Brothers, Jesse Calosso and Phil Moffa under their Soundview alias as well as Kool D and Trouw resident William Kouam Djoko, next in line sees the return of Bas Ibellini with his first full length EP on the label in the form of ‘Friendship’. ‘Friendship’ kicks off with a title track that sees Ibellini collaborate with Stephane Lefrancois AKA SLF - an extolled, Canada based producer who has garnered a following through rich and intricate records on Sony, Compost and BBE. Together the pair drives a busy and bubbling acid line under psychedelic vocals and crisp, accurate drums. ‘Start Don’t Stop’ then follows up and uses nifty sound design to build tangible sense of space within which warped samples and a persistent, propulsive bass tone build momentum. ‘Happy Go Lucky’ marries swinging hats with some sportive, octave hopping synth work that work in tandem to build a tight, irresistible groove. Second collaboration with SLF ‘Elef Be’ then drives abrasive, circling tones through tough, crunching percussion that works to add a further facet to another solid addition to the Tuskegee catalogue and round off an exciting debut EP from an auspicious talent. More

Second release on Seth Troxler and Martinez Brother’s hotly tipped ‘Tuskegee’ imprint is courtesy of Dutch House Master William Kouam Djoko. His three tracker of off kilter acid-tinged floor-jams are a truly something to behold. Bathe your ears in the majesty of ‘Sacred Secrets’ and witness the floor go crazy! The A Side features the heart-stopping magnificence that is ‘Sacred Secrets’, a barnstorming, no holds barred hedonistic acid trip that kicks like a mule! On the flip and enigmatic effervescent intro of ‘Heart U’ is underpinned with drum-tastic mayhem and percussive polyrhythms that are guaranteed to make your head spin. Finally ‘Rays’ slows the pace down with a sun-soaked mood jam rounding the EP off perfectly. William has previously released on Rush House, Thirtyonetwenty and Leftroom, and has a forthcoming EP on Mobilee. More