Mark Farina

Mark Farina is a name that rings out across the entire global dance music industry. His non-stop touring, constant content creation, partnerships with legendary venues and record labels as well as his total commitment to showcasing the best new and old school producers in his sets have made him a living legend to lovers of house and Mushroom Jazz everywhere.

“I look at my job as a ‘modern day traveling minstrel’. To bring new music to as many places as I can and expose obscure records that otherwise might go hidden.”

At the age of 16, in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois, Mark became obsessed with music and record collecting eventually discovering the ‘80s underage club mecca, Medusa’s. While record shopping at Import’s Etc. in 1988, Farina met fellow innovator and future best mate, Derrick Carter, who steered him towards groundbreaking House Music Producers and labels of the time. Later that year, Farina landed an impressive residency at Chicago’s legendary live music venue, Smart Bar, a relationship he maintains to this day. In 1989, Mark, Derrick, and Chris Nazuka (aka Symbols and Instruments) signed with Kevin Sanderson’s KMS records and released “Mood” which sold over 35,000 copies and is credited as the first “Ambient House” track.

Farina then pushed musical boundaries even further when he experimented with a deeper style of music that wasn’t being played in the main rooms of nightclubs. Combining the likes of De La Soul with disco classics and Martin Luther King samples, he seamlessly blended West Coast jazzy beats, acid jazz grooves, the Chicago House sound of his youth and some ‘90s New York Hip-Hop. The result: Mushroom Jazz. The birth of this new sound cemented Farina’s musical versatility. He recorded limited-edition cassette tapes that would sell out in minutes at Chicago’s Gramophone Records, the store Mark worked at in the early 90’s. Promoters took notice of his rapidly expanding following and soon his schedule was packed with gigs around Chicago and the rest of the US.

In 1992, Farina relocated to San Francisco, California, where he started co-hosting a weekly Mushroom Jazz club night on Wednesdays. At the same time, OM Records released Volume 1 of the groundbreaking Mushroom Jazz CD series. In a testament to the series’ continued impact on the culture of Dance Music, in 2016 Mark dropped Mushroom Jazz 8, which not only celebrated its 25th Anniversary but also debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Album Chart.

San Francisco continued to inspire Mark throughout the millennium. During this era of mix CD’s, Farina released more than a dozen compilations on various labels including United DJ’s of America Vol. 9 (DMC), Air Farina (OM) (featuring his smash single, “Dream Machine” [feat. Sean Hayes]), Live in Tokyo (OM) and Fabric 40 (Fabric). Mark Farina’s impressive discography is a true education in House Music history.

With a passion for playing extended all night long shows as well his recent foray into streaming exemplified by his highly successful new YouTube series with Defected Records, Farina continues to tirelessly entertain his incredible fans all over the globe with over 100 shows per year.

He’s also greatly increased his original productions and remixes with partner Homero Espinosa while guiding his own label Great Lakes Audio Recordings. Mark has several new projects lined up for release in 2023 including Mushroom Jazz 9.

The last few years have been an incredible new era of creativity, outreach, and recognition for one of the most original and consistent voices in the business. Mark continues to connect with new fans without losing those who have been loyal supporters from day one. Fans, promoters, and industry insiders all know that no matter what changes come along Mark Farina always delivers.

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