“Los Tres Marks” was an experimental collaboration organized by Subsuelo, who brought together Nu-Mark (Jurassic 5), Money Mark (Beastie Boys), and Mark de Clive-Lowe for a party at the Bootleg Theater in Los Angeles in October 2013. Mochilla was in the house to capture the special improvised performance from three of L.A.’s most innovative beatmakers, who all happen to be named Mark! With an army of robots ranging from analog synths to ’80s drum machine, plus Nu-Mark’s infamous toys, “Los Tres Marks” wowed the crowd (with Z-Trip and Gaslamp Killer in watching in the front row) with electro-analog wizardry, circuit-bending, rhythm reimagining, sound-looping, ch-ch-ch-chopping, and general weirdness from three one-of-a-kind one-man-bands. Geniuses the lot of ‘em.
The following photos are © Farah Sosa.
Subsuelo is a global bass DJ crew and live band that brings together flamenco, cumbia, hip-hop, and beats from around the world. Featuring resident selectors Canyon Cody and Gozar, with turntablist DJ Ethos and host Gazoo, visuals by Juxli and photo by Farah Sosa. Flamenco performance featuring La Tigresa. Voted “Best Party in East L.A.” by L.A. Weekly 2013. Past guests have included Dam Funk, Toy Selectah, Nadastrom, Nickodemus, Mexican Institute of Sound, Los Rakas, Eric Bobo (Cypress Hill), Aceyalone, and Nortec Collective.
Subsuelo just released their debut 7-inch record featuring original flamenco hip-hop production by Gnotes + Canyon Cody, plus bonus beats and scratch pack put together by Subsuelo’s resident turntablist DJ Ethos.
Nu-Mark began DJing at the age of thirteen in Los Angeles. Over the course of the last two decades, he has amassed a collection of over 35,000 records and refined his production skills and performance to the point where he is widely recognized as one of the key figures in DJ culture. As a member of the critically acclaimed, gold-selling hip-hop outfit, Jurassic 5, DJ Nu-Mark graced the group with precision production and cutting edge stage routines. Today Nu-Mark experiments with children’s music toys and constructs full DJ sets around toys most people dispose of by the time their kids are old enough to read. He has toured the world, remixed songs for Nas and Damian Marley, created songs for Saturday Night Live’s Lonely Island and constructed the Tropical Funk Mix “Take Me With You,” a breathtaking blend of Latin, Afrobeat, and Balkan beat.
Money Mark is the alias of Mark Ramos-Nishita, a keyboardist whose funky, retro-flavored riffs earned him the unofficial title of the fourth Beastie Boy. Born in Detroit to a Japanese-Hawaiian father and a Chicano mother, Nishita moved to the West Coast when he was six; some years later, he hooked up with the Dust Brothers production team and began overdubbing keyboards for the Delicious Vinyl label. While working as a handyman, Nishita accepted a job repairing the Beastie Boys’ Silverlake, California, home; soon, he became a pivotal member of the group’s Grand Royal posse and performed on both 1992′s Check Your Head and 1994′s Ill Communication.
Mark de Clive-Lowe (MdCL) is one of the most innovative producers and live performers you will find anywhere. He’s an accomplished musician, originally sowing his oats in straight-ahead jazz, before taking the music far beyond. Anchored by the duality of his Japanese and New Zealander parentage. Mark was ignited by a love of playing piano at the age of four. A devastating live performer, the MdCL experience is marked by impromptu studio production created on stage from scratch, using drum machines, keyboards and effects. The end result: live remixes birthed on stage for each and every gig. Club classics flavored from soul and funk, to tech-Afrobeat and Latin twists, all orchestrated by MdCL: a revolutionary Quincy Jones for a new generation, armed with the ability to meld the science of beat-making with the fluidity of composed music.Watch Mark de Clive-Lowe remix D’Angelo’s “Devil’s Pie” at Subsuelo’s “Los Tres Marks.”
