Mark Sherry on How Trance Is Cashing in on the EDM Bubble

Local trance DJ and producer Denzo will open up for a stacked lineup this Friday at Space. So, naturally, we wanted to talk to him about it, but the conversation inevitably veered toward a grander look at dance music as a whole.

“We should burn the industry to the ground and start over,” Denzo told us. Clearly, he doesn't try and sugarcoat it. “We need more dark and underground parties.”

Well, this Friday is a start.

Denzo will open for Indecent Noise and Mark Sherry for a good ol’ fashioned trance party. Last month, Giuseppe Ottaviani played for the #TranceFamily at Heart. Is Miami experiencing a bit of a trance music revival?

Mark Sherry seems to think so. We spoke to the man himself before he makes his way to the 305, and his opinion on the industry is slightly more optimistic than his opener's. “The EDM bubble is bursting now, and the followers of that genre are looking for something else. They're either getting into trance or techno, so that's really great to see. I love electronic dance music, but I don’t like this EDM genre. I don't like it at all.”

Sherry's been at it long before "this EDM genre" was a thing. He achieved a lot of success in the late '90s and early 2000s as a founding member of the hard trance band Public Domain. The group found success with songs like “Rock Da Funky Beats,” featuring Chuck D, and “Operation Blade (Bass in the Place ...),” both of which charted throughout Europe. The latter sold over a million copies in Australia alone.

“After the success of Public Domain back in the day, I hit a real low point in my life. We had been badly ripped off by a record label and were poorly managed, so we basically made every mistake in the book, but during that time I became a much stronger person and quickly learned from my mistakes," Sherry says. "I’ll never make those mistakes again.” 

Since then, Sherry has launched two of his own record labels, Outburst and Techburst. And he’s put several tracks in the Beatport Trance Top 10, such as his remix of Max Graham’s, “The Evil ID” and his original, “My Love.” Although born and raised in Scotland, Sherry's sound isn't tied to any geographic location, and his “Sangre Caliente” would get the blessings of Calle Ocho’s toughest critics.

This will be Sherry’s second time in Miami. “I was here once before and sadly it was only for a day. Actually, Denzo was my tour guide. He took me for some Cuban coffee, which was great, and then we went down to South Beach. I really can’t wait to be back this weekend, and it’s good to see trance is healthy in Miami.”

Denzo and Sherry will get together for more Cuban coffee this Friday and, after achieving sufficient caffeine levels, will make their way to Club Space, where both longtime trance fans and EDM faultfinders will dance hard, sweat, and return home with dirt-caked shoes. And perhaps Sherry will play Denzo’s remix of Angry’s Man’s, “The Last of Us,” coming soon on Outburst Records. Then, maybe, Denzo will proudly look down from the DJ booth and see a glimpse of the "dark and underground" he craves so deeply. 

Mark Sherry, Indecent Noise, and Denzo. 10 p.m. Friday, September 23, at Club Space, 34 NE 11th St., Miami; 305-456-5613; clubspace.com. Tickets cost $10 to $20 via eventbrite.com.