Earlier this summer, we here at Crossfade included Murk in our list of the 50 Best Miami
Bands of All Time. And with good reason.
The production power duo of
Oscar Gaetan and Ralph Falcon is among the most commercially successful
acts in the history of house music. But also one of the most influential, with a pioneering '90s
sound that can still be heard on the international charts today.
Catch the pair behind the decks at Saturday's special Murk Day shindig at The Vagabond. But first, get a glimpse of the sensational journey Murk have enjoyed over the
past two decades as Oscar and Ralph reminisce with us about five records that have made them the stuff of legend.
See also:
-Murk: Best Electronica Artist of 2012
-Oscar G Calls Out Club Culture: "DJs Are Going to Have to Grow Some Balls"
-Murk in 50 Best Miami Bands of All Time
1. Liberty City's "Some Lovin'" (1992)
"We had a bunch of issues during the recording of this track. The tape machine we used wasn't calibrated properly and the reels were wobbling a bit, so it made the track sound warped. We came very close to not even releasing it because we weren't happy with the final mix. A few months later, we saw Junior Vasquez play the track for 20 minutes at the legendary Sound Factory in NYC. He was the ultimate tastemaker at the time. We could not believe the crowd reaction. They sang along to every word.
2. Funky Green Dogs' "Fired Up" (1996)
"Our good friend Danny Tenaglia championed this record for months before it was even released. He made it an anthem at his then-weekly residency at Twilo in NYC. The song eventually debuted at number one on Billboard and led to three full-length Funky Green Dogs albums on
Twisted/MCA Records. Good times, but we definitely don't miss the trappings of major label exclusivity."
3. Oscar G & Ralph Falcon's "Dark Beat" (2002)
"We originally recorded the hook/chant for this song ourselves. We nearly released it that way, but luckily we wised up and called our friend Oba Frank Lords. Oba Frank is an amazing musician in his own right and added just the right vibe we needed. He first performed the song at Space in Miami about three months before it was officially released. The song had been played at Space every week from the time we recorded it. So people sang along, word for word. This is the one folks always request at gigs!"
4. Intruder's "Amame" Featuring Jei (2010)
"We released this track exclusively on vinyl for a year before it became available digitally. We were hoping to create a little buzz for the summer season. We never imagined it would become a staple in the sets of Seth Troxler, The Martinez Brothers, Kerri Chandler, and several other cool DJs in Ibiza over the summer in 2011. We went back to Ibiza in 2012 and were surprised to hear a lot of guys were still playing it on the island. You never know when or why some records stick, but we're just thankful when they do!"
5. Murk's "Die 4 U" (2012)
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"This is a project we worked on for about 3 years, on and off. We had to record the vocals a few times because the original files became corrupted. Victoria Wilson James is the
vocalist and she delivers an amazing performance. This will be our first-ever digital release on Murk Records. We felt it was a good way to get the ball rolling for a bunch of new projects we are working on with plans to release digitally on Murk."
Happy Murk Day. Celebrating the birthdays of Oscar G and Ralph Falcon. With an opening set by Lazaro Casanova. Presented by Nervous Records. Saturday, November 24. The Vagabond, 30 NE 14th St., Miami. The party starts at 10 p.m. and tickets cost $10 plus fees via wantickets.com. Ages 21 and up. Call 305-379-0508 or visit thevagabondmiami.com.
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