Markove : Our First Chapter

2016 is turning out to be a phenomenal year for American Hard Dance Music.

Seeing three tours; KTRA, Unite and Trauma Harderstyles Tour. A two day all Hard Dance festival compliments of the Insomniac Basscon team. An explosion of smaller club events all across the country topped with a magnificent cherry on top, the release of American Hardstyle artist Markove’s full album “Our First Chapter”.

Between hosting the latest episode of the BPM Boost podcast, finishing up interviews left and right, performing a set at Utopia AZ (February 27th) and prepping for his set at KTRA PA (March 19th). Markove made some time to tell us a little about himself, his career and his music.

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1. Markove, tell us a little about yourself where bouts are you from? What was the Rave scene like when you first got into it?

I’m from the Washington, D.C. suburbs!  I’ve lived here all my life, but my families originally from Ohio.  When I’m not doing Hardstyle related things, I’m usually feeding my video game habit or browsing Reddit.  I also love cats.  Cats are great.

The rave scene in DC has always been house and trance.  Outside of town, most local promoters focus on dubstep or drum and bass.  Hardstyle hasn’t really been included or a major focus until recently.  Folks like East Coast Hard Dance, Audio Havok, and Badass Raves are making it happen here!

2. How long have you been listening to Hard Dance Music? When did you first decided to delve into producing the genre?

I’ve been listening to hard dance since 2010.  I started off with Hardstyle and eventually learned about Hardcore a year later.  I started focusing on Hardstyle production shortly after.  The rest is history!

3. Before you started producing Hardstyle, were you creating music in any other genres? Electronic or not.

All of my early productions were house or trance experiments.  I was never able to finish a track due to lack of focus or desire.  Nothing captivated my attention or gave me motivation for long enough until I found Hardstyle.

4. Where does the inspiration for your music come from? Do you have any artists that have particularly inspired you?

Life has been the biggest source of my inspiration.  As cliché as it sounds, it’s true!  The people I’ve met, the experiences I’ve had, and everything in between inspire me to be the best I can.  To create music I love and feel proud of.  There’s no better feeling in the world than coming home after a great show and working on music.

Wasted Penguinz are, without a doubt, the biggest source of influence on me as a producer.  Their tracks lit a fire inside that made me never look back when I first started producing.  “Stay Alive” in particular was a big motivator.  Noisecontrollers also deserves a shout-out for “Attack Again”, which started my Hardstyle addiction.

5. Musically what are/were some of your biggest goals?

My first major goal as an artist was to fly for a gig out of state.  I’ve been lucky enough to be given the opportunity numerous times since I set out.  Huge thank you to everyone who’s made that dream a reality!

What’s next?  An ultimate goal of mine is to play a major European festival.  I dream of showing the world what American Hardstyle is capable of.

6. Artist use their music to tell stories, send a message or translate their emotions into sound. Your new album “Our First Chapter” just released less than a month ago. What story or message (if any) were you trying to paint with this album?

“Our First Chapter” is the story of how far American Hardstyle has come and the bright future ahead of us.  Only a few years ago, we were lucky to have a show maybe once or twice every six months.  Fast forward, we’re having a show each month if not every other weekend.  The American hard dance movement is growing and cannot be stopped.  The album is about not just about my growth as an artist, but how far all of us have come and will continue to grow.

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It’s safe to say that the future is bright for this artist and American Hard Dance as a whole. We can’t wait to see what else he brings to the table this year.

Here’s to many new chapters in a never ending story.

Find his album on any of these websites:

Hardstyle.com | Beatport | ITunes | Spotify | Trackitdown

Connect with Markove:

Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Soundcloud | LiveStream