DJ OF THE WEEK 10.24.11: MARKUS SCHULZ

Markus Schulz not in drops down a spot in DJ Mags Top 100 DJs list? Man F** dat! Ok, clever way to make a point while using the name of the track that put him on the map, but the sentiment is valid. It was 18 years ago, back in 1993 when a young Mark Schulz, still making his way in the industry was given the opportunity to remix Sagat’s hit single for FFrr records. Since then, Schulz has gone on to make a name for himself as one of the most recognized DJs in the game.

Born in Eschwege, Germany, Schulz came to the states at a very young age and lived in the very diverse states of New York, Boston, and finally Arizona. It was there that he began in earnest to dig deep into the music and begin dreaming of a future in music. And he didn’t just wait around to make a name for himself to get in either. Aside from opening his own record store in Arizona called Plastic Records, he thought himself how to create his own tracks from the initial development all the way through to the engineering stage. At one point, looking to solidify his sound more, he moved to London on a soul searching mission of sorts. His eyes were on being a world renowned DJ and he wasn’t going to stop until he reached his goal.

In 1994 Schulz released Plastik Trax EP Vol 1 which managed to create some buzz and thankfully lead to more work. In 1998 he opened the doors to his own label, Plastik Records and dropped its first single ‘You Won’t See Me Cry.’ Though Schulz is formidably skilled in various genres, by 2000 he was primarily known as a Trance DJ, and in just a few short years would finally be known throughout the world due to albums such as Without you Near (05), Progression (07) and his latest Do You Dream (10).

Schulz has remained extremely busy throughout his career both in the DJ booth and the studio. His exhaustive tour schedule will see him constantly filling clubs the world over week after week. Yet, his work in the studio is equally as exhaustive. He has released 7 albums, countless singles, remixes, and compilations. Let’s not fail to mention the label he founded in 2005, Coldharbour Recordings, which remains one of the most creative wings of the Armada music empire.

So, yeah, though he’s been on the list before, to not see Markus Schulz go down on the Top 100 DJ list is quite disappointing, but I won’t complain too loudly, I’ll just put the following mix -recorded live at this years Electric Zoo festival in New York- on blast in his honor. Followed by his remix of Sagat’s classic track of course. F** that!