A delirious after hours session with hazy low-slung grooves

Irish bred, Sydney based DJ and producer Mark Craven steers Lazydaze into the post-rave after hours with a journey of slow mo grooves.

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Can you tell us a bit about your journey into electronic music and DJing? When did you first discover electronic music? I first started with heavy metal and then went onto rap and hip-hop and that’s when turntables first caught my eye. I would try to scratch my Dad’s records on his home turntable. He had loads of records as he had a radio show on a ‘Golden Oldies’ station as Lucky Jim.

My first real memory of electronic music was when a cassette from a pirate radio station in London was doing the rounds in my hometown (Warrenpoint, N.Ireland) and from that moment on I was totally hooked. This led to me saving up and buying a set of turntables with no pitch control and Realistic mixer with no crossfader. 

I played my first gig at a party that we had for some Spanish exchange students that came over every year. I played with one turntable and a tape deck played through a microphone close to the speaker. It was absolutely brutal and there were minute gaps of silence while I tried to que up the next track without headphones! But it was enough to give me the bug.

How did you decide to approach your mix? Was there a concept behind it? I started compiling tracks in a playlist for the mix that I don't get to play out as they are too slow for the club environment. I was amazed when I realised I had over 7 hours worth of music! So I had to be more selective and start another playlist of tracks and think about how I could work them into a set. Once I got it down to around 3-hours worth of music, I then started working on programming it loosely in an order before actually mixing and playing around with it.

Like all mixes I try to tell a story. It has an intro, a main body and then a finale. This mix was outside my comfort zone so it took more time working on the programming and I wanted to stay true to my sound but also show another side that people might not hear. I wanted to create a mix you could listen to at a kick-on in the early hours of the morning, during the day having a chill, or while having some coldies at sunset. It might be selfish, but I also wanted to record a mix that I would love listening to!

Are there any particularly special tracks or moments in there for you? Without giving too much away, I had always planned to include the last two tracks. They always give me goosebumps! One is from Sasha and John Digweed’s timeless Northern Exposure mix compilation, which I have never had the chance to play out or put on a mix, so it’s really special to be able to include it. The final track for me is a perfect ending to the mix and hopefully brings a few smiles even if you aren't familiar with it.

You’ve had some great success in producing dance music tracks and have been supported by the likes of Hernan Cattaneo and Anthony Pappa. What’s coming up for you on the production front? I’ve been very lucky over the last few years to be working with a close friend of mine, Paul Nolan, founder of Make Your Transition. I had been trying to write music for over ten years without any success, so I reached out to Paul and we started doing weekly Skype calls. Without Paul’s help and mentoring, none of my success would have been possible. I learned and achieved more in two years than in the previous ten!

I thought I would have made loads of new tracks during Covid, but it didn’t eventuate. Logic brought out a new upgrade, so I went back to doing an introduction course to get my skills up to speed and iron out a few bad habits. I had to take a step back before I could move forward.

I’m now collaborating with Paul on some projects, which is really exciting. I recently sent him a remix of a track I really love. He went above and beyond to make it work and the end result is pretty special. When I did first car test listen, it gave me goosebumps and my eyes filled with tears! It’s had the same effect on a few others which is very promising. We are going to put the tracks on ice for the time being until the clubbing world reopens. That way it can be experienced properly on a dance floor for maximum impact.

I’m also working on a few other tracks. At the moment I’m just trying to enjoy the process without putting too much pressure on myself. I have a list of labels I want to sign to and I’m in the process of starting a label with a mate of mine.

What’s your most memorable moment behind the decks? So many memorable moments to choose from, but it will be hard to top playing at Return To Rio on the River Stage with one of my best mates, Ricky Cooper, as the sun started to set behind the mountains. Everything was perfect - the crowd, the sound and the next level production. It was everything I ever dreamed of and something I will never forget. Magical.

Name your all time favourite ambient/downbeat/electronica/experimental release. Such a hard question to answer, but one of my favourite albums is Dave Seaman’s Back To Mine. It has a special place in my heart as it was the soundtrack of a pivotal point in my life when I left Ireland. I listen to it now and I can nearly step back in time to the emotions I was going through at that moment in time. It also has, in my opinion, one of the greatest downtempo tracks of all time, Sasha’s ‘Baja’.