Mark Rae
Encyclopedia
Mark Rae, born in Ashington
, Northumberland
, England
, is the head of the highly revered independent record label
Grand Central Records
and one half of DJ and production duo Rae & Christian
.
and became manager and co-owner of Manchester's celebrated music store Fat City Records
, before releasing an E.P. for Tony D
on Grand Central
music label, which held a place at the top of the UK’s independent music scene until 2006. During this time, Rae stacked up releases with Steve Christian under the ‘Rae & Christian’ guise, and worked with artists like the Pharcyde, Jungle Brothers, Bobby Womack and The Congos. He also co-wrote with Mr Scruff of Ninja Tune fame, and produced hundreds of remixes of artists including Jay-Z
and Bob Marley
. His music has been featured on TV shows that include So You Think You Can Dance (US), Sex and the City, Six Feet Under and Come Dine With Me, as well as various films.
Rae released two studio albums with Steve Christian
as Rae & Christian
. He also performed producing, remixing and DJing duties for a number of other artists, and occasionally co-wrote tracks with Mr. Scruff
. Rae & Christian hit the festival circuit with full force and performed at some of the most prestigious events in the world such as Glastonbury, Roskilde, V Festival and Rae opened for Madonna
with Texas at the Brixton Music Academy.
, in 2002.
The advent of Rae's (DJ mix album
) Ode To A Dying DJ
(part of the Trustthedj series) saw the first music released by Rae's new partnership with Rhys Adams, under the band name ARP (standing for Adams.Rae.Productions).
Rae and Adams teamed up again for a new project - the record label, Yes King Records, and the band Yes King. The first Yes King album, Rock This World, was released in March 2008. The music blends hip hop, dancehall, ragga and skank–ska. Guest vocalists include Dawn Penn
, Prezident Brown
, Veba, Pete Simpson, Sweetie Irie
, Kenny Knotts, Ayak Thiik, Babychan and Mystro
.
In 2009, a remix album of Rae & Christian tracks Raiding the Vaults was released exclusively on iTunes. The album was noted on Rae's MySpace page as a "collaboration" between Yes King and Rae & Christian.
Currently, Rae is working on another Rae & Christian album, Yes King album and solo projects that include a book on his experience within the music industry.
Ashington
Ashington is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England with a population of around 27,000 people; it was once a centre of the coal mining industry. The town is located some north of Newcastle upon Tyne off the A189. The south of the town is bordered by the River Wansbeck...
, Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, is the head of the highly revered independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
Grand Central Records
Grand Central Records
Grand Central Records was an independent record label based in the Northern Quarter of Manchester, UK. It was started in 1995 by DJ Mark Rae . Rae started out working as manager of the Fat City Records' store...
and one half of DJ and production duo Rae & Christian
Rae & Christian
Rae & Christian were Grand Central Records' founder Mark Rae and fellow producer and DJ Steve Christian. Their music is broadly classed as Hip-Hop / soulful dance music and features such vocalists as The Jungle Brothers, Jeru The Damaja and The Pharcyde as well as contributions from Bobby Womack...
.
Grand Central and Rae & Christian
In 1987, he moved to ManchesterManchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and became manager and co-owner of Manchester's celebrated music store Fat City Records
Fat City Recordings
Fat City Recordings is an independent record label. It emerged in 1998 from the Fat City Records shop originally situated in Affleck's Palace in the Northern Quarter, Manchester, but which has now moved onto Oldham Street....
, before releasing an E.P. for Tony D
Tony D
Tony D, born Anthony Depula , was a hip hop legend from Trenton, New Jersey. Although he was a hip hop artist & DJ, he was most famous for being an influential producer in hip hop music. He was the producer behind Poor Righteous Teachers and YZ...
on Grand Central
Grand Central Records
Grand Central Records was an independent record label based in the Northern Quarter of Manchester, UK. It was started in 1995 by DJ Mark Rae . Rae started out working as manager of the Fat City Records' store...
music label, which held a place at the top of the UK’s independent music scene until 2006. During this time, Rae stacked up releases with Steve Christian under the ‘Rae & Christian’ guise, and worked with artists like the Pharcyde, Jungle Brothers, Bobby Womack and The Congos. He also co-wrote with Mr Scruff of Ninja Tune fame, and produced hundreds of remixes of artists including Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
and Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
. His music has been featured on TV shows that include So You Think You Can Dance (US), Sex and the City, Six Feet Under and Come Dine With Me, as well as various films.
Rae released two studio albums with Steve Christian
Steve Christian (DJ)
Steve Christian is a producer and musician from Manchester. He was formerly one half of recording group Rae & Christian, along with Mark Rae, the then head of independent record label, Grand Central Records.-Background:...
as Rae & Christian
Rae & Christian
Rae & Christian were Grand Central Records' founder Mark Rae and fellow producer and DJ Steve Christian. Their music is broadly classed as Hip-Hop / soulful dance music and features such vocalists as The Jungle Brothers, Jeru The Damaja and The Pharcyde as well as contributions from Bobby Womack...
. He also performed producing, remixing and DJing duties for a number of other artists, and occasionally co-wrote tracks with Mr. Scruff
Mr. Scruff
Mr. Scruff is the recording name of Andy Carthy , a British DJ and artist. He lives in Stockport, Greater Manchester, and studied fine art at the Psalter Lane campus of Sheffield Hallam University...
. Rae & Christian hit the festival circuit with full force and performed at some of the most prestigious events in the world such as Glastonbury, Roskilde, V Festival and Rae opened for Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
with Texas at the Brixton Music Academy.
Yes King Records and solo projects
Rae recorded his first proper solo record, Rae RoadRae Road
Rae Road is the first solo album of original music by Grand Central Records boss and DJ / musician, Mark Rae.-Track listing:# "Lobster"# "Lavish" # "Make No Mistake"# "Skio"# "Bamburgh Dunes"# "Candystripe"...
, in 2002.
The advent of Rae's (DJ mix album
DJ mix
A DJ mix or DJ mixset is a sequence of musical tracks typically mixed together to appear as one continuous track. When a DJ mix or DJ mixset is recorded onto some medium, it is often referred to as a mix tape...
) Ode To A Dying DJ
Ode to a Dying DJ
Ode to a Dying DJ is a DJ mix album, mixed by Mark Rae, released by trustthedj independent record label and website. The album is a mix of Jamaican dancehall as well as the staple Grand Central style UK hip hop.-Track listing:# "Ton Of Bricks" - Tipper...
(part of the Trustthedj series) saw the first music released by Rae's new partnership with Rhys Adams, under the band name ARP (standing for Adams.Rae.Productions).
Rae and Adams teamed up again for a new project - the record label, Yes King Records, and the band Yes King. The first Yes King album, Rock This World, was released in March 2008. The music blends hip hop, dancehall, ragga and skank–ska. Guest vocalists include Dawn Penn
Dawn Penn
Dawn Penn is a Jamaican reggae singer.-Career:Dawn Penn's earliest recordings were for Prince Buster around 1966. In 1967 she recorded and released the rocksteady single, "You Don't Love Me" produced by Coxsone Dodd at Studio One...
, Prezident Brown
Prezident Brown
Prezident Brown aka Professor Frisky & Junior Ranking is a Jamaican dancehall deejay.-Biography:Cotterell was born in Clarendon Parish, Jamaica and raised in St. Mary...
, Veba, Pete Simpson, Sweetie Irie
Sweetie Irie
Derrick Bent , better known as Sweetie Irie, is a British reggae singer and DJ.-Biography:Born in London in 1971, Bent began working on local sound systems as a teenager, bringing him to the attention of Angus Gaye of Aswad, who recruited him to toast on the dancehall mix of their single "On and On"...
, Kenny Knotts, Ayak Thiik, Babychan and Mystro
Mystro
Kevin Amarfio is a British hip hop MC better known by the name Mystro.-History:Mystro first recorded appearance was in 1998, as the featured artist on Cane's "The Struggle" 12". In 1999, Mystro released the "Kiss That Arse Goodnight" single, featuring Jargon and Skinnyman, on Deal Real Records...
.
In 2009, a remix album of Rae & Christian tracks Raiding the Vaults was released exclusively on iTunes. The album was noted on Rae's MySpace page as a "collaboration" between Yes King and Rae & Christian.
Currently, Rae is working on another Rae & Christian album, Yes King album and solo projects that include a book on his experience within the music industry.
Rae & Christian
- Northern Sulphuric SoulNorthern Sulphuric SoulNorthern Sulphuric Soul was the debut album released by Grand Central Records artists Rae & Christian, on 5 October 1998.A re-mastered version was released on 12 January 2004, which contained 3 extra tracks and alternative sleeve art....
(5 October 1998) - Blazing The CropBlazing the CropBlazing the Crop was the first DJ mix album, mixed by Rae & Christian. It was released by Mixmag Live in association with their publishing company DMC Publishing in 1999 in the UK...
(DJ mix album) (20 September 1999) - Sleepwalking (26 February 2001)
- Another Late Night: Rae & ChristianAnother Late Night: Rae & ChristianAnother Late Night: Rae & Christian is the second DJ mix album, mixed by Grand Central Records artists Rae & Christian.It was released on 1 March 2001 on Late Night Tales in the UK and on Kinetic Records in the USA...
(DJ mix album) (24 September 2001) - Nocturnal ActivityNocturnal ActivityNocturnal Activity was released by Rae & Christian on the Grand Central Records independent record label in 2002. It is a remix album, composed of alternative mixes of the tracks from Sleepwalking album, plus one new track, a cover version of the Parliament track "Flashlight".-Track listing:# "Not...
(Sleepwalking Remixed) (25 March 2002) - Raiding the Vaults (remix album) (2009)
solo
- Ordered From The CatalogueOrdered From The CatalogueOrdered from the Catalogue, subtitled 100% live mix by Mark Rae, is a compilation album of material from Grand Central Records' back catalogue...
(DJ mix album composed of tracks from the Grand Central back catalogue) (7 May 2001) - Rae RoadRae RoadRae Road is the first solo album of original music by Grand Central Records boss and DJ / musician, Mark Rae.-Track listing:# "Lobster"# "Lavish" # "Make No Mistake"# "Skio"# "Bamburgh Dunes"# "Candystripe"...
(2 September 2002) - Into The DepthsInto The DepthsInto the Depths is the second solo album from Grand Central Records boss and DJ / musician Mark Rae, following his solo debut, Rae Road...
(23 August 2004) - Ode to a Dying DJOde to a Dying DJOde to a Dying DJ is a DJ mix album, mixed by Mark Rae, released by trustthedj independent record label and website. The album is a mix of Jamaican dancehall as well as the staple Grand Central style UK hip hop.-Track listing:# "Ton Of Bricks" - Tipper...
(DJ mix album) (4 July 2005)