Nanotek
Encyclopedia
Nanotek, born Mark Christiansen, is an international Drum & Bass
and Dubstep
producer and DJ from Wellington
, New Zealand
. Nanotek gained international recognition in 2007 with releases on darkstep
labels such as Freak Recordings
and Obscene Recordings. More recent projects include collaborations with artists such as Counterstrike
, Current Value and Gein as well as Christiansen's first release on his self titled label, Nanotek.
, New Zealand
in 2003, Christiansen was introduced to the sounds of Dom & Roland
, Photek
, and Dylan, which became key influences in his darkstep
and hard sound.
During this period, saw him presenting a regular prime time show on electronic music station Firm FM. An invitation from Wellington's Noise Enthusiast crew to headline their night 'Descend' was the first step that took Christiansen on to supporting DJs such as Tech Itch and Limewax
.
His break came in late 2006 when Dylan, owner of Freak Recordings
, signed two of his tracks, Acid Burn and Deadly Force, to his sister label Obscene Recordings.
This was a turning point for Christiansen, who gained international recognition from DJs such as Current Value, SPL, Limewax
, B-Key, Tech Itch, Gein, and Counterstrike
, as a result.
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
and Dubstep
Dubstep
Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in south London, England. Its overall sound has been described as "tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals"....
producer and DJ from Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. Nanotek gained international recognition in 2007 with releases on darkstep
Darkstep
Darkstep is a subgenre of drum and bass that fuses elements of darkcore with uptempo breakbeats and ambient noises . Darkstep music is typically composed in a chromatic scale...
labels such as Freak Recordings
Freak Recordings
Freak Recordings is a UK-based drum n bass record label, owned and run by Dylan Hisley, which deals predominantly in heavier subgenres of drum and bass. It is affiliated with labels Obscene Recordings and Tech Itch Recordings, with the latter of whom it has formed a sub-label, Tech Freak...
and Obscene Recordings. More recent projects include collaborations with artists such as Counterstrike
Counterstrike (drum and bass group)
Counterstrike, is a drum and bass producer duo from Cape Town consisting of Justin Scholtemeyer and Eaton Crous. They are considered to be one of the pioneers of the South African drum 'n bass scene...
, Current Value and Gein as well as Christiansen's first release on his self titled label, Nanotek.
Biography
Nanotek has been involved with music since his teenage years when he played guitar and drums in metal bands. In the mid 90s he discovered industrial and electronic music. Moving to WellingtonWellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in 2003, Christiansen was introduced to the sounds of Dom & Roland
Dom & Roland
Dom & Roland is the alias of British drum and bass producer Dominic Angus. The addition of "Roland" in the artist name refers to his Roland sampler. In 1996 he was signed to Moving Shadow recordings, and his tracks were oriented towards the dark hardstep genre. He has released records on other...
, Photek
Photek
Photek is Rupert Parkes , a Los Angeles-based British record producer and DJ. He joined the drum and bass scene relatively early , and is still one of its most respected players...
, and Dylan, which became key influences in his darkstep
Darkstep
Darkstep is a subgenre of drum and bass that fuses elements of darkcore with uptempo breakbeats and ambient noises . Darkstep music is typically composed in a chromatic scale...
and hard sound.
During this period, saw him presenting a regular prime time show on electronic music station Firm FM. An invitation from Wellington's Noise Enthusiast crew to headline their night 'Descend' was the first step that took Christiansen on to supporting DJs such as Tech Itch and Limewax
Limewax
Limewax is a drum and bass producer and DJ from Kamianets-Podilskyi, Ukraine, whose style tends towards the harsher sounds of hardstep and darkstep. However he is most recognisable as a Skullstep artist....
.
His break came in late 2006 when Dylan, owner of Freak Recordings
Freak Recordings
Freak Recordings is a UK-based drum n bass record label, owned and run by Dylan Hisley, which deals predominantly in heavier subgenres of drum and bass. It is affiliated with labels Obscene Recordings and Tech Itch Recordings, with the latter of whom it has formed a sub-label, Tech Freak...
, signed two of his tracks, Acid Burn and Deadly Force, to his sister label Obscene Recordings.
This was a turning point for Christiansen, who gained international recognition from DJs such as Current Value, SPL, Limewax
Limewax
Limewax is a drum and bass producer and DJ from Kamianets-Podilskyi, Ukraine, whose style tends towards the harsher sounds of hardstep and darkstep. However he is most recognisable as a Skullstep artist....
, B-Key, Tech Itch, Gein, and Counterstrike
Counterstrike (drum and bass group)
Counterstrike, is a drum and bass producer duo from Cape Town consisting of Justin Scholtemeyer and Eaton Crous. They are considered to be one of the pioneers of the South African drum 'n bass scene...
, as a result.
Releases
- 2006: Nightwatch on Intransigent Digital
- 2007: Acid Burn / Deadly Force
- 2007: Fresh Hell on Freak RecordingsFreak RecordingsFreak Recordings is a UK-based drum n bass record label, owned and run by Dylan Hisley, which deals predominantly in heavier subgenres of drum and bass. It is affiliated with labels Obscene Recordings and Tech Itch Recordings, with the latter of whom it has formed a sub-label, Tech Freak...
- 2007: The Vengeful on Intransigent Recordings
- 2007: Those Who Dwell Within' on Intransigent Recordings
- 2009: Never Say Die / Angels Of Truth
- 2009: Behemoth / Better Place on Tech Itch Records
- 2010: The Master with Gein on Guerilla Recordings
- 2010: Blackness with CounterstrikeCounterstrike (drum and bass group)Counterstrike, is a drum and bass producer duo from Cape Town consisting of Justin Scholtemeyer and Eaton Crous. They are considered to be one of the pioneers of the South African drum 'n bass scene...
on Counterstrike Recordings - 2011: Code of Chaos on Prspct Recordings
- 2011: Resurrection EP on Nanotek
- 2011: The Freak Obscene Days EP on Nanotek
External links
- Official Website
- Nanotek on FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...