Like so many of us here at River Beats, Mark McNulty lives a double life. As a writer by day and a DJ by night, this Brooklyn-based artist is not only incredibly versatile at mixing but also well in tune with the current trends in music, culture, and more.
If you’re not yet familiar with Mark McNulty, we highly recommend taking some time to get acquainted. His mixes span genres like drum and bass, jungle, breakbeat, house, and reggae, to name just a few, and he’s opened for iconic and reputable artists including Subtronics, Detox Unit, Dirt Monkey, and Monty. You may have spotted him previously spinning at festivals, clubs, or parties throughout the country.
Mark McNulty is a long-time collaborator with the Rust Music, but his latest mix was released in tandem with another favorite label of ours: the Gradient Perspective. Officially dubbed “The Broken Beat Chronicles 13,” the newest installment in the series beautifully leads listeners through a fun, upbeat, and funky mishmash of genres and tracks without ever feeling stale or boring. It features songs from artists such as Gene on Earth, Skrillex, and Kolter, and it’s a welcome addition to our music library.
Tracklist:
Gene On Earth – Chuggy Elements
Gene On Earth – Aston Martinez (Sweely Club Mix)
Donnie Cosmo – Spaced Invaders
Kolter – Breakarama
Kolter – Ying Yang
Scott Shima – Scoop The Fatman
Jive Talk – Action Vest
Donnie Cosmo – Shape The Future
Duowe & Picasso – Body Glitch
Duowe & Picasso – HAL 9000
Gene on Earth – Piranha Club
Mance – Chess No Checkers
Villain Era, Nic Baker – ID
Soul Mass Transit System – Sweet Sweet
Spirit Of Da Underground – Way I Are
Soul Mass Transit System – What I Need
Gemi – Text Me Back
BWK Project – Why
Richard Wright – Tin Pan
Soul Mass Transit System – Burna
Skrillex, Fred again.., Flowdan – Rumble (Full Crate Remix)
S1 – 702
M4A4 – Rock Some More
Paperkraft – Yea Bea
We were fortunate to have the opportunity to connect with Mark McNulty to find out more about this mix, his ongoing career, and some upcoming shows he’s excited about.
RB: What was the inspiration behind your new mix? Were there any themes or emotions you wanted to incorporate?
McNulty: As I continue to learn what it means to DJ, I sometimes find myself choosing between the music I love, and the “right” music. You know, what “fits” for that crowd, this venue, that mix series, this bill. Very Piscean. This year, I realized those two things are actually one and the same. Nicole from the Black Box spoke on a podcast last week, DJs in Studios Eating Cereal, and summarized this idea. “As long as you are doing you, there’s nothing and nobody that can get in your way.” So for this mix, I chose to share some house and breakbeat that I’ve had on repeat in my headphones lately, as opposed to something more bass-forward that Gradient Perspective’s audience might expect.
RB: Are there any artists or genres that you draw from when writing music?
McNulty: Some of the DJs who inspire me are DJ Marky, DJ Koco, The Librarian, and Joe Kay. Each draws from an extremely broad and disparate spectrum of music to create cohesive, fun dancefloor experiences. They also have a strong sense for the history and culture behind music, and they find ways to incorporate that into their performances. With the power of privilege of performing music for people comes the responsibility to provide a little more than just entertainment, I believe. Or as Fela Kuti said, “Music is a spiritual thing. You don’t play with music. If you play with music, you die young.” If Fela saw my SoundCloud, he’d probably tell me I’m going to die next week. But I’m working on it.
RB: What’s next for you after this release? Are there upcoming projects or collaborations you’re excited about?
McNulty: I’m opening Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom on Thursday, August 15, followed by a “Road to Submersion” event in Philadelphia on August 17 before Submersion Festival in New Jersey on October 3-5. While the lineup is international in scope, Submersion always feels like the hometown throwdown for the NYC / Philly scene that I came up in, so I’m grateful to be so involved with it, and thankful to Jesse, Ryan, the Rust Music, and Aspire Higher. I’m also performing at Alchemy Productions’ three-year anniversary party in St. Petersburg, FL on September 21. Josh from Alchemy was one of the first people to support my DJ project. Alchemy seems to be doing things the right way so I’m excited to finally link with them.
RB: How has being a journalist impacted your music career?
McNulty: I blogged about music for five years between 2014 and 2019, and I still write about music occasionally today, most recently at Bass Coast. Over the years, I built a network that I rely on today as a DJ. For better or worse, music (life?) is often about who you know. After doing the blogs, I knew people who then plugged me in when I began DJing. In general, I think it’s valuable to see your music scene from more than one angle if you can. Three of the four DJs I mentioned above are also event curators or label owners or both. If you work multiple angles, you can create these positive synergies between them that increase your overall XP.
To stay up-to-date on Mark McNulty’s upcoming appearances and releases, be sure to follow him at the links below. And, of course, be sure to give this newest mix a listen — you won’t regret it!
Follow mark mcnulty:
Instagram | SoundCloud | Website
Like so many of us here at River Beats, Mark McNulty lives a double life. As a writer by day and a DJ by night, this Brooklyn-based artist is not only incredibly versatile at mixing but also well in tune with the current trends in music, culture, and more.
If you’re not yet familiar with Mark McNulty, we highly recommend taking some time to get acquainted. His mixes span genres like drum and bass, jungle, breakbeat, house, and reggae, to name just a few, and he’s opened for iconic and reputable artists including Subtronics, Detox Unit, Dirt Monkey, and Monty. You may have spotted him previously spinning at festivals, clubs, or parties throughout the country.
Mark McNulty is a long-time collaborator with the Rust Music, but his latest mix was released in tandem with another favorite label of ours: the Gradient Perspective. Officially dubbed “The Broken Beat Chronicles 13,” the newest installment in the series beautifully leads listeners through a fun, upbeat, and funky mishmash of genres and tracks without ever feeling stale or boring. It features songs from artists such as Gene on Earth, Skrillex, and Kolter, and it’s a welcome addition to our music library.
Tracklist:
Gene On Earth – Chuggy Elements
Gene On Earth – Aston Martinez (Sweely Club Mix)
Donnie Cosmo – Spaced Invaders
Kolter – Breakarama
Kolter – Ying Yang
Scott Shima – Scoop The Fatman
Jive Talk – Action Vest
Donnie Cosmo – Shape The Future
Duowe & Picasso – Body Glitch
Duowe & Picasso – HAL 9000
Gene on Earth – Piranha Club
Mance – Chess No Checkers
Villain Era, Nic Baker – ID
Soul Mass Transit System – Sweet Sweet
Spirit Of Da Underground – Way I Are
Soul Mass Transit System – What I Need
Gemi – Text Me Back
BWK Project – Why
Richard Wright – Tin Pan
Soul Mass Transit System – Burna
Skrillex, Fred again.., Flowdan – Rumble (Full Crate Remix)
S1 – 702
M4A4 – Rock Some More
Paperkraft – Yea Bea
We were fortunate to have the opportunity to connect with Mark McNulty to find out more about this mix, his ongoing career, and some upcoming shows he’s excited about.
RB: What was the inspiration behind your new mix? Were there any themes or emotions you wanted to incorporate?
McNulty: As I continue to learn what it means to DJ, I sometimes find myself choosing between the music I love, and the “right” music. You know, what “fits” for that crowd, this venue, that mix series, this bill. Very Piscean. This year, I realized those two things are actually one and the same. Nicole from the Black Box spoke on a podcast last week, DJs in Studios Eating Cereal, and summarized this idea. “As long as you are doing you, there’s nothing and nobody that can get in your way.” So for this mix, I chose to share some house and breakbeat that I’ve had on repeat in my headphones lately, as opposed to something more bass-forward that Gradient Perspective’s audience might expect.
RB: Are there any artists or genres that you draw from when writing music?
McNulty: Some of the DJs who inspire me are DJ Marky, DJ Koco, The Librarian, and Joe Kay. Each draws from an extremely broad and disparate spectrum of music to create cohesive, fun dancefloor experiences. They also have a strong sense for the history and culture behind music, and they find ways to incorporate that into their performances. With the power of privilege of performing music for people comes the responsibility to provide a little more than just entertainment, I believe. Or as Fela Kuti said, “Music is a spiritual thing. You don’t play with music. If you play with music, you die young.” If Fela saw my SoundCloud, he’d probably tell me I’m going to die next week. But I’m working on it.
RB: What’s next for you after this release? Are there upcoming projects or collaborations you’re excited about?
McNulty: I’m opening Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom on Thursday, August 15, followed by a “Road to Submersion” event in Philadelphia on August 17 before Submersion Festival in New Jersey on October 3-5. While the lineup is international in scope, Submersion always feels like the hometown throwdown for the NYC / Philly scene that I came up in, so I’m grateful to be so involved with it, and thankful to Jesse, Ryan, the Rust Music, and Aspire Higher. I’m also performing at Alchemy Productions’ three-year anniversary party in St. Petersburg, FL on September 21. Josh from Alchemy was one of the first people to support my DJ project. Alchemy seems to be doing things the right way so I’m excited to finally link with them.
RB: How has being a journalist impacted your music career?
McNulty: I blogged about music for five years between 2014 and 2019, and I still write about music occasionally today, most recently at Bass Coast. Over the years, I built a network that I rely on today as a DJ. For better or worse, music (life?) is often about who you know. After doing the blogs, I knew people who then plugged me in when I began DJing. In general, I think it’s valuable to see your music scene from more than one angle if you can. Three of the four DJs I mentioned above are also event curators or label owners or both. If you work multiple angles, you can create these positive synergies between them that increase your overall XP.
To stay up-to-date on Mark McNulty’s upcoming appearances and releases, be sure to follow him at the links below. And, of course, be sure to give this newest mix a listen — you won’t regret it!
Follow mark mcnulty:
Instagram | SoundCloud | Website
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