Who is Monkey Marc?
Born in Cardiff, Wales, Monkey Marc is an Australian music producer who works from his fully solar-powered Melbourne recording studio in a shipping container. He has released on labels including Jahtari, Renegade Masters, Elefant Traks and Glastonbury Festival’s Uncommon Records.
Rooted in a punk background, Marc’s passion for music and social change has taken him across remote regions of Australia and the world. Originally working as a geologist in outback Australian gold mines, he got his name from the mining jobs that required him to climb high up into dangerous areas of mineshafts to safeguard them for the miners. After several near-death accidents, he switched to a life of music and political agitation, spending years roaming the Australian desert as an activist and guerrilla environmentalist. He ran a solar-powered sound system (transported by a vegetable-oil powered van) throwing renegade parties at the frontline of forest blockades and protests around Australia. He has spent the past 15 years working in Australian indigenous communities, and he won the 2018 Music Victoria Award for “Best Reggae Dancehall Act”.
Vital Sound is a hard-hitting blend of reggae, hip-hop, dancehall, dub, grime, and trap. The album contains a lineup of heavyweight Jamaican veterans such as Sizzla, Capleton, Turbulence, Ninja Man, Fantan Mojah, Dre Island, Iba Mahr, and Prince Alla. Other artists to be featured include rising reggae stars Blvk H3ro, Yeza, Aza Lineage, Fyah Roiall, and Jah Izrehl.
The album also features UK artists Soom T, Riko Dan, Speng Bond and Killa P and Irah, as well as collaborations with producers like UK dubstep pioneer Pinch, Australian reggae producer Mista Savona (Havana Meets Kingston), UK dub producer Escape Roots, and Jamaican producer SOS Dynamikz.
Working out of his unique shipping container studio, Marc exclusively works with artists who use his musical canvases as backdrops for politically-charged messages. Like Bob Marley, Fela Kuti, Chuck D, Tom Morello and many others that came before him, Marc understands the importance of music in the pursuit of social justice. This vital message of liberation and upliftment comes to us at a time when we need it most, and it is the inspiration behind Monkey Marc’s new album, Vital Sound.
There has already been a strong buzz present from selectors, radio stations and sound systems worldwide. Previously released singles from Vital Sound have been supported by Max Glazer (Federation Sound, Red Bull Radio), Smile Jamaica TVJ, Don Letts, David Rodigan (BBC), triple j (Australia), Jamie Rodigan (Reprezent), Galang Radio (tune of the week), and many more. Global reggae dancehall hit “No Surrender” has had over 10 million views and streams online.
A Mad Max-themed music video for the lead single, “Rebel Code”, which features Turbulence, Blvk H3ro and Yeza (and Mista Savona on keys) is slated for release late November.
