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A DJ/Producer in high demand, Mark Farina, managed to find a moment to break away and share with us some of his experiences and thoughts. Talk about the countless hours spent either on the way to hear him play, dancing to his music, and/or listening to his CDs at home or in my car. This man has simultaneously helped open minds to new music and bodies burn calories on the dance floor. World renowned beat-head, Mark Farina, is among most of the highly demanded DJs and producers around on the electronic music scene, performing hundreds of gigs a year and packing every venue he plays. Mark graciously found a moment to break away and share with us some of his experiences and thoughts. "I was a soccer player. I thought I was going to take that route." Ha! Famous last words. Traveling the world as a DJ since the early 90's Mark has developed two unique styles of music, both of which have been highly acclaimed. First and foremost, there's the deep, funky, "umphy" (that he so perfectly coins it) house music, recognized on practically every dancefloor on the planet. Then, there's the unique downtempo sound he created and called "Mushroom Jazz." Set to be released in March of 2005, Mushroom Jazz 5 is not surprisingly getting fantastic reviews by critics and music lovers all around. Beginning with the success of 1996's first installment of the Mushroom Jazz series, Farina has been able to attract a worldwide religious following to the sound and the man behind it. A man inspired by all different styles of music and the ability to creatively bring them together for people of all walks to enjoy. "I was into the Cure, Smiths, The The, Ministry, Depeche Mode. I was also into a lot of punk stuff early on. Early U2, Yellow, Kraftwerk. The Police were a big influence. Neil Perk. I was a big Rush fan too." It was early on in his DJ career that Mark began fusing ideas for his unique vision of after-party music. "I used to go to NY back then and hear DJs play hip-hop and downtempo and felt like I could do that too. The early De La Soul and Tribe Called Quest stuff, and music along those lines inspired me because it wasn't being played in a lot of places. And when people would play downtempo, they wouldn't really mix it. Mushroom Jazz style is a housey mixing style applied to downtempo. I wanted something more mixed and crazy. I just decided to play something a little different and it turned into a mixed tape." Little did Mark know, his instinctual innovative synthesis of mixing styles and music would become so popular amongst music connoisseurs. Quickly gaining ground as a fixture at various loft-parties and lounge style B rooms allowed Farina to begin his legacy as the mind behind Mushroom Jazz. Taking his cue from early Talking Loud and various other acid jazz labels, and artists from Young Disciples and Galliano to underground hip-hop geniuses, Mark nurtured and cultivated this new sound. Like many of the up-and-coming DJs around the world, Mark's roots stem from the hard work and dedication common in the quest to share their passion with others. "I played trumpet for many years. Then I played drums in a cover band throughout high school. Eventually we started using a drum machine and were one of the only bands that didn't have a drummer. We went futuristic." True to his music and communal efforts to create quality parties with good beats and good people, Mark as well as other well-known house music masters put on a number of smaller shows for friends and music lovers to gather and enjoy. "Derek (Carter), Gemini and myself use to do stuff together?all DJs had their own parties and crews in Chicago. We'd call them ?loft parties' and they'd be like $5 to get in and there'd be a keg of beer there. Each weekend it would be someone else's loft. They'd just push all their furniture aside and throw a party." While times have changed and the methods have somewhat evolved, Farina understands better than anyone the upward climb towards the professional DJ…