Summertime with Mark James

Australian DJ and music heavyweight, Mark James has unveiled his brand new, dancefloor-ready track ‘Summertime’. The new single comes directly from Mark’s forthcoming debut solo album, ‘Love Triangle’, which is due out later this year via Mark’s recording label Two Tribes Records. We caught up with the multi-talented creative to ask him about the new song, his creative process and how he picks a great remix.

Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions for Music Kingdom Australia, Mark. How is your 2025 going so far?

It’s going really well, I’m focusing most of my time on writing and producing plus promoting my new forthcoming album Love Triangle.

For those who haven’t heard your music before, what genres do you place in your wheelhouse?

As a DJ I mainly play house, disco and with some techier sounds mixed in. As a producer I guess it’s much the same for Mark James but as my AKA “MJM” its more melodic trance and techno styles.

You have just released your brand-new track ‘Summertime’, where did the inspiration for this one come from?

Summertime is the first single from the new album and the album version was written this time last summer down at a friend’s beach house on the coast of Victoria ,so yeah plenty of Summertime inspiration was had there.

What did the writing /creative process look like for you when making ‘Summertime’?

As it is part of the album and over 22 tracks were originally written and produced then it comes to the process of mixing them down in South Africa and then the final selection of what tracks will make the cut for the album luckily Summertime was one of those tracks. 😊

‘Summertime’ is being delivered with 6 remixes and the album version, how does the remix process work? Do you send the song out and invite people to work on it or do they submit their worked-on version to you?

Most artists I have remix my works are my friends and people I admire and have worked with before, so it’s basically a call asking “do you have the time? if so here is the track if you like it can you do a remix”.

How do you decide which edits to put on the release?

Basically, the strongest remix in a nutshell and of course the most radio-friendly mix, as radio DJs always prefer shorter edits.

‘Summertime’ has been lifted from your forthcoming album ‘Love Triangle’ which is being released on your Two Tribes label, when is this out and what can fans expect?

There will be another couple of singles released first then hopefully around midyear the album will drop.

It’s definitely not a traditional dance album as fans might expect from me but each single that is lifted will be remixed into club versions. The album is a collection of groove-based tracks sort of Nu Soul, funk along with some drum and bass feels, it’s really hard to pigeonhole the style of the album as a collective variation of moods and styles.

Does it make it easier or harder to release on your own label?

Hmmm, a bit of both, obviously the hours are long but on the upside you have complete creative control which is a plus as an artist.

Do you have any shows coming up where fans can hear ‘Summertime’ live?

I’m putting together a live show for the album, but this won’t be ready to go on the road until next summer season.

What’s been the highlight in your career so far personally? And why?

To be honest, there has been a lot, obviously putting on all the large festivals and tours back in the days of Future Entertainment was an amazing time & experience, these days I get really excited about creating and releasing music.

Who in your crew or team deserves a shout-out but never gets one? And what is it they do that keeps your world turning?

All the team at Xelon Entertainment who keep the wheels turning in the background along with Angie from Xposed Media who makes me look good LOL.

We are lucky to have such great people behind myself & Peewee Ferris my Two Tribes label partner

Do you have a message for the Mark James fans and supporters?

A massive thank you to everyone who has been supporting our releases on Two Tribes Records, and I hope the forthcoming album Love Triangle hits the right spot for you and your crews!

Interview by Michelle Symes

February 2025