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Interview: Marc Houle Readies for Marsian Live Debut Alongside Octopus Recordings’ Sian

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Raised in the same fertile music community that spawned his former label boss and mentor Richie Hawtin, Marc Houle’s obsession with electronic sounds goes back to the noise of ’80s video games and vintage synthesizers. A decade-long career of seminal records on Hawtin’s Minus label, as well as his own Items & Things imprint, helped define the beloved minimal sound of the mid-‘00s (“On It”), before transcending the limits of the sub-genre completely by incorporating industrial, disco and new wave influences (“Undercover”).

2018 has already welcomed the arrival of a brand new project, and a key focus for Marc in the form of his Marsian project alongside Octopus Recordings boss Sian. Having released their debut EP on the imprint last month, the duo will combine this May to deliver their debut live show at the Octopus Showcase during Movement 2018, with a second EP and a tour of the Americas also scheduled for the coming months.

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Marsian: Marc Houle and Sian Unveil New Live Collab Project With “X-Rays” Premiere

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Two of the most prominent artists in the electronic music scene, Sian and Marc Houle, have both been known as extraordinary outsiders, operating barely within the limits of their genre. Throughout the years they have both stood their ground and bucked the trends, expectations and rules, opting to create very distinct paths to explore their artistic freedom.

Now, Sian and Marc Houle have finally come together for a new collaborative project called Marsian. The project began as a studio pairing, which has now culminated in the release of their first EP entitled X-Rays, from which we are premiering the title track for you today.

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Marc Houle: My 10 Favorite Releases On Items & Things

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Marc Houle kicked off 2017 with the launch of his three-part album series on his own label Items & Things. The first of the trilogy “Sinister Minds” was released back in March consisting of 9 tracks that showed the different sides of Marc, traveling through a selection of styles and soundscapes.

Items & Things announced three remix packages, the second installment coming armed with remixes by both ChloĂ© and Sian, with their take on the textural synth and vocal work of Marc in his original track “Sinister Mind”.

In honor of the occasion we took the time to chat with Marc about Items & Things and to ask him for his 10 top releases since the label’s inception, all of which you can find below! The Sinister Minds Remix package was released today, December 15th, and is available on Beatport.

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Minus Releases Marc Houle Remix Album

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About eleven years ago Marc Houle released his debut album, Restored, on Richie Hawtin’s imprint, Minus. A lot happens over time, but Marc Houle has always remained driven and dedicated towards pushing a sound and artistic vision. Here we are, eleven years after the initial release waiting in excitement for the release of the Restored Remix Album.

To commemorate the original album, Houle and the Minus team have employed a wide range of characters to handle various remixes from the original album. The Restored Remix Album features remix treatment from M.A.N.D.Y, Joris Voorn, Danny Daze, Cosmic Boys, Monkey Safari, Harvard Bass, Popof, Julian Jeweil, Justin James, and Monoloc. From slick minimal interpretations to darker mainroom affairs the remixes for Restored cover many quintessential sounds of Minus.

You can preview the entire remix album in the Soundcloud player below, with the official release coming on Monday April 6th.

Marc Houle: Facebook | Soundcloud
Minus: Facebook | Soundcloud

Interview with M.A.N.D.Y on Restored