Marcus Intalex

Marcus Intalex (born Marcus Kaye) was a highly respected drum’n’bass DJ and producer based in Manchester, England. His tracks generally combined crisp, rolling breakbeats with lush, atmospheric synth pads and melodies that were closer to deep house than the more aggressive side of drum’n’bass. Kaye was one of the earliest adaptors of drum’n’bass in Manchester, where he co-hosted the Kiss 102 FM radio show Da Intalex with Marc XTC from 1993 to 2000. The duo began releasing singles as Da Intalex in 1994, and their tracks such as “What Ya Gonna Do” and “I Like It” appeared on numerous jungle compilations. Soon after, Kaye began collaborating with ST Files (Lee Davenport) under their own pseudonyms as well as project names M/CR Movement and M.I.S.T., with releases on several iconic drum’n’bass labels such as Moving Shadow, Metalheadz, Hospital, and 31 Records. Kaye founded the Soul:r label in 2001, and released 12”s by Calibre, Klute, dBridge, and many others. His mix CD Soul:ution, Vol. 1 appeared on the label in 2003, and he began releasing 12”s as Marcus Intalex soon after. A higher-profile mix CD, Fabriclive.35, followed in 2007. By the end of the decade, Intalex began dabbling in dubstep, with a few tracks in the then-developing style appearing on Soul:r’s Revolve:r sublabel. Intalex released his debut full-length, 21, on Soul:r in 2011; the album featured co-productions by S.P.Y., Zed Bias, Calibre, and others. Around the same time, Kaye began releasing house and techno tracks under the name Trevino; records bearing this moniker appeared on 3024, Apple Pips, Klockworks, and other labels. The Trevino full-length Front appeared on Kaye’s Birdie label in 2016, but he remained active as Marcus Intalex, with releases on forward-thinking drum’n’bass labels like Samurai Red Seal and Exit Records. Kaye unexpectedly died in Manchester on May 28, 2017; his sudden passing came as a shock to the electronic music world. ~ Paul Simpson