Mad Mark

Born on 16 May 1975, Fabio Antoniali, of Italian and Swiss background, developed an early passion for music. At the age of 12, acts such as Depeche Mode and Jean-Michel Jarre fascinated him, and his parents gave him his first keyboard, marking the first step in his musical path.

As his setup grew, he recorded early demo tracks and tested them at school discos and parties. This led to initial contact with the Fresh Music label, which was interested in releasing some of the material, but the lack of professional mixdown equipment in his studio meant the tracks were not published.

After completing an education in electronics, Fabio—under the alias Mad Mark—accepted an invitation from DJ Bobo producer Gutze Gautschi to help build and strengthen the Fresh Music recording studio. At the same time, he completed the AES Studio Technician course and qualified as a studio technician. Together with his friend Sven Luv, he also began DJing at the local Terminus venue and regional parties, later expanding beyond the Olten area to clubs such as House Café, Jail and Heaven.

In 1996, he met Basel-based DJ Antoine, who had produced “Sound of my Life” and needed remixes. Mad Mark delivered them quickly; the track was released on the Dutch label Anvers Records and appeared on numerous compilations. Further releases—particularly on Groove Inc.—boosted attention, and in 1997 he received his first bookings at venues such as Sensor Club, Paradise and Private House.

His production work attracted collaborations with DJs including Dream, Energy and Max B.Grant (techno/trance), as well as DJ Antoine, Leon Klein and EDX (house). In 1999, Mad Mark and DJ Antoine founded the production company Global Productions GmbH, the label Session Recordings and the publishing company 100% Hype. By then he was DJing regularly at the Tarot-Friday-Parties, the Afterhours and Late Nite at Zurich’s OXA club, and at venues such as House Café, Terminus, Prince (Lugano) and Kaufleuten Zürich (Houseworks), alongside major events including Houseplosion, Albisriederhaus, HouseW@RP and Groove Lift—an ideal context for testing new productions on dancefloors.

In 2001, the Antoine/Mad Mark duo released the single (You're my) Disco Sensation (on various labels including Oxyd, Polydor/Zeitgeist, NoiseTraxx and Spinnin) and produced numerous remixes, among them Never gonna give you up and Let's do it again. In summer 2001, the Show me love – 2001 Remixes were released in cooperation with BMG Ariola Munich on the newly founded Egoiste label. Egoiste’s first official release made a strong impact; the originally planned first release, the French production by Orange (“Can you feel it”), was quickly licensed to EastWest/Warner and therefore did not appear on Egoiste.

These successes also opened doors as a DJ, bringing gigs at venues such as Phonodrome (Hamburg) and Dragon Club (Cologne), and Swiss highlights including Motion Dance Festival, Energy Rave, Mainstation Party and Houseworks across the country (Terminus, H2O, Kaufleuten, Level Club).

In 2002 and 2003, Mad Mark played extensively throughout Switzerland and abroad (Italy, Germany, Spain), while continuing to develop projects as a producer and label owner. Releases such as Shake It (Move A Little Closer), So Right (a moniker linked to Axwell) and Shined On Me (with a DJ Antoine vs Mad Mark remix) on Egoiste and Houseworks strengthened the labels internationally. He also produced Happiness for Swiss pop artist Nubya on the album My Wish, which charted and received airplay on major Swiss radio stations.

After many releases as DJ Antoine vs Mad Mark, Global Brothers and The House Rockers, Mad Mark released his debut solo single Ain't No Big Thing on Session Recordings. It was licensed exclusively to Musique De Salon in Belgium and appeared on numerous compilations worldwide. In 2004, he played for the first time in Kiev (Ukraine) and Warsaw (Poland) alongside Wawa. That year also saw a new DJ Antoine vs Mad Mark release, “Disco Inferno” (with Cyndi Lauper), presented at WMC and praised by DJs as one of the best records of WMC 2004.

In early 2005, his remix with Aston Martinez of “Aurora” by Alex Neri (Planet Funk) reached stores and made an impact in clubs. He played his first gig in Moscow (Club Skazka), returned to Hamburg for “Do The Hip!” with Syke’N’Sugarstarr at China Lounge, and in September 2005 Houseworks and Egoiste launched an international event series featuring Mad Mark as special guest at Fabrique Club, Moscow. On the production side, 2005 included I'm In Love, Take Me Away, remixes of Believe In Me, and the DJ Antoine vs Mad Mark remix of Housemuzik (Subliminal Records).

In 2006, he released his first DJ mix compilation: volume 8 of “Double House”, tied to the monthly house party at Zurich’s Oxa Club. The CD reached #4 in the official Swiss charts and received excellent feedback. He also remixed Always And Forever, scheduled for release on Egoiste and on Positiva in the UK.