Octogen

Alex Smoke

Octogen is a pseudonym for Glasgow producer Marco Bernardi. Marco is a charismatic figure for whom music runs in the family and has always been in the blood, he began his musical odyssey aged fifteen when he toured the Glasgow pub and club circuit playing keyboards in cover bands. However, when a classmate introduced him to the futuristic funk of techno and electro, Marco realised that he had found the sound he had been searching for.

Around the same time, he began work in the hi-tech department of a Glasgow music store, Sound Control, and began building an unrivalled collection of studio gear whilst gaining the engineering know-how to bring the sounds in his head to life. Marco cites the likes of Autechre, Black Dog and B12 as important influences, and the emotive nature of his work reflects this love of intelligent techno.

Now widely recognised as one of the most forward thinking electronic producers around at the moment, his releases on Clone, Frustrated Funk and Emoticon have displayed his depth and mastery of his machines. From delicate electronica to razor-sharp electro via pure Detroit techno, Marco’s productions are superbly crafted and have a radiance that sets them above the normal.

2fiveonine, his debut release under the Octogen guise, was named album of the month in 3 of the UK’s dance music publications and was awarded album of the year by DJ Magazine. His ever-growing list of fans include legendary names such as Laurent Garnier, DJ3000 and Claude Young. As he prepares to release his incredible second Octogen album, titled Gindofask, Marco has been putting together an outstanding live set that has been going down a storm at recent gigs, cementing him as a unique Glasgow talent.