Clubbers: Mark Blair the draw to Cyprus Avenue in Cork this weekend 

The motto on Mark Blair’s Instagram account is plainspoken and unpretentious: “i like to make ppl dance.” The aspect of how he chooses to make people dance has evolved over the years, but the spirit and enthusiasm with which he does it feels very much rooted in his early clubbing experience at illegal raves in Belfast. When he started DJ-ing at 17, Blair was into a range of genres including hardstyle, EDM, old school trance, and hip-hop. Using fruity loops, he made mash-ups and edits of tracks in styles he wanted to hear. Graduating to Ableton, he narrowed his stye down to house and techno. Tracks of his from 2018 – 2020, like This is Acid Man and Dealer on Speed Dial, could sit well amongst early ’90s acid house and rave and were reflective of his interest in the then current lo-fi house scene.

Eventually he settled on techno. Three to four years ago he left his 130bpm tracks behind for 150bpm-plus numbers like Don’t Stop the Rave and Somebody Pass Me the Aux. Since then his sound has settled on a harder 160bpm. He has spoken of his desire to have his extensive catalogue match where he is as a DJ and he has taken time out to reassess where he stands. If Blair has one enduring quality it’s his sincerity. Even while he has become more in-demand in Ireland and the UK over the last few years, as well as Australia, where he recently played to huge crowds on his biggest ever tour of Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth, last April saw him post a statement under the heading “Welcome to the new and improved MARK BLAIR”, where he reflected that the past year has found him feeling disconnected from the music industry, especially the hard techno scene.

“A lot of what gets pushed just doesn’t sit right with me anymore,” he outlined. “There’s too much focus on image, gimmicks, masks, and characters and not enough on the actual music. It makes me CRINGE so bad. It got to the point where even posting to promote my shows or tracks started to feel soo cringe, so I just stopped. The thought of having to film videos of myself fills me with anxiety.

“I’ve also struggled to feel like I fit into any one lane,” he reflected. “Not raw enough for some, too heavy for others. It’s been a bit isolating at times.”

Even though he hadn’t been putting himself out there he continued to work away in the studio and happily he has been able to conclude that his act of taking a step back has allowed him to realise he doesn’t need to fit.

This reaffirming of focus has seen Blair put out a steady stream of free-to-download singles under his Barbed Worldwide Records label such as Tokyo Drift, One Round KO, and Ford Fiesta ’98.

“New chapter starts now,” he declared as he signed off. If anything, these tracks that he says he has made for dark rooms, warehouse raves and sweaty clubs hark back to the spirit of the underground raves he attended in his late teens in their all-flashing-lights amusement-fair delirium.

Mark Blair plays Cyprus Avenue on Saturday, October 10. Doors 11pm. €20

Enjoy, and dance with your tops off!