Some artists exude total and unapologetic passion for their craft. Full immersion, absolute dedication and complete commitment; a calling much more than a career, a love much more than a labour, the realisation of a lifelong ambition.
An ambition like Tom Marshall’s. A fan favourite on the roster of renowned UK label Anjunadeep and one of the breakout stars of the melodic house scene, Marsh has sculpted a distinctly warm, emotional sound since he first emerged in the mid-2010s. Inspired by his teenage love of the emotionally rich, early 2000s trance sound and the musicality of crossover drum & bass acts like Pendulum, he’s distilled these disparate influences into a captivating and soulful signature style.
As well as building a stellar reputation as a producer, Tom has established himself as one of a new generation of DJs set to follow in the footsteps of the progressive house pioneers such as Eric Prydz, and Sasha & Digweed. With memorable headline sets at prestigious venues such as Printworks London, and The Brooklyn Mirage already under his belt, this is the life that Tom has been working towards since he made his first beats over a decade ago.
Forever soul-searching, his craft continues to help him articulate his emotions and navigate his way through life’s challenges. This emotional investment and wholesome commitment to his art, his fans and the culture, epitomises Marsh, and is consistent in everything he does. And everything he’s about to do…
Balance Selections 268: Marsh
Tracklisting:
1. Marsh – White Lie feat. ALLKNIGHT (Pneuma) [Anjunadeep] 2. Ezequiel Arias – Polvo De Estrellas [Melorama Música] 3. Marsh – Free (Marsh’s Dream Mix) [Anjunadeep] 4. Alex O’Rion – Cuba Libre [Solis Records] 5. Wassu & Houce – I Knew [White] 6. Guy J – Cosmos [Dantze] 7. Armen Miran – Reborn (Volen Sentir Sunset Mix) [Hoomidaas] 8. Jamie Stevens, Zankee Gulati – Low Tide [Bedrock Records] 9. Jeremy Olander – The Drift [Vivrant] 10. Antrim – Lost Frustration [Moments] 11. Marsh – Elation [Last Night On Earth] 12. Marsh – Pretty Eyes (Marsh’s Reflective Mix) [Anjunadeep]
Balance Selections Q+A
Name: Tom Marshall
Location: USA
Facebook
Soundcloud
Instagram
Alias/Producer name: Marsh
Labels affiliated with: Anjunadeep, Last Night on Earth
My last 3 releases:
Marsh – Reimagined
Lange feat. Skye – Drifting Away (Marsh Extended mix)
Marsh – Elation
What music did you listen to as a child?
My parents listened to a lot of classical music. I always gravitated towards synthesized music and eventually realized I liked dance music, specifically trance.
When was the first time that you realised that you liked electronic music?
It was listening to dance music records like Alice DJ’s ‘Better Off Alone’, Darude’s ‘Sandstorm’, ‘Feel The Beat’, and DJ Sammy’s ‘Heaven’. I didn’t know what the genre was but I loved what I was hearing. In my early teens, I discovered ‘Classic Euphoria’ – a three disc mix compilation which showcases some of the most legendary trance anthems of all time. It was here that I realized it was specifically Trance that I liked and now I knew what music to search for.
When was the first time you saw a DJ in a club?
First time was seeing Sean Tyas at Ministry of Sound in London. We were 18, brand new to club culture and turned up to MOS having traveled 1.5hours from home. We weren’t allowed in because my friend was wearing trackie bottoms, so we had to get a taxi to a 24 hour Asda nearby to buy jeans. He changed in the taxi on the way back to the club. We got in, and spent the majority of the night in the ‘bar’ room listening to the DJ play house music. We were getting a bit bored and weren’t sure when Sean Tyas was coming on. We thought the ticket for the place was a scam because from what I knew; the dance music industry seemed a bit sketchy so it all made sense. As we were leaving at 4am we saw a sign that said ‘The Box’ so we poked our heads in and saw hundreds of people raving it up and Sean Tyas giving it large. So we joined in the fun and ended up staying until the end, got a train back to Worthing and got in at 10am!
Which producers/artists/acts inspire you?
I think Guy J is incredibly inspiring, I love all of his work. I’m often inspired by the more cinematic, ambient stuff. For example, I love Olafur Arnalds and his emotional piano music. I’ve just recently discovered Sufjan Stevens who makes this gorgeously emotional music, I’m truly moved by it.
It’s a mixed bag right now. I’m really interested in what GMJ and Matter are doing with their label: meanwhile. I’ve been listening to their stuff for years, from back when they were doing more stuff with Silk/Proton records. But they’re really crushing it with their releases. I’ll always have a soft spot for Eric Prydz and his early Pryda stuff.
What was the last album that you downloaded/purchased?
Sufjan Steven’s album called ‘Carrie & Lowell’ which is very emotional, beautiful music. Completely different to what I usually listen to, but has really been speaking to me.
What is your current production and DJ setup like?
I work mostly in the box. I like to keep things somewhat simple. I don’t use a ton of different software synthesizers, I just have the go-to synths that I know inside out and know where I can find a certain sound I’m looking for in that moment. I love something easy to program such as Sylenth1. Super basic, but super effective!
I mostly produce in headphones because the acoustics in my room aren’t great. I’ve recently purchased acoustic treatment for the room which has helped, but it has not made it to a point where I fully trust the monitors in the room yet sadly. For monitors I use Genelec 8030c studio monitors and I use an Apollo Twin X interface from UAD.
I love all the Native Instrument stuff, I use Battery as my sampler, I love KICK2 for kicks, the Roland Cloud stuff is fantastic and gives me access to a lot of the classic, legendary synths such as the TB303.
What releases do you have on the horizon?
I have one more EP coming out on Anjunadeep titled ‘Reimagined‘. It consists of 5 tracks that are completely different versions of tracks that I have released already.
For example, ‘Heaven’ – I made the original mix with the Korg M1 Organ bass, but there was also a version with a Reese bassline. I fell in love with both versions, so I played out both in my sets, but it turns out a fair few of my friends were #teamreese so we decided to release this version too! ‘Pretty Eyes‘ – This is the original demo version that James Grant and Jody Wisternoff fell in love with and edited for Anjunadeep 13. I’ve since revamped this for my own release. There’s a new vocal version of Pneuma called ‘White Lie’ which features the wonderful ALLKNIGHT (Jodie Knight) whom I’ve worked with a number of times now including my most recent release, ‘Everything’. There’s a trancier version of ‘Love’ and a housier version of ‘Free’. I’m really excited to see how the EP connects with the fans.
Aside from the ‘Reimagined EP‘, there’s a collab. coming up with a legend of mine in the trance world. It has been going off in my sets – I know it’s going to be big. More on that coming soon… There’s also a new collaboration with Leo Wood that has been another highlight in my recent sets.
Where can we hear you perform?
Next gig will be Fabric in London on December 15th and then Seattle, Dallas, and San Francisco over the new year period!
Tell us more about the podcast you made for Balance?
I’ve put together a mix of some of my favorite tracks at the moment that I have been listening to repeatedly while travelling. I tried to do a slightly deeper proggy set overall. You’ll hear ‘Elation’ from Sasha’s label: LNOE, along with three of the five tracks from the upcoming ‘Reimagined EP’ and then music that I’m really digging at the moment.
My Recommendations
The top track in my DJ set currently is:
I’m gonna say ‘White Lie’ – coming out December 13 on Anjunadeep as part of the ‘Reimagined EP’
If I could recommend only one of my tracks for you to listen to it would be:
It depends on who’s asking! If you’re more commercial leaning then I would say ‘Everything’ feat. ALLKNIGHT or if you like something more proggy and melodic then ‘All Night Long’ or’ Little Darling’
If I could recommend only one track for you to listen to it would be:
Probably ‘White Room‘ by Andy Moor and Adam White. It’s one of my favorite records of all time.
Andy Moor and Adam White – Whiteroom
The last movie I watched that I really liked:
Guardians of the Galaxy 3 which I watched when I was traveling in Tokyo in May which goes to show how many movies I’ve watched recently. I don’t usually love the Marvel films but this one was particularly enjoyable.
My favorite TV show:
Game of Thrones, despite the ending…
My favourite holiday destination/hotel:
Alila Villas in Bali has ruined hotels for me. It’s an insane place, above and beyond the best place I’ve ever stayed in my life.
