Mark MacLeod selects the Top 10 milestone releases in the evolution of Deep Down Music

Mark MacLeod is a DJ and producer focused on the deeper sides of house, progressive & downtempo. Founder of Music for Seekers and label boss at Deep Down Music, this week finds Mark releasing 'Chemical Madness', a dark brooding production produced during the pandemic. In celebration of the release, Mark has selected his Top 10 milestone releases in the evolution of Deep Down Music. Enjoy!

As a label owner, picking your favourite releases is like picking your favourite children. Every parent has a favourite child I guess. But you don’t talk about it. :)

Instead, as I prepare to hand Deep Down Music off to a new caretaker, here are the top 10 releases that created momentum for us or represented an evolution of the label.

Into Fruition - GMJ

This was our 2nd release. Somehow, I convinced GMJ to do a single with us even before we launched. Thanks to support from Guy J and others it quickly rose to #8 on Beatport’s progressive house chart. I thought to myself “running a label is pretty easy”. Oh, how wrong I was.

Deacon - Dowden

This was our very next release. I was watching Dowden’s production videos on Youtube and learning a lot. I freaked out when I learned he was also from Toronto. Ironically, we met on a boat at ADE in 2021. I pinned him down and got him to release with this. This began a long collaboration with Dowden as a key artist and remixer for us.

Deep Down Delights Volume 1

This was our 8th release and first compilation. It was conceived as a way to showcase new artists. I took a long time to curate it and am proud of the music. We did two of these compilations.

Into Fruition Remixes - RIGOONI, NOYSE PROJECT, Alex O’Rion

To end year 1 I asked some of my favourite producers to remix GMJ’s Into Fruition. They all wanted to do it because they all loved GMJ as an artist and human. I will never forget listening to Hernan Cattaneo playing Alex O’Rion’s remix of this to a jam-packed room at ADE.

Reborn - Fabian Palacios

One of the things I loved most about running a label was the rich friendships it brought. Fabian started out as one of my artists. We now work together every day. He helps me run the label and my other businesses. This original and Dowden’s remix were the first Deep Down releases to be featured on Hernan’s Resident podcast.

Let Go - Randy de Silva

This was our first time branching outside of progressive house. This was an electronica track with a break beat. It featured a sample from Allan Watts. A nice departure for us.

92.85 - Hakan Ozurun, Sinan Arsan

Hakan had been on the label before. And he became an extension of the team, giving us templates for our covers and other visuals. When he sent me this track I literally cried. It was that good. He could have released it with a bigger label, but he brought it to us. We lined up some big remixes for it.

The Red Eye Shift - Cezar Nica, Tapski

These guys have become good friends. Music is a hobby for them. One runs cafes. The other is an airline pilot. I picked these tracks because I am blown away by the production quality. These guys deserve to have their tracks played by the biggest names.

Soulspace - Solis (US)

David Hammond - aka Solis (US) is one of our most talented artists. He and Daniel Testas (and Aerospace Project) are classically trained. It shows in their production. Solis has rich, intricate, emotive and energetic melodies. I am looking forward to playing with him at our ADE showcase this year.

Deep Down - Nikola Jovanovic

Ending with a release that is not out yet. Nikola produced a track exclusively for us. It’s a beauty. It is out later this month along with a monster remix by fellow Serbian Hobin Rude. This was be the last track Deep Down releases under me. It seems like the perfect way to end the first chapter for the label.

It’s been fun to look back at these. Running a label is a labour of love. And I have definitely loved having Deep Down.

'Chemical Madness' is available now via Deep Down Music: https://tinyurl.com/y3h8bvx6