Marc Spence is quite the legend in the house music realm, known for his leadership at Box Of Cats and as the co-founder of Digbeth Records shop in his hometown of Birmingham. A year after DIRTYBIRD tapped this multifaceted talent for their 2019 BBQ compilation, he now returns to the label with his first EP written in lockdown, ‘Mooda Kooba’—out today.
‘Mooda Kooba’ appeals to the label flock’s love of all things quirk. Its opener, “Mooda Koopa,” draws upon classic influences while infusing various chirps, gurgles, and stuttered vocal effects into a bed of heavily distorted synths and grooving bass. ‘They Wanna’ features a hefty bassline that drives it forward, topped with an equal amount of off-kilter synth effects and odd samples as its predecessor. Both sides of the EP are designed for maximum engagement, and have been drawing curiosity from fans when played in DIRTYBIRD’s live streams.
When he’s not running the ship at Digbeth Records or Box of Cats, Marc Spence keeps himself busy helping others achieve their music production dreams as an instructor at the DJ Gym. His many jobs within the industry ultimately haven’t kept him away from the studio, however, with his rare but impressive output finding its way onto labels like OWSLA, Raw Underground, and even Universal and Interscope. DIRTYBIRD is happy to have such a figure in its ranks.