Pantai People label boss Marc Roberts delivers pure sunshine grooves from the Island of the Gods

It wasn’t easy convincing Bali-based British DJ Marc Roberts to put a mix together — he’s been a traditionalist since he started DJing in 1990, and insists on live recordings only. But when we told him we were looking for something fun, sunny-day-driven and on the elated-tip, he agreed that it was both timely and necessary to push some good vibes out as we hit near-end of 2020.

Musically, Marc is an eclectic selector, preferring sunsets over sunrise, and not because he doesn’t like clubs — club culture is innate to him, but he animatedly shared with us, “there were not a lot of electronic music clubs where i lived, so i had to mix it up a bit to stop bottles getting thrown at me! And it’s kind of stuck. I’m quite at home throwing everything from boogie to the funkier, jazzier end of Detroit into a set. And everything in between.” He was also happy to share that this morning’s listening session involved a mixture of Herbie Hancock ‘Feets Don’t Fail Me Now’ and a Top Buzz recording from a UK rave back in 1991, “one of the greatest mixes of all time”, according to Marc.

With gigs on a lull, plenty of sun to soak in and an arsenal of music at his disposal, Marc launched Pantai People, an edits based label that really embraces the good-times island life that Bali is enamoured for. The vinyl format of the first release that featured Austin Ato sold out quickly, and ‘Echo Beach Edits Vol 2 EP’ is a golden 4-tracker by Marc himself.

When not DJing, he co-owns and operates a booking agency that represents powerhouse artists like Butch, Detroit Swindle. Cinthie and Sama’ Abdulhadi — that said, he keeps a good ear to the ground on what’s happening in Asia, supporting and giving props to deserving DJs in the region like Dea Barandana from Bali, DJ Bowlcut from Seoul, JonnyVicious from Kuala Lumpur and Powder from Tokyo. Another Asian artist he’s always drawn inspiration from is Shinichi Osawa aka Mondo Grosso.

In keeping with the positive vibes of the mix he’s prepared for Mixmag Asia Radio, like the rest of us, Marc is ready for 2021, “December 31, 2020, at midnight will definitely be a highlight all of us in the industry are looking forward to. At least we know 2021 will be an improvement! Big love to everyone out there keeping things alive!”

Keep those positive vibes flowing with Mixmag Asia Radio 040 featuring Marc Roberts from Bali by hitting play below, and then repeat till December 31.

Tracklist:

Marc Roberts - A Dust From Outta Space
Marc Roberts - 2 KG of Boogie
Austin Ato - Susana
Discotheque Wreckers - Systematic Lover (Psychemagik Edit)
Pop Welcome - Call Me In America (Faze Action edit)
Funky Family - Funk is On
Bas Noir - My Love is Magic
Cherushii (Feat. Maria Minerva) - Thin Line
Marc Roberts - Foolio Paradiso
Austin Ato - Tony
Marc Roberts - Cinta Panas
Adonijah - It’s Alright
Junior - Junior on the Drums
France Joli - Come to Me (Marc Roberts Edit)