Artist

Mark Farina

Mark Farina grew up in Chicago and became close friends with Derrick Carter after meeting at the record store Imports Etc. in the late 1980s, an encounter that shaped his path into house music. At 16 he was already DJing as a resident at Chicago's Medusa's, and alongside Carter and Chris Nazuka he began producing under the name Symbols & Instruments from a loft space called Rednail. After relocating to San Francisco in 1992, he created the Mushroom Jazz club night and mixtape series - a downtempo, jazzy fusion of hip-hop, acid jazz, and West Coast sounds that became a cult phenomenon, growing from small cassette runs to a globally recognized sound. The Mushroom Jazz CD series launched via Om Records in 1996 and continued for over two decades, with 2016's Mushroom Jazz 8 debuting at #1 on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Album Chart. Farina is equally respected for his deep, jazzy Chicago house sets, and has toured globally for over three decades, appearing on "Top DJs in the World" lists from URB, Muzik, and BPM magazines.