Episode 30: From New York to Berlin
How do cities shape the music we hear—and the artists who create it?
International DJ and producer Marc-Alan Gray joins Alex Norman and Jamie Blond for a wide-ranging conversation about electronic music, DJ culture, music production, and nightlife across New York, Atlanta, Moscow, London, and Berlin.
Marc-Alan recounts his unconventional path from working as a lighting technician at New York’s legendary Limelight to DJing internationally and collaborating with influential house-music artists and producers. He explains how regional sounds develop, why London house differed from New York house, how Berlin became a laboratory for electronic music, and why Moscow wanted everything faster and harder.
The conversation also explores the changing culture surrounding DJs: smartphones on the dance floor, the rise of Boiler Room, lower barriers to becoming a DJ, rapidly accelerating music trends, and the growing movement toward healthier, more mindful nightlife.
Marc-Alan then reflects on a life-changing health setback, his current mobility challenges, and what it takes to continue creating in an unforgiving industry. The episode concludes with a look at the new music project he and Alex are developing—and the international opportunities ahead at Defected Croatia and Amsterdam Dance Event.
This episode is a candid conversation about house music, techno, global club culture, creative resilience, and the cities that make the music.
Follow Marc-Alan Gray and Alex Monday to see the collaboration unfold.
