'Rhyme Dust' Hitmaker MK Set To Rock St. Kilda's Riviera Beach Club

15 February 2024 | 10:31 pm | Jessie Lynch
Originally Appeared In

We had a chat with the DJ and producer to talk about his upcoming show, the major success of 'Rhyme Dust' and what's next for house music.

MK

MK (Supplied)

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Get ready for a night of house music magic as Untitled Group and Thick as Thieves join forces to bring the one and only MK (Marc Kinchen) to the iconic Riviera Beach Club in St Kilda on Saturday, February 17th.

MK, the Detroit dynamo, is riding high after bagging an ARIA for Rhyme Dust with Dom Dolla. Now, he's once again setting his sights on St Kilda, following on from his sold-out 208 event at the very same venue.

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MK's journey reads like a who's who of music royalty – from remixing Storm Queen's See Right Through to Wankelmut's My Head Is A Jungle — and let's not forget the collaborations with legends like Janet Jackson, Will Smith, Pharrell, Mary J Blige, Sam Smith, and Celine Dion.

Riviera Beach Club is well and truly the only place to be on February 17th – where the waves meet the bass, and MK turns the venue into a house music haven. Get ready for a night of non-stop beats, wild moves, and a party vibe that's off the charts.

Ahead of this epic event, we had a chat with the renowned hitmaker to talk about his upcoming show, the major success of Rhyme Dust and much more.

For more info and to nab final release tickets, head to Moshtix or Untitled Group.

MK (Marc Kinchen) at Riviera Beach Club, St Kilda

Date & Time: Saturday, February 17, 2024 3:00 PM - 11:00 PM

Hey MK! When we last spoke to you with Dom Dolla, Rhyme Dust had just dropped. Fast forward a year it has over 2 million streams on YouTube and nabbed the 2023 ARIA Award for Best Dance / Electronic Release. Is that surreal to look back on?

It's funny because when Dom and I first dropped Rhyme Dust we played it in America and it didn't go off like like we thought, it would – It was a very slow build. It did well streaming, but live it's so minimal. There's not a lot going on, which I actually like, but it took a second for people to get it. But now they got it, so goes off now.

I remember I played it in Ibiza before its release, and everyone was just kind of standing there… So we just kept playing it [Laughs]. And now it's just done this huge 180.

You’re heading back Down Under to St Kilda’s Riviera Beach Club on Feb 17 alongside some great support acts like Airwolf Paradise, Boogs, Cara Murphy, MINX & Tyson O'Brien. Are you excited?

Yeah! It's been so long, it's gonna be awesome. Airwolf and I talk a lot. We've been texting each other trying to figure out when are we gonna get together. We'll see Tyson also. Yeah, it's gonna be exciting, like I said, I haven't been in a long time.

Riviera Beach Club seems like a cool venue with mad beach vibes. How does the environment in which you perform affect your set, do you tailor it to certain crowds and vibes?

I just try to make it true to me and how I sound and how I produce. I've been playing a little bit darker lately, though. But I just play my taste in music, I don't play to what the crowd wants to hear… But it just so happens that they seem to enjoy what I play anyway, so it works out.

You said you’ve moved into more darker stuff musically lately. What's influenced that?

I think just from Tech House been so in at the forefront right now — actually, I think Deep House is coming back right now – but just as a producer, you kind of go through the motions of trying one thing, and then sometimes you do something so much and then you just want to change things up.

You've collaborated and remixed with artists like Janet Jackson, Dom Dolla, Sam Smith, Pharrell and Mary J. Blige, just to name a few. Is there any artist you particularly enjoyed working with?

The funny thing is, I actually like working with myself. Even when I do collabs – besides with Dom – but usually when I do collab with an artist, we just send files back and forth. I have a different way of producing; I produce better when I have a song and I have all the vocals. So even if I go in with a vocalist, I’m kind of like, ‘Hey, just do what you gotta do. And then get out of here.’ [Laughs]

You’re quite the pioneer in the house music scene. Having seen trends come and go over the years, what are your thoughts on what’s next to come?

I definitely think Afro-House is going to be huge – that's my next prediction. That and deep house, I think the problem about tech house is – and some people might take this the wrong way – is that it’s so easy to produce.

I've met people who weren't a producer a month ago and they're a producer now, and banging out bangers because it's that easy to produce right now. And it's so which means there are way more producers than it was four years ago.

I think the market getting flooded with that sound and it all kind of sounds the same – I feel like everyone wants something fresh.

So, what's next for you musically?

My next single’s ready – it’s called Obsession and it’s with Ty Dolla $ign. I've been teasing it on my socials and whenever I post my DMs just go crazy. It’s being released next month, but I’ll be playing it for the first time in Melbourne!