Marky Star

Marky Star came up through the Midwest rave scene and left St. Louis for Chicago, where his brother Andrew introduced him to Adam Collins — and Omni A.M. was born. The duo approached electronic music like a rock band: recording albums in live, one-take cuts and releasing them on Euphoria Records, the imprint many credit as America’s first tech-house label. Original Omni A.M. pressings are now prized by collectors around the world.

As a solo artist he was, in the words of one fan, someone who crafted unique tracks that devastated dancefloors — records that were not quite house, not quite acid, but unmistakably his. His wax found its way into the bags of DJs like Doc Martin, Terry Francis, Lee Burridge and John Digweed. For Nepol Records, he went head-to-head with Juan Sanchez on NEPOL 005, closing the label’s vinyl era with his Tech-Horse Revival Mix of “Phusion.”