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In Memoriam
Marky Star among the records

Marky Star

Mark Brian Hobold
Tokyo · March 26, 2024

St. Louis rave kid. Chicago tech-house pioneer. Tokyo historian. He devastated dancefloors on three continents and taught the world what Shibuya means.

His Story

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.”

Selected Discography
Omni A.M. — with Adam CollinsEuphoria Records1990s→
Disco Freak EPBig Chief2002
Pax Romana — Corona Crusade / Crazy 4 You 2003
Rattlesnake 2003
Ether 2003
The Acid Orchestra EP — Secrets / Tool TimeLifted2003
Nice Kiss — Gene Simmons Loves Abba / Droppin Beats Not Bombs 2004
Phusion — Marky’s Tech-Horse Revival Mix, vs. Juan SanchezNepol Records2004

He also recorded as Black Santa, BT’s Hair, and Marky Star & The Acid Orchestra. Discogs credits him on 69 records — explore the full discography ↗.

The Tokyo Chapter

Marky’s never ending pursuit eventually carried him to Tokyo, where he built a second legacy as remarkable as the first. His blog Japan This! became a beloved English-language resource on Japanese history and the hidden etymology of Tokyo’s place names — earning features in Metropolis magazine, interviews on the Samurai Archives podcast, and readers all over the world.

He later founded JapanThis.Tours, walking travelers through the city’s history in person — and he never stopped playing records, DJing in the clubs of the city he’d made his home.

Never Ending Pursuit Of Life
Rest easy, Marky. The records keep spinning.