South African DJ, producer, remixer and self confessed music lover Mark Stent’s passion for his craft is plainly evident from every energy-fuelled, funked up DJ set he delivers to his dancefloor. Hailing from the City of Gold, Mark’s love affair with house music began in his early teens and led to a still insatiable obsession with the art of mixing and blending beats. He earned his DJ stripes with an apprenticeship at Johannesburg rave institution Azzuri Lounge, before 1st place in a Black Fly’s Battle of the DJs paved the way to sets at Flyhouse, Nexus, DNA and legendary dance mega-fest H2O.

Emerging behind the decks at infamous Boksburg nightclub Sutra in 2007, what began as a once a month ‘old school’ speed garage set quickly resulted in a full blown residency as punters warmed almost instantly to Mark’s music and magnetic energy. His distinct physical appearance due to a background in competitive bodybuilding made Mark easily recognizable and led to the affectionate and enduring title, “The World’s Strongest DJ”.

Over the ensuing 18 months Mark’s profile grew exponentially. In demand at prestigious clubs all over SA, he performed regularly at venues such as The BBC, Raffles, VIP in Plett, 52 Parliament, The College, The Workshop and JHB nightspots Taboo, Vertigo, Ruby Blue, Chicago, Risque, The Stones brand, Casablanca and Voodoo Lounge, to name but a few. Past and present residencies include H2O, Sutra, Chilli Lounge, Nicci Beach and for party brands KISS and the Sound Factory. During this almost overnight rise to prominence Mark enjoyed billing alongside industry greats including Maxi Jazz (Faithless), Fatboy Slim, Chris Lake, the Hoxton Whores, Stupid Fresh, Kelevra, Jeff Doubleu, Calvertron, Sexual Chocolate, Defunct, Tom EQ, Aquilaganja and Ed Kurno and made his international debut at the F1 Grand Prix Opening Parties, Cocoon Lounge and Club Z in Bahrain, Mass Club in London and The Escape Club in Wales.

Forging fearlessly into the realm of production during his sojourn from dance almost 4 years ago, Mark has since released tracks on such lauded imprints as Champion, Junky Trunk, Casual Kickback, Mizumo music, Big Poppa Records, More Music and 2008-launched, self-owned, pride and joy Flexual Records. Flexual, along with more recent tech-edged, sister label, miniFlex; showcases not only Mark’s own music, but the music of both established and up and coming artists with whom he has a special affinity.

Boasting a string of top 10, internationally charted hits and the likes of Nom De Strip, Aniki, Nick Supply, Jeff Doubleu, Kyle Watson, Geoff K, Guy Herman, Sexual Chocolate, Tom EQ, Aquilaganja, and Jay Robinson presiding over the Flexual artist roster; has raised many an eyebrow, earned widespread industry respect and earmarked the label as “One To Watch” in the world of funky, jackin fidget, tech house and electro house.

With a family that adores him and fans that aspire to be like him, Mark Stent mania shows no signs of abating. A starring role in the recently released, locally produced movie, The Race-ist and the inception of a signature ‘Mark Stent’ clothing brand stand testament to Mark’s immense cross-over appeal and his pending status as a “Proudly South African” brand. His influence is shown in the numerous brands he represents, with big players like Allen and Heath, Iron Fist Clothing, Osiris Shoes, Traktro Pro, Muscletech and Rock Hard weekend putting their full weight behind him Mark shows no sign of ever slowing down! Popularity and experience leaves little doubt that Mark Stent is a world class DJ unmistakably privy to how privileged he is to be living his dream each and every day.

Mark’s self effacing, affable approach to fans and followers coupled with hard work, humility, endless enthusiasm and boundless energy have been the cornerstones of his success. Widely known and loved for churning out regular and prolific promotional mixes across various genres to his ever-increasing fan base, “Marktronic” is the name of Mark’s jackin fidget inspired, promo mix series. So popular that it averages an insane 2500 downloads per mix, the “Marktronic” promo mix (now in its 39th incantation) inspired Mark to create and compile an official “Marktronic” DJ-mixed compilation series for retail release, which has been sold across South Africa. His latest mix compilation, The Definitive Sounds of Spiced is a showcase of his Tech-inspired sound and a keepsake for fans of the Spiced Events brand.