DJ Marky kicked off his End residency in January 2005, playing a pioneering 4 hour set, in a lineup consisting simply of himself, Gilles Peterson and Bugz in the Attic. The night was a turning point for drum & bass and opened up a whole new direction for clubbing. With longer sets for DJs, an open minded music policy and the kind of welcoming, girl-friendly crowd not seen at any other drum & bass night in the country, DJ Marky & Friends got off to the perfect start.

The residency developed throughout the year, with Marky playing longer and longer sets. Marky has since lined up alongside Laurent Garnier , Norman Jay and Vikter Duplaix amongst many other musical luminaries. In keeping with the anything-goes ethos of Marky & Friends, the night has also seen High Contrast playing a disco set, and Marcus Intalex playing house!

Marky & Friends continues to move on in leaps and bounds. The night has become an eagerly anticipated date in the clubbing calendar, and with Marky regularly going solo in the main room, the lounge programming is becoming ever more inventive. The legendary leftfield label Ninja Tune recently hosted the second room, and with more sensational guests and label showcases being lined up for the rest of the year, the future looks bright for Marky & Friends at The End!

DJ MARKY & FRIENDS
DJ MARKY, GILLES PETERSON, DYNAMITE MC - JANUARY 21,2005

DJ Marky : My most memorable moment is the first Marky & Friends night, with my old buddy Gilles Peterson . The reason it stands out from the others is the fact that I was able to really explore my musical style, and express myself more than ever with the four-hour set format. I think a lot of DJs can appreciate the need for longer sets, and so with this night we hope to give the crowd a deeper journey through the music we’ve devoted our lives to. I also remember dropping ‘Rotation’ and ‘Moments Of Lust once and thinking ‘Damn, this club can rock! So many girls, so many girls!'

Liam O ’Hare (The End's Operations Manager): People knew Marky was a phenomenal talent but maybe didn’t realise he could play all night. Drum & bass is known for its one-hour sets so it’s a very unusual thing to play for four hours. Gilles warmed up and got it going. Marky took everybody on a journey. I had hard-nosed drum & bass promoters saying it was unbelievable. And everybody was talking about it on the message boards the next day. When you have a hunch about a night and it’s proved so right, it ’s extra special. His passion and dexterity is unique.

> DJ Marky interview