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Our first pleasant encounter was at the Amsterdam Most Wanted studio, where he had to play. He immediately stole my heart when he played Deetron's "Starblazer". In this edition of MY FIRST GIG: Rotterdam's Marc Pols a.k.a. DJ/producer Mark van Dale. "The vieux-colas I had just discovered, went down well."
“I actually started out as a radio DJ. At 17 or 18, I worked for a pirate radio station in Rotterdam. There, I mostly played new wave and tracks from VARA’s ‘Verrukkelijke 15’ chart.”
Chart hits
“My first gig in a major nightclub must have been around 1986 or ’87. One night, I had to fill in for my good friend Hans at Club VIPS in Rotterdam. Musically, the evening was all about hits like Jocelyn Brown’s “Somebody Else’s Guy” and “Relight My Fire” by Dan Hartman. I had brought a few 7-inch records of my own and was also allowed to borrow some from the radio studio. And hey, if you ran out of records, you just started over from the beginning.” (laughs)
Copycat
“There wasn’t any mixing back then. Of course, I’d spent loads of time watching how others did it, so I had a general idea of what to do. In the end, I just copied what I’d seen them do – like a kind of copycat. Luckily, I already knew my way around vinyl. When I was five, we lived above a record shop in Rotterdam called Van Dale. If my mom ever lost track of me, she could be sure I’d be in that shop. That’s actually where I got my artist name, Van Dale.”
Hazy memory
“How the night at VIPS unfolded is a bit of a blur. It was around the time I had my first encounter with alcohol, and those vieux-colas I’d just discovered were going down nicely. I do remember it being a fairly upscale crowd, as the club was quite exclusive. I’d guess there were about 400 to 500 people. Did I mess up? Well, I do remember thinking that one record – “Put a Little Love In Me” by Delegation – was longer than it actually was. I figured I had time for a quick bathroom break, but then suddenly everything went silent in the room. Shit! So I had no choice but to cut things short and sprint back to the booth. (laughs) Overall though, the night went really well. People enjoyed it and the dance floor stayed packed.”
Midtown Records
“It wasn’t until about eight years later that I really got into dance music. One of my friends, Hans again, had a record shop in Rotterdam South – Midtown Records – and asked if I could fill in. I started working there and never left.” (laughs) “At the time, swingbeat was popular, but that genre was soon overtaken by house. One thing led to another, and eventually, I had my own dance radio show on Stads Radio Rotterdam called Turbulentie. It’s still legendary in Rotterdam to this day.” (laughs)
Great colleagues
“The shop in Rotterdam South was the first Midtown Records store in that city. Later there were twelve. What really helped me get into dance was having such great colleagues at Midtown. I worked with Paul Elstak, Koen Groeneveld and Michel de Hey. And yes, when we run into each other these days, it’s still like old times.”
Blue Lagoon
“In the early ’90s, I was initially into hardcore. Then I started going to the iT, where I was captivated by the mellow and house music played by DJs like Marcello, Jean and Dimitri. Around that same time, I started playing at Blue Lagoon in Zwijndrecht. That’s when I began mixing as well. I had a record shop in Gouda back then (Turbulentie, ed.), and in my spare time, I’d practice endlessly.”
Mellow
“All that practice definitely paid off. I never set out to become a DJ, it just happened. Thanks to Mid-town, I got sucked into it. At one point, I started making music with Erik de Koning. Our first track was “Michael Jackson Is In Heaven“, which even charted in Belgium. Then, under the name King Dale, we released hardcore tracks on DJ Paul’s label Rotterdam Records – including “Utter“. After discovering ‘mellow’, we had a few chart hits, like “Water Verve” with Enrico (Erik de Koning). That track became massive! Suddenly, doors that had always been closed were opening. After that, I was flying all over the world.”
Pompenburg
“In 2008, I took a break and spent five years making radio shows in Curaçao. These days, I’m back producing under my own name and also under a new alias: Pompenburg. As Pompenburg, I make non-commercial funky techno for true aficionados. Coincidentally, my new track “Jazz Electrique” drops this Friday.”
Any tips for upcoming DJs?
“Absolutely. The first lessons I learned in the club weren’t even about music. First: if you’re DJing in a club, accept every drink that’s offered to you – even if you don’t drink it. Think of the bar revenue! Second, and this is just as important: as a DJ, you need to be able to hear, see and keep your mouth shut. In certain clubs, you see things. Discretion is key. As for the actual DJing: eventually, you get a feel for what works. I personally like to create a surprise effect on the dance floor – by dropping the next track in at an unexpected moment. But even more important: listen to other DJs and their music, and let them inspire you.”
This interview with Mark van Dale was originally published in February 2020 on This Is Our House.
Who is Mark van Dale?
Mark van Dale (born Marc Pols in Rotterdam) began his career in the early ’80s as a radio DJ on pirate radio in Rotterdam. In the early ’90s, he rose to fame – somewhat against his will – as the host of the first dance show on Dutch radio, titled Turbulentie.
At the same time, Mark van Dale began producing dance tracks with Erik de Koning (DJ Enrico). The duo started out making hardcore (gabber) under the name King Dale, and later shifted their focus to club tracks. Mark van Dale released music on his own Mid-town Records labels, as well as on The Hague-based Combined Forces (Wicked) and Amsterdam’s iT Records (Dub Foundation).
Mark van Dale has released around 100 tracks and remixes. Highlights include “Water Verve” (Top 10 in 20 countries), “Something Goin’ On” (with CB Milton), and “Stand Up“. These hits boosted his popularity, resulting in shows both nationally and internationally. From Ibiza to Jerusalem, Los Angeles to Hamburg, Amsterdam to The Hague – with key residencies at the legendary Asta Movement in The Hague and Club Escape in Amsterdam.
Besides performing at festivals and clubs, Mark van Dale has always had a strong radio presence. From early beginnings at Free Radio to shows on Stadsradio Rotterdam, Fresh FM, Paradise FM in Curaçao, and now Wild FM.
Mark van Dale remains very active. With his band Pompenburg, he creates alternative, deep techno, and he continues to release new club tracks at a steady pace – including “Live In Cuba” and “Waterbomb“.
Mark van Dale is still going strong, with a packed calendar featuring performances at Den Haag Outdoor, the Liberation Festival at the Malieveld, Club iT parties, Thuishaven (Summer of Love & Promised Land), Paradigm, 010 Classics, a residency at 40Up, and much more.
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