The Outsiders. Beyond The Ego.

In the late 80s, soundsystem culture, dub and soul were synonymous with West London and its many record shops. Once the explosive sounds of early American house made their way across the pond via labels like Trax Records and DJ International, it was only a matter of time until generations of British producers were inspired to combine the DIY approach of their Chicago counterparts with the diverse musical influences of inner city London. Mark Mellor and Paul Murphy were two of those producers.

Mark had been working at a nightclub called Crazy Larry’s in Chelsea in 1987, where he’d become friendly with a lot of characters from the West London music scene. During a conversation with a wide-eyed Sacha Souter (former vocalist for The Grid) at his local pub, he was passionately told about the now legendary Shoom club and its unmatched energy. “You’ve got to come to this club. It’s mental!”, said Sacha. Mark took her recommendation and his life forever changed.

A love for the music he was hearing at parties like Shoom, Tonka, Delirium and Spectrum led Mark to making tracks of his own. By 1990, he was assisting engineers at several West London music studios before meeting Paul, a talented local DJ and dedicated record collector who was just as passionate about the emerging UK rave scene. They bonded over their shared love of house music, quickly becoming close friends and collaborators before setting up Mainline Records in 1994 as an outlet for their own productions.

Working out of Paul’s home studio in Westbourne Grove, by 1995 the duo had released two records on Mainline under different aliases, both well-received and supported by iconic DJs of the time like Ashley Beedle, François Kevorkian and Tony Humphries. When it came to recording their third release under ‘The Outsiders’, they borrowed a Tascam 8-Track recorder from a friend’s mum and were delighted to find a recording of Timothy Leary’s ‘The Psychedelic Experience’ speech already loaded onto the device. “This will work”, they thought, as they built both cuts of ‘Beyond The Ego’ around the iconic sample.

This instinctive approach to creating art is exactly why ‘Beyond The Ego’ has stood the test of time. Mark and Paul made a record they wanted to hear, rather than pandering to the formulaic norms of floor-filler house music. The result is a fascinating and emotive piece of UK house history, drenched in luscious pads, catchy basslines and, of course, the eerie gospel of Timothy Leary. Almost 30 years on from its creation, the record has become a sought-after rarity, with copies trading hands for hundreds of pounds between those who are lucky enough to come across one. At Moonworks we are delighted to have been able to work closely with Mark and Paul for our second release, remastering these tracks to modern standards and revamping the original Mainline Records artwork in our own style. A special thanks to Mark and Paul for trusting us to bring this record back down to earth