Meet Marc Burt

My love of 90s trance music is an influence in my tracks, which also blend in elements of chill out, ambient – I love reverb and lush pad sounds – and tribal rhythms.

I created my first track Elements using Cubase and a Korg MS2000 synth back in 2002 but soon moved to Ableton Live, which I still use today for production, along with mainly software synths.

Several of my tracks were released on the Free Music Archive with the Toucan Music label, and in 2020 I released a compilation, Landscapes, with remastered versions of some of my favorite productions. - Marc Burt

Landscapes - Released 2020
Landscapes features twelve progressive house and trance tracks, featuring uplifting pads, haunting melodies, and rhythmic grooves.

This album brings together all the diverse elements, from the melodic deep house of Outback and The Human Race, through to the uplifting trance of Twenty Ten and the acid house of Tweaking.

Last Flight Home
This is an older track which dates from 2009 and is one of my personal favorites. I tried to capture the feel of waiting at an airport terminal late at night in the music, with plenty of empty space and yet a sense of loneliness, through the slightly melancholic pad melody and a phased guitar sound with plenty of reverb and echo.

Outback
The name Outback comes from the droning, eerie sound which reverberates through the track, and reminded me a bit of a didgeridoo, although it is completely electronic.

It builds with soaring string pads set against a relentless beat, giving a sense of movement, while the baseline stays on the same two notes, the repetition suggesting travel across an expansive desert landscape.

Poles Apart
This track features a twirling catchy riff set to a background of echoing chords and crisp electronic rhythms, combining the classic trance sound with modern progressive beats. Poles Apart has more of a trance influence, with stuttering chord delays and an uplifting melody, but still has a chilled, summery vibe.

Tweaking
This was a collaboration with another artist, Dave Kent, who added the acid house style 303 sounds, hence the name. The filtered lead riff stems heavily from my 90s dance background, and Dave was responsible for some of the glitchy effects. I couldn't help but throw in some trademark melodic pads, as I tend to do with a lot of my tracks!

Turbulence (2020 Remix)
The original version of Turbulence was one of my first tracks back in 2003. A lot of my music revolves around an 8-bar melody, and Turbulence has a catchy piano hook which I quite like. This remix updates the production with new rhythms and is a bit more polished than the original version.
Despite the name, it's actually quite a chilled track: the name comes from the slightly eerie background sounds I used for the breakdown, which reminded me of traveling on a plane!

For those who prefer a downtempo vibe, there's also a chill-out version of the track by Psychadelik Pedestrian on FMA.

Pioneers
This track is an older one which is featured on the Toucan Music Best Bytes compilation. It's a more upbeat production that revolves around a sample I found, telling the story of the pioneers of the American West.

I found a haunting pad sound that reminded me a bit of a harmonica, added tons of reverb, and created a melody to try and match the feel of the story. The house rhythms and trance-like riffs seem to go well as a background in Pioneers.
I'm back in the studio working on some new material at the moment, so watch this space for more music. - Marc Burt