Steve Mac (House DJ)
Encyclopedia
Stephen Michael McGuinness, also known as Steve Mac, is a UK
house music
producer
. As a solo
artist
, he runs Variation Recordings.
Mac started out as scratch DJ
at the age of 11. He met his production partner Rob Chetcuti in a hip-hop
group
in Malta
. They formed the group, The Rhythm Masters
.
Mac and Chetcuti also set up a studio
followed by a record label
, Disfunktional Recordings in 1995. The label was mainly a showcase for the pair's own productions although artists
such as Danny Tenaglia
, Junior Sanchez
, Paul Woolford, and Giorgio Moroder
also contributed.
The Rhythm Masters split in 2002 to pursue solo
projects, with Mac producing tracks including "Circus Parade", "Da Canto" and "Lovin’ You More (That Big Track)" for CR2. Mac also remix
ed for Jamiroquai
, Charlotte Church
and Simply Red
. The track "Lovin' You More" is used on the Radio Station "Vladivostok FM" on Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony.
In 2008 Mac released the track "Gotta Have Some Fun"; and in September that year his track "Paddys Revenge" (sampling Penguin Cafe Orchestra
's 1984 song "Music for a Found Harmonium") reached number 17 in the UK Singles Chart
.
Mac's most recent release is the track 'The Fly' also for CR2.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
house music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
. As a solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
artist
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, he runs Variation Recordings.
Mac started out as scratch DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
at the age of 11. He met his production partner Rob Chetcuti in a hip-hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
group
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
in Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
. They formed the group, The Rhythm Masters
Rhythm Masters
Rhythm Masters was a house music duo composed of deejays Robert Chetcuti and Steve Mac, a.k.a. Steve McGuinness. They began mixing together around 1993 after meeting in Malta, doing remixes for, among others, Todd Terry, Michael Jackson, INXS, Junior Vasquez, David Morales, and Roger Sanchez...
.
Mac and Chetcuti also set up a studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
followed by a record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, Disfunktional Recordings in 1995. The label was mainly a showcase for the pair's own productions although artists
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
such as Danny Tenaglia
Danny Tenaglia
Danny Tenaglia is a New York-based DJ and Grammy nominated record producer.-Early life:At the age of ten, Tenaglia first started to collect records. In 1979 he began going to nightclub Paradise Garage, where DJ Larry Levan's genre-less blend of music appealed to him...
, Junior Sanchez
Junior Sanchez
Junior Sanchez is a record producer, DJ, artist, and remixer. His remixing and production skills are in demand by artists, including Madonna, Gorrilaz, Daft Punk, Placebo, Shakira, Les Rythmes Digitales, and Róisín Murphy. Junior Sanchez has produced albums and tracks for Katy Perry, Ima Robot,...
, Paul Woolford, and Giorgio Moroder
Giorgio Moroder
Hansjörg "Giorgio" Moroder is an Italian record producer, songwriter and performer based in Los Angeles. When in Munich in the 1970s, he started his own record label called Oasis Records, which several years later became a subdivision of Casablanca Records...
also contributed.
The Rhythm Masters split in 2002 to pursue solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
projects, with Mac producing tracks including "Circus Parade", "Da Canto" and "Lovin’ You More (That Big Track)" for CR2. Mac also remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
ed for Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai is a British jazz funk and acid jazz band formed in 1992. Jamiroquai were initially the most prominent component in the early-1990s London-based acid jazz movement, alongside groups such as Incognito, the James Taylor Quartet, and the Brand New Heavies. Other Acid Jazz artists such as...
, Charlotte Church
Charlotte Church
Charlotte Maria Church is a Welsh singer-songwriter, actress and television presenter. She rose to fame in childhood as a classical singer before branching into pop music in 2005. By 2007, she had sold more than 10 million records worldwide including over 5 million in the United States...
and Simply Red
Simply Red
Simply Red were a British soul band that sold more than 50 million albums over a 25-year career. Their style drew influences from blue-eyed soul, new romantic, rock, reggae and jazz...
. The track "Lovin' You More" is used on the Radio Station "Vladivostok FM" on Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony.
In 2008 Mac released the track "Gotta Have Some Fun"; and in September that year his track "Paddys Revenge" (sampling Penguin Cafe Orchestra
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
The Penguin Cafe Orchestra was a collective of performing musicians created by classically trained British guitarist, composer and arranger Simon Jeffes...
's 1984 song "Music for a Found Harmonium") reached number 17 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
Mac's most recent release is the track 'The Fly' also for CR2.