Interview with Mark Roma

From underground clubs to major festival stages, DJ and producer Mark Roma has built a reputation for delivering high-energy sets and pushing the boundaries of electronic music. In this exclusive interview, he reflects on his journey through the industry, the creative process behind his music, and the experiences that have shaped of career. We discuss the evolving dance music landscape, the challenges of balancing all the aspects in his career, and what fans can expect from his future projects.

Your tracks have a really distinct energy. How would you describe the signature “Mark Roma sound” in your own words?

"I have always had a taste for trance ever since I was literally 5, my earliest memory of music is Ferry Corsten’s remix of “Adagio for Strings” and ever since then I have loved all energetic forms of Electronic Dance music whether it’s Trance, Progressive House, Techno, Big Room, Electro, all of it."

You put all the work in yourself, from promotion, merch, bookings, networking, studio time and everything in between. Can you say what keeps you motivated to work in this capacity?

"Yes absolutely, since I started producing 10 years ago, the end goal of becoming #1 DJ in the world, playing every MainStage on the planet, selling out my own shows, having my own Mark Roma show with dedicated curated visuals, etc has always been my goal and still is, that’s my vision and I will not stop until I get it."

When you start a new track, what usually comes first for you, the groove, the melody, or the emotion behind it?

"99% of the time it’s the melody, I find myself humming a new melody, or sometimes three at a time to myself whenever I am not in the studio, so I have an endless amount of voice notes in my phone of my humming ideas that still need bringing to life."

Your tracks hit hard in clubs but still feel progressive and melodic, how important is impact in your music?

"I love to try bridge the gap between both where possible, big euphoric breakdowns then leading into energetic drops that cause filthy bass faces."

Which artists or genres outside of dance music have influenced your style the most?

"Honestly, zero. My entire taste is electronic, which sounds odd to a lot of people but I just simply can’t relate to or don’t enjoy anything outside of it, I used to listen to Red Hot Chilli Peppers and similar when I used to play guitar maybe 15 years ago but wouldn’t say they influence anything I do now."

Your track “Enemy” with Third Party has been played on main stages across the globe and has received support from some heavy weight DJs, what kind of inspiration does that have on you as an artist moving forward?

"It proves to myself that what I am doing is heading in the right direction, and I will continue to do so, I produce so many different genres and have endless ideas so I feel possibilities are endless!"

Dance music culture is constantly evolving. What changes in the scene excite you most right now and how are you using them to your advantage?

"The best thing is seeing the handful of shows and clubs popping up that are restricting phone use and encouraging people to actually just enjoy the moment, I would love to throw my own show like this one day and have all the hype be word of mouth not just people stood still filming."

How does performing live influence the way you produce music in the studio?

"Encourages me to get more and more energetic as time goes by. Sometimes I do reign it in for some nice melodic ideas but literally all I can think about is headlining those mainstages at the likes of Tomorrowland and Ultra and my projects end up steering towards those vibes."

Looking back at your earlier releases, what do you think has changed most about you creatively as an artist?

"I definitely now have my own “sound”, even though I produce many different genres, I have messages quite often that even though this is the case, they tell me “I can tell this is a Mark Roma track”, which is definitely the best feedback."

If someone heard a Mark Roma track for the very first time tonight, what would you want them to feel when the song ends?

“Damn, that was filthy, what else does he have!?”