Not one but two record labels!
Mark's story
I'm very happy with the results of my music and art therapy being recognised by an independent label, and with the support I've had in achieving this success from all here at The Recovery Hub and Milestones Trust.
Mark’s musical journey began when he was in his twenties, playing gigs and clubs as a freelance DJ in Northamptonshire. He always had a creative attitude and enjoyed being able to express himself through music. In fact, his career in Graphic Design started while he was playing music; a friend taught him how to use the Adobe software suite during downtime, and this started a passion for design. Mark’s first job was as a junior graphic designer in London, but he progressed quickly, moving onwards and upwards into other roles such as Graphic Designer, Freelance Middleweight, Senior Conceptional Designer and on to Senior Art Director, finally achieving his goal of being a Creative Director by the age of 40! In 2001, Mark was one of the top 20 designers in the country and was extremely proud of the work he had put in.
However, the pressures of deadlines and client expectations became hard to manage and slowly affected Mark’s mental health, resulting in a decline in both his quality of life and career. After five difficult years, he turned to Milestones Trust for support with his recovery. He says “The Recovery Hub, where I have been for the past four years, feels like a community and I’m very lucky to be here. The ethos is good, peaceful and they allow you to heal in your own time, I feel no pressure to recover quickly.”
As part of his recovery, staff encouraged Mark to take up his music again and use this as a form of therapy. The team supported him to gather all the equipment he needed to make music again. Despite some setbacks, the staff have helped him get back on his feet, supporting him daily. Leah, a support worker at The Recovery Hub said “We enjoy listening to Mark’s music. It’s great, we get to listen to music while we work!”
Calling on his creative background in graphic design, Mark is also starting to enjoy mixing these skills with his music, designing visual concepts for each of his songs, and the logo for ‘The Impossible Bus’. However it’s important for Mark that making music remains a hobby and a way of helping his mental health – he doesn’t want it to become a ‘job’.
Mark approached nearly 40 labels with his music, sending links to all his tracks before receiving the fantastic news that, not one but two record labels wanted to sign him. He has three different types of music genre that inspire him; House, Techno and Breakbeat. Diadem Records, a German Berlin-based label have released five songs from Mark (AKA The Impossible Bus), with a further 17 tracks in the pipeline. And now Filthy Traxx, a UK record label based in Bournemouth is due to release a track called ‘Love In Your Soul (Original Mix)’.
Finally, why the name The Impossible Bus? Mark says, “its life, it’s a unicycle”
You can listen to all of Marks songs on SoundCloud, a free listening platform or you can download his music from Beatport.
All tracks – SoundCloud
Tracks available to buy – Beatport.