Artist Detailed Info: Mark Ruff Ryder

Mark ‘Ruff’ Ryder
Strictly Underground DJ/Producer of dance music

None of the hype of the music industry but a truly underground figure that has been creating monster underground tunes since the beginning of the UK house scene and who is also a serious part of the UK house music dance history.

Mark Ruff Ryder has always been a true champion of the UK music and its ever-changing scene.

Setting up Strictly Underground records in 1988 Mark embarked on a mission to produce serious
underground music that he loved the problem was that mark loved all forms of house music and there were many different strains of the house sound beginning to form. Even this early on the acid house was evolving and rave scene was taking hold very soon breakbeats were slipping into the four beat kick drums.
Mark could always see the scene splitting yet love all the styles while other narrow minded artist were always disassociate from one form of house music claiming total allegiance to the new form.

Mark was always releasing all styles on his strictly underground label making it difficult for record stores to fully support his releases as they might get a garage tune straight after a rave tune.

The music business did not seem to accept that mark could make a good garage record and then a good pumping house record and then a good trance record.
It was clear bery eirly on to mark that the only way to get his music accepted was to keep a low profile and let the music do the talking.
Mark has set up countless labels, to produce music for Clubbing in all its forms!

Past history....
Strictly underground was known buy all in the rave years as a great label but all would be shocked to know that almost all the tunes in those eirly days were in fact by the same person soley or jointly with just a few other producers.
Mark has made many massive rave anthems during 1988- 1993 under many different names but never using his own name But we will keep those under raps as its always good to hold back some information.

Mark laughingly jokes that he found it harder making the artist names then the music.

While this was all going on mark had to find another way to build his label profile. The press kept on asking for pictures and interviews with artists that did not exist and although the promotion would have been good, mark feared a backlash if the press found out he was all these different artist and making different styles of dance/house.

Mark had experienced a similar situation when he had made the Raven Maze record with Dave lee as Dave got the press to actually interview some one who pretended to be the Raven Maze and when the press found out it was all pretend some of them were pritty upset.

To get the promotion without the hassle mark embarked on setting up his own Pirate radio station. As mark had been running a pirate station called TKO in London some years earlier this was very easy for him to set up.

Marks Empire was always growing and his sales were increasing and gaining chart sucess without any of the regular press and PR associated with the music business

He was making massive underground tunes as well with no one in the industry being any the wiser (strictly underground to the end!).
Mark was also know for his massive rave party’s which he had also been putting on since 1988 this too had been growing from the original illegal parties to what ended up being the biggest parties held in Wembley London!
Mark was one of the men behind the massive Ravealation parties that were held four times a year (including new years eve) at Wembley.

Using his station and his record releases as a means to promote the events mark was really running things with out anyone in the "music industry" knowing about it.

Most UK ravers will have attended a Ravealation event and again Mark was able to have his music available to any DJ's that might want to play them to the masses at his events.

mark was Making Rave and Drum and Bass on strictly Underground records and Disco house, Trance and uplifting house on other record labels.

But mark was still missing out on the "artist" profiles that the magazines could use to promote the music so mark started to collaborate with other talented individuals like DJ A-Side, Uncle 22, mike James etc this allowed mark to move artistically further and at the same time have more time for his many business ventures.

One of mark’s many achievements to date has to include his N0.1 commercial hit record (uk network chart) "ANTHEM" under the name NJOY. Ironically he again was not credited for this because the record label (Deconstruction) thought that by putting Mark’s name on the record it would be detrimental to the other two members when it came to press. The record company thought that they would be seen as Simply puppets and not really a part of the band The tune "Anthem" by NJOY has go down in history as an all time classic.

Mark was also building his corporate empire in other ways as well.....

Not only had mark Got a hold on the pirate scene in southern england and the rave scene in London and the 12" Dance music scene through his various Record labels Mark was also producing the Biggest selling rave compilations through his S.U.Corp Company (Strictly Underground Corporation).

Having seen the massive sales that were being made by other promoters selling illegal mix tapes of their events.
Mark had decided to try and produce a legal compilation where all the artists actually got paid for inclusion of their songs.
Mark wanted to work with other producers and record labels, as he knew what it was like to have his music appear on illegal mix tapes and not get paid.

The history and success on the S.U.Corporation and its compilations is a whole story in its self but at its peak it was turning over millions with help from some of the other ventures mark was involved with and it is still going strong today although marks many music commitments have slowed his compilation releases down some.

It’s always been busy for mark and his DJ/music carer. He has taken the strictly underground record company on a few world tour in underground venues stopping at Oslo, France, hongkong and Miami to name just a few places and has played at so many different venues that its hard even for him to remember all of them but marks preference is actually being in front of the speakers as a punter and not as the DJ.

So why has Mark suddenly started putting his name to his music?
“I love the music I make and peoples opinions are always going to be good and bad but I have grown and succeeded in the face of everything that has been pitched at me and now I can do what I like without the need for approval. It’s been a great ride so far and its time to move things up a gear and see where it takes me now I am using my name”.


Marks fist release (Joy) using his name went straight to number 36 in the national top 40 UK Chart and his current round of singles and albums are creating major waves and look like doing similar chart success across 2008 and onward. People can actually see the man behind the music and hear him DJ and this looks like taking Mark to a whole new type of success.

Mark Ruff Ryder is far more to the uk Underground music movement than anyone could have imagined and now its time to look further and find the facts as the truth has always been there if you really wanted to look and if you were truley passionate about the underground dance music scene...

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