Boss of Grand Central records and part time DJ/music maker, Mark Rae has achieved a lot more in his tender years than most. Tired of the music around him but keen to harness the obvious talent prevalent around him, Fat City Records co-owner Mark Rae wanted to make music to bridge the gap between soulful hip-hop and funk-jazz. The result was Grand Central. Eight years later and it has burgeoned to become a figurehead label, not only the city of Manchester, but beyond featuring such artists as Aim, Only Child, Kate Rogers, Rae & Christian, Mark Rae and Steve Christian's double act responsible for 1998's Northern Sulphuric Soul and 2002's acclaimed Sleepwalking albums. Mark's next ambition was to get on with his own offering, Rae Road, which came out last year. Deep house, funk, classic breaks, sultry vocals and acid jazz are the special ingredients which make Rae Road a shoe-in for summer house parties.

As he says himself "If it makes me wanna dance, I don't want to know anything else." Born in Ashington in the North East, the home of Jack Charlton, Mark Rae comes to Most Wanted to kick the summer off in style with MC Kwasi on the mike from their Friends and Family Jam.

www.fatcity.co.uk
www.grandcentralrecods.co.uk