Arcon 2

Best known for his alternately jazzy and uplifting drum'n'bass and extreme, focused darkcore, Leon Mar (aka Fink, Noel Ram, Oil, and Arcon 2) has been producing dance tracks for the better part of a decade. At first little known in the jungle community (though his roots, like many of jungle proper's biggest names, lay firmly in hardcore), Mar rode a fast track to notoriety through a string of acclaimed releases for 4Hero's noted Reinforced label, recording such tracks as "Liquid Earth," "Silent Running," and "The Beckoning" under his own name and as Arcon 2. Mar was also included on the tough-as-nails Reinforced compilation, Above the Law next to such noted artists as Goldie, L Double, and Dillinja. Although Mar's earlier Reinforced material, as well as a scattering of tracks and remixes for Echo Drop and Selector mined a softer, more fusion-fueled vibe, Mar's work since "The Beckoning" (also Reinforced's first CD-EP) has tended toward the dark'n'hard, with thick, warbling bass set against snapping breaks and ominous atmospheres. Released toward the end of 1996, "The Beckoning" in particular cemented Mar's name as One to Watch in the 9-7, and subsequent work (including a jaw-dropping remix for Neotropic's Riz Maslen on her 15 Levels EP, as well as a pair of mixes on the Future Sound of London's "We Have Explosive" maxi and the first non-FSOL release on the latter's Electronic Brain Violence label) proved as much; Mar nailed a recording deal with Warner Bros. in 1997 and released his self-titled first album later that year. ~ Sean Cooper