Our next guest is Manchester based Ben Marsden, an ABYSS affiliate who DJ’s and performs under the alias of Means&3rd and who has contributed to the music community for over a decade.

We first met Ben at our favourite local record store Eastern Bloc, based in the heart of Manchester’s thriving Northern Quarter where he is responsible for curating the eclectic selection of records that make up Eastern Bloc’s diverse repertoire.

His profound appreciation for music spanning multiple genres resonates greatly with the ABYSS team and illustrates Ben’s ability to understand the integrity of high quality audio and the creative vision behind the imprints that release music with this in mind.

Ben first found himself being drawn into the music sphere when he borrowed a northern exposure CD mixed by Sasha and Digweed in 1998 when he was just 13 years of age. Sparking what was only a mild interest at the time, this seemingly innocuous event ignited what is now a do or die passion for audio.

A DJ from the age of 14, music has been a guiding force for Ben who went on to study music production at both SSR and Future Works in Manchester. Alongside his education Ben has been a promoter since 2008, bringing a wide range of artists to the city including Efdemin, Nick Hoppener, Dario Zenker, Pangaea, and Huerco S.

Following his personal endeavours as a DJ and promoter, he transversed into his current position as the head House and Techno buyer at Eastern Bloc records, replacing the brilliant Andro from Techno duo AnD back in 2012.

Ben rightly feels that Eastern Bloc is a massive hotspot for a wide range of different scenes in Manchester and as such, he feels he is lucky to have met and dealt with so many people because of it, including our entire team beginning with our A&R Manager, Alexander back in 2017.

Means&3rd as a DJ is a regularly booked act across the UK having performed in many clubs and festivals for well over a decade as well as forging key relationships with the Manchester music community.

Forthcoming is his debut release on Italian imprint Subosc Records which has previously featured artists such as Mike Parker, r2π, Blovk, Ben Buitendijk, Notzing, and label owner Kaelan.

Further to his debut release, Ben is working on an immersive live set and the launch of his own imprint which are both forthcoming for 2020. Performance dates are flowing in too, with dates confirmed for September and October 2019 at The White Hotel – Manchester, Wire – Leeds, for the Subterranea collective as well as an all-night set at his homely stomping ground – Eastern Bloc.

With a rich history of triumphs within his home town as a DJ he has made a true impression across a diverse bracket of creative outlets. After many years of dedication to his craft he is now realising a personal goal of releasing on a label he resonates with, the stage has now been set for Means&3rd to blossom on a wider platform as a DJ, producer and soon to be live act and label owner.

As a team we are eternally grateful for Ben’s continued support of our project and our evolving vinyl catalog which has featured in Eastern Bloc since the pre-sale of our first vinyl release.

Over the coming months and years, we will continue to develop our business and interpersonal relationships to achieve many of our aligned creative aims and overall vision for creative artistry.

Enjoy a perfectly crafted 75 minutes of music from one of our home town’s best record selectors, Ben Marsden aka. Means&3rd via ABYSS Presents | Means&3rd [AP031].