Mark Spoon

Yet another face in a busy procession of talented German DJs/producers, Mark Spoon shook up dancefloors and dance charts around the planet beginning in the early '90s. Hailing from Frankfurt am Main, he was often credited with being one of the central characters behind that city's reputation as an internationally renowned clubland hub. During the early part of his techno career, Spoon was a very successful record label manager and nightclub owner, helping to discover and promote new talent in Frankfurt. In 1992, he hooked up with Jam el Mar, and the pair, under the guise of Jam & Spoon, made it all the way into the U.K. dance charts with the tune "Stella." Then they did themselves no harm at all by releasing a remix of the famous track "Age of Love," which became a hit the world over. The following year, their single "Right in the Night" enjoyed similar success. It featured vocalist Plavka and was included on their popular debut album, Tripomatic Fairytales. From 1995-1998, the duo also produced more clubby material under the name of Tokyo Ghetto Pussy, and did very well commercially. Some of their better-known releases under that moniker included the catchy singles "I Kiss Your Lips" (1996) and "You Make Me Feel" (1998). More glory followed for Spoon and el Mar in 2000 when they released the single "Time to Burn," this time under the alias of Storm. The track was a hefty hit all over Europe, including the famous Spanish party island of Ibiza. Sadly, Spoon died of heart failure in his Berlin home in early November 2006 at age 41. ~ David Peter Wesolowski, Rovi