Mark Farina

Vinyl's kinda pricey. Any DJ who's serious about his job has gotta have a budget for shopping. Fortunately, Mark Farina funneled most of his scratch into record-store registers while still freeloading off the P and M. After finally moving away from the shelter of his parents' roof, grocery bills -- which were kept low by employing techno legend Kevin Saunderson's bologna-sandwiches-and-Kool-Aid diet -- were augmented by Symbols in Instruments, a collaboration with roomie Chris Nazuka. The pair scored a minor dance hit in 1989 with what is widely considered the first ambient house track ever made, "Mood." Farina's signature Mushroom Jazz-series sound evolved from a second-room Chicago club assignment, but it wasn't until his migration to San Francisco and the founding of the weekly "Jazid Up" night that his fan base truly mushroomed. Following nearly three years of successful business, Jazid Up announced its very last call, to make time for globe-trotting and vinyl-pressing. Touring in support of Air Farina, his first-ever full-length, Farina is sure to plant a fungus lover among us when he touches down at the Church this Thursday.