Altern 8 at Kanteena

The man behind the mask.  The book was warmly received, described by one reviewer as one of the best autobiographies he'd read that year.  'Altern 8 occupy a unique position in dance music history…', Moby, Los Angeles, 2016.  

Was it all a dream?  There was, believe it or not, a brief moment in time when the sleepy market town of Stafford was at the epicentre of UK dance music.  That's right. Stafford.  1991 and Altern 8, comprised of Mark Archer and Chris Peat, decked out in chemical warfare suits and dust masks, were sitting pretty at number three in the UK singles chart with Activ-8 (Come With Me).  Altern 8 had made the big time with appearances on Top of the Pops and in the hallowed pages of Smash Hits followed.  Altern 8 were the Vicks-smeared, air-horn honking maestros of UK rave.  Meanwhile, fellow Staffordians Bizarre Inc, a band that Archer helped establish with Dean Meredith back in 1989, were at number four that very same week, with Playing With Knives? Manchester? Detroit?  Forget it.  Stafford was Techno City UK.  Top one, nice one, get sorted.  

It all started back in 1988, when Mark Archer cut his teeth with Bizarre Inc.  Although, he didn't stick around long with the band, Archer received massive critical acclaim, and a few chart placings, for his second project, Nexus 21 (with Chris Peat).  Nexus 21 dealt out a mean take on Detroit techno, so much so, that techno legend Kevin Saunderson couldn't believe that they were not from the Motor City.  Nexus 21 were gaining a reputation.  It was while Nexus 21 were dabbling with some of the harder Belgian sounds around at the time, that Network Records owner Neil Rushton suggested the formation of a second act, so that some of this hardcore dance could be unleashed.  It was a case of the right band at the right time with all the right noises.  Altern 8 were a joyous mix of some rather eclectic influences.  It sounded so simple and fun and yet the music was deceptively complex.  Altern 8 went interstellar with a bunch of hit singles and the album Full-On Mask Hysteria, which hit number 10 in the charts.  For a while the unlikely lads from Stafford were jetting around the globe with the likes of Moby, as Altern 8 captured the imaginations of ravers everywhere.  Eventually, the house lights came up on Altern 8 and Archer and Peat went their separate ways.  Archer then emerged from the hardcore scene with Slo Moshun, an act he formed with Danny Taurus.  Bells of New York became compilation mainstays and Archer's prowess at the production desk once again came to the fore with this more refined take on electronic music.  Archer then followed up Slo Moshun with solo projects Xen Mantra and DJ Nex, which rooted our man right back to the underground that he loved so much, as he started to ply his trade as a DJ; something he started to enjoy just as much as making music.  The man has been busy ever since.  The past 38 years has seen Archer firmly established as a UK dance music legend.  His book The Man Behind The Mask was released in 2016 with a host of famous contributors including Moby, the man Archer toured Brazil with back in the day.  The book was a chance for Archer to let that famous dust mask drop, thus revealing.  Since the book Archer has recorded two Boiler Room sets.  The first was recorded in Nottingham in 2016 and had been watched 110,000 by the following morning.  The second was recorded at the Sportsbanger & Boiler Room takeover at the forbidden Forest, Boomtown Festival 2023.  This has so far been watched over 300,000 times in the last year.  Today, Archer can still be seen in that famous luminous mask as the resurrected Altern 8, although the name Mark Archer pulls crowds just as big, as seen in some massive performances at festivals such as Glastonbury, Boomtown, Shindig, Mucky Weekender and EDC in Vegas amongst countless others, whether it be a Live PA or a dj set, or even a b2b with such names as Shadow Child, Ewan McVicar or Mr C. Archer is also a resident DJ at Bangface Weekender.  

Bizarre Inc., Nexus 21, Altern 8, Slo Moshun, Trackman,  Xen Mantra, DJ Nex… Mark Archer has been making and spinning, the finest dance music for an incredible 38 years and doing Live shows as Altern 8 for no less than 35.  Now, that is something to CELEBR8.  So, get your bookings in for the 35 years of Altern 8 : 1990 - 2025 tour.  It's going to get emotional.

Top one, nice one, get sorted.