MK was a household name among club kids long before he was a DJ. Marc Kinchen spent the first two decades of his career setting the stage for his success by producing legendary tracks, making his mark on America’s biggest music cities and establishing his own label, Area 10. The head-turning Detroit house producer turned Brooklyn scenester turned Los Angeles native took his time collecting a “trophy case” of artistic accomplishments first. It wasn’t until later that manning the decks became a top priority.

Of course, you’d never know that this is a new(ish) playing field for the 44-year old artist, especially as he’s listing off the impressive international festivals he’s played in just the last five years. Even though MK recently headlined global events like Creamfields and TomorrowWorld, he admits he still gets anxious before a set.

I still get nervous when I play against a name like Diplo. But it’s cool [to be at the point where I’m] headlining the house stage, and going up against that mainstage act.

Much has happened in the world of MK since he topped the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Charts in 1993 with Always, and there’s plenty more to come. “I hope to see it go huge,” he says with a smile as he talks about the evolution of house music and reveals details about his newest single, My Love 4 U, which just dropped last month. You can learn all about it in our interview here:

Article and interview by Megan Venzin and Sean Roper.