Progressive House — Representation: USA & Canada
Marc Romboy
Throughout time, artists and genres come and go, sounds evolve, and trends recycle. But one artist who has remained true to his path in electronic music is Marc Romboy. With a deep-rooted passion that began in childhood, Marc has carved out an illustrious career — releasing on acclaimed labels and blurring the lines between techno, house, and neo-classical. Most recently, he joined the prolific Awesome Soundwave, the label founded by Carl Cox and Christopher Coe, releasing Music Made For Aliens, his first club album in 15 years. In March 2025, Marc premiered his brand-new live show at Ultra Festival Miami as part of Carl Cox Invites.
It started with an eight-year-old Marc walking into a local record store in Mönchengladbach, humming Kraftwerk's "The Robots." Recognizing the tune, the shop owner handed him the recently released 7", Marc's first record and the spark of a lifelong passion for electronic sound. By his teenage years in the 1980s, Marc was already immersed in the acid house movement, attending early parties at legendary venues like Ratinger Hof in Düsseldorf and Frankfurt's Dorian Gray. In 1989, he debuted behind the decks at Club Sunrise in his hometown.
In 1991, Marc bought his first piece of gear: the legendary Roland TB-303. This led to the co-produced release Monotraxx Vol. 1 under the alias Unknown Structure. Shortly after, he co-founded his first label, Le Petit Prince, home to respected names like Microwave Prince, Emmanuel Top, and his own trance project Marc et Claude, whose track "La" would later chart in the UK via Positiva Records.
The early 2000s began with a pivotal moment: a performance on the legendary UK show Top of the Pops, showcasing his trance anthem "I Need Your Lovin' (Like The Sunshine)." Yet Marc soon returned to his underground roots, releasing the Hyperharmonic EP on Superstition Records. In 2004, he founded Systematic Recordings, a forward-thinking label for high-quality house and techno, releasing his own albums Gemini and Contrast alongside iconic artists like Robert Owens, Blake Baxter, and Stephan Bodzin.
The following decade brought a new era of collaboration. Marc and Stephan Bodzin released the acclaimed Luna album, touring globally with stops at Fabric, Rex Club, Berghain, and a joint Boiler Room set in São Paulo. Around this time, Taiyo, his collaborative project with Japanese techno pioneer Ken Ishii, was born.
Marc continued to expand his musical horizons. In 2016, he merged electronic and classical music, performing Claude Debussy's work with the Dortmund Philharmoniker, broadcast by Boiler Room. Another standout was his appearance at Hamburg's iconic Elbphilharmonie with Miki Kekenj and the Takeover! Ensemble, reimagining pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach. These experiences culminated in two neo-classical albums: Voyage de la Planète and Reconstructing Debussy.
His live show is not just a performance, it's a philosophy — a carefully crafted blend of his most iconic releases with spontaneous elements added in real time. At the heart of this setup is the Monome sequencer, an instrument that has become his visual trademark, often held up into the air mid-show as a symbol of his connection to the crowd. With it, Marc intuitively adds new drum patterns, arpeggios, and rhythmic textures on the fly, creating a dynamic and unrepeatable experience every time.
Marc Romboy is not just a fixture of electronic music history, he continues to be a driving force in its evolution. With unmatched integrity and a fearless approach to genre, he remains dedicated to exploring new territory, blending timeless melodies with cutting-edge technology.