About

Marley Carroll’s unassuming origins as a classically-trained percussionist were shattered after he took top honors at a statewide DJ battle at the prodigious age of 17. The experience catapulted him into notoriety and catalyzed his path towards career musicianship. In the intervening years he has evolved into a dynamic electronic music producer, world-class turntablist and captivating live performer with three full-length albums, multiple singles and remixes, and countless DJ sets in his cache.

With his 2018 album, Flight Patterns, Carroll infused his style of highly-detailed atmospheric dance music with samples and textures from the natural world. Bird songs, field recordings, gongs, deep basses, wooden percussion and plaintive analog synths provide the substrate for expansive instrumental songs with the kind of three-dimensional depth that invites immersive, intentional listening. Flight Patterns captured the attention of leading outlets like XLR8R, NPR, and KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic and represents a new high watermark for the veteran producer.

A national tour in spring of 2019 brought a raw and improvisatory adaptation of the album to rapt audiences, combining live sampling, drum pads and looping with stunning and often unorthodox turntable skills. In 2020 he released the dual single “Ice Cavern / Water Temple,” an experiment in hypnotic, drum-heavy downtempo inspired by late ‘90s Warp Records and The Legend of Zelda. His most recent release is a 2021 remix for UK downtempo artist edapollo’s breakout single “Wildflower.” Marley has shared the stage with like-minded peers like Floating Points, Bonobo and DJ Shadow and has appeared at groundbreaking music festivals across the country, including Coachella, Decibel and Moogfest.

“A lot of artists working to merge dance music’s propulsive complications with straightforward songwriting structures aim for something as simply excellent as this, and they often fail; however, Carroll hits a direct bullseye with “The Hunter.” — Pitchfork