Claro Intelecto

by Andy Kellman
 
One of the central producers on Manchester's IDM-oriented Ai label, Mark Stewart debuted his Claro Intelecto alias in 2003 with the Peace of Mind 12&. Both tracks from the A-side fared well; the title cut wound up on several year-end DJ lists and &Contact& was included on Ricardo Villalobos' Taka Taka mix album. In early 2004, Stewart released a second 12& (Section), and a full-length -- Neurofibro, named after a genetic disease that he has suffered from -- followed in late April. As with most of his labelmates, Stewart gleans inspiration from early electro and Detroit techno (Afrika Bambaataa, Model 500, Drexciya), along with U.K. IDM labels like Warp, Skam, and Rephlex.