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Mauro Picotto: Italy's Top Techno DJ

Author: Angie Ng / Jonty Adderley
Friday, March 29, 2002
Following a similar career trajectory to Paul Van Dyk, Italian techno/ trance DJ Mauro Picotto shot to worldwide recognition via superclub residencies in the UK, though like Van Dyk, spent years beforehand learning his trade both on the decks and in the studio. Currently in demand everywhere he's also already started to experience some of the backlash Britain's notoriously fickle press always reserve for their favourites, though like van Dyk, he's likely to be unaffected.

Meeting up with skrufff's Angie Ng in her KL studio recently (at Wow FM) he was both enthusiastic and exhausted as he prepared for yet another night of sonic mayhem.

Skrufff: Your international DJ profile has exploded in the last 12 months; how much has your day to day life changed-

Mauro Picotto: "It has changed because now I don't have time to relax because I'm always busy, whether I'm in the studio or flying to gigs, and really I'm too busy now. That's is the only negative, everything else is really good. I'm also starting to produce a new album because I need to have a new track ready for this summer, so I need to stay in the studio; but sometimes it's not easy, because I have to tour internationally. I don't sleep. If I find one hour, I go sleep."

Skrufff: You have been travelling everywhere recently, where are you the most popular-

Mauro Picotto: "Absolutely in Italy because it's my home country, but I'm constantly surprised everywhere. I just arrived from Japan and it was funny because when I was walking on the road, this guy stopped me for an autograph. I never expected that. Then when I was in Osaka, I was in a restaurant and when I left , I found people outside waiting for me, which was unbelievable."

Skrufff: Do people treat you like that in Italy-

Mauro Picotto: "No but the (fan) base in Italy is different because we have only a few clubs unlike years ago. Yt's different nowadays because if you do a big party for say 7000 or 8000 people, the police will stop it before it starts. Before '95, there were no problems but after '95 you always get them.It has changed a little, but there are only 5 or 6 clubs where the music is really good and where the people understand the music that you play. The rest of Italy is commercial, playing music like, er, Kylie Minogue …it's screwed yeah but er…it's not my fault."

Skrufff: do you alter your sets depending on which country you're in-

Mauro Picotto: "My music is always in the same style, though of course the music changes. I play the same types of set in America, in Japan, and in Malaysia and Australia and so the fans are the same kind of people too."

Skrufff: How much has your success affected your underground vibe-

Mauro Picotto: "Underground to me is like a label and a lifestyle. For me, all music starts off underground then it becomes popular because of radio support for example…then normally it goes pop. This is the difference. When you produce music that doesn't have the characteristics needed for radio, usually it stays underground and you just listen to it in clubs."

Skrufff: You regularly DJ for the likes of Godskitchen and Gatecrasher; what do you think of the whole superclub phenomenon-

Mauro Picotto: Gatecrasher is particularly special to me because I have my one regular night for my 6 hour set and that's special because we create a journey in 6 hours and because after that it's not 6, it's 7, then 8 hours, as long as we can go. If the police don't arrive, we continue and for me that's is great. It's a different night for Gatecrasher's crowd and that's also why it's a success because it's always so good; it creates more of a buzz for me."

Skrufff: In the UK, magazines like DJ and 7 still seem to ignore or slag off hard dance music, why do you believe many British magazines seem to dislike hard club music-

Mauro Picotto: I'm sure it depends on the editor of the magazine. If the editor likes the type of music then you have great support; if they don't l
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