Born in Buenos Aires, a city that gave him his music experience, has seen him develop as a DJ and producer over the years, to become one of the leading artists in Argentina.

He was influenced by artists like Hernan Cattaneo, Nick Warren, John Digweed, Sasha, and Satoshi Tomiie, along with many other underground house music exponents.

Mariano has also played around the world at some of the best clubs and festivals, sharing the DJ booth with artists such as Tale of Us, Guy Gerber, James Zabiela, Nick Warren, Danny Howells, and Lee Burridge, among many others.

One the production front, he has signed his music to quality labels such as Sudbeat, Global Underground, Plattenbank, and Balance to name a few.

Balance Selections 192: Mariano Mellino

Tracklisting:
1 – Arzuk feat. Eka – Stay (Odagled Remix)
2 – The Cobb – Zemlya (Dmitry Molosh Remix)
3 – Alex O’Rion – Avalanche
4 – Matan Caspi – Serengeti (Dmitry Molosh Remix)
5 – Alan Cerra – Mindfulness
6 – Sightlok – Pavor Nocturnus (Alan Cerra Remix)
7 – Mike Isai – Chrysalis
8 – Kenan Savrun & Sinan Arsan – Serendipity
9 – Kenan Savrun & Sinan Arsan – Penumbra (Blood Groove & Kikis Remix)
10 – The Cobb – Reflection (Kamilo Sanclemente Remix)
11 – Greg Ochman – Velvet Sun

Balance Selections Q+A

Name: Mariano Mellino
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Labels affiliated with: Balance, Sudbeat, Tale & Tone, Global Underground, Warung Recordings, Replug, Darkroom Dubs, and many more…

My last 3 releases:

Mariano Mellino & John Cosani – Timoycos

Mariano Mellino – Toro

Mariano Mellino Feat Paula Os – Misery

What music did you listen to as a child?

Since I was little there were always different genres of music playing, from National and International Rock, Tango, Latin Music, but music was always very important in my family. My Mom was a Piano professor and my brother, Nazareno was also a DJ. I grew up listening to his mixes, in that time he made them with cassette tapes or vinyl records. He was the first to introduce Electronic Music in my house. His equipment looked like spaceships, filled with buttons. I grew up listening to artists like Jark Prongo, Phenomania, 2 Unlimited, and many more. I had a never-ending discography of music that at the time, seemed like it was from another planet.

When was the first time that you realised that you liked electronic music?

Entering adolescence, the idea of going dancing to clubs seemed very boring, until some friends of mine started showing me some cassetes of Cosmic Gate and Paul Oakenfold. It was at that time that I started listening to that type of music. We got together in the cybercafe in my neighborhood and they had the complete collection of Global Underground. I became addicted to those sessions and I started getting more and more into the music. I remember tracks like John Creamer – Forget the World, Unkle – Reign, Junkie X1 – World On FIre.

When was the first time you saw a DJ in a club?

The first time that I went dancing to an Electronic Club was in Pacha Buenos Aires. That night I was blessed that Hernan Cattaneo was playing and I fell in love with his way of playing music. From that day forward electronic music became my passion, and Hernan my biggest reference. In time we became friends and I always say that he is the reason why I chose this beautiful profession.

Which producers/artists/acts inspire you?

I was inspired, obviously by Hernan Cattaneo, being my favourite artist and a fellow Argentinian, but I was also inspired by Paul Oakenfold, Sasha, Danny Howells and Satoshi Tomiie. Currently, I am inspired also by newer artists like Patrice Baumel, David August, Nicola Cruz and many others. What I think stands out about these artists is that they are curious and are always searching for new horizons. That is what really inspires me, they are artists that are looking for the way to be creative and authentic, something that I also try to do.

What was the last album that you downloaded/bought?

Last one I bought is Junkie XL – A Fluff Scam (LNOE) and its amazing back in the days I was very big fan of Junkie XL, and he is back on Sasha’s label with this killer release.

What is your current production and DJ set up like?

To produce, the software that I use is Ableton Live and the equipment that I have now are Korg Wavestate, Behringer Deepmind 12, Virus TI, Roland TR8 and Akai APC40Mk2. I also use Vst like Diva, Omnisphere, Pigment, Zebra 2 , Bazille and many others. My favorite synthesizer is without a doubt Deepmind 12 and in my shows as a DJ I use Pioneer CDJ 2000 Nexus 2 and the Pioner DJM 900 Nexus 2 Mixer. These are the ones I am most comfortable with.

What releases do you have on the horizon?

The first release of the year will be ‘Moments Of My Life’ by Warung Recordings. This is a release that I have been waiting for a lot and in a label that I am very fond of and respect. It is a collaboration with the incredible voice of my dear friend Violeta Reynal and it also includes a great remix by Folgar, another great and talented friend, with whom I have released tracks on Balance. The second release is ‘Storytellers’ with John Cosani, with the prestigious label of Lee Burridge Tale & Tones. We are very confident with this release and are waiting for the moment for it to come to light. I am also closing many tracks with very important labels that I have always wanted to be a part of.

Where can we hear you perform?

My last gigs this year will be in Rosario (Argentina), Punta del Este (Uruguay) and New Year in Santiago (Chile). After that, the summer awaits with many important events in Chile, the south and the coast of Argentina. In February and March we will be touring in the US, Canada, Mexico, Brasil, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia and Costa Rica. We are also preparing a tour in Europe and Asia for next year.

You can also listen to me in my podcast Audioholics, that I upload to my Soundcloud. I would also recommend a live stream that we did with Beat of Nature in La Cumbrecita, Córdoba. We already have half a million views and are working on new streams in amazing locations that we will soon announce.

Tell us more about the podcast you made for Balance?

For this podcast I chose some of my favorite actual tracks. The selection and the search for the musical line that I wanted to show in this session took a few days. One of the tracks that I like the most is ‘Serengeti’ (Dmitry Molosh Remix). I love the flow and the musical trip of that track and enjoy playing it live. Another one is ‘Velvet Sun’ by Greg Ochman, I find the closing to be very emotional, just how I like to close my sessions.

My Recommendations

The top track in my DJ wallet currently is:

Michael Hooker & HoodyHoo – Sirens Call

If I could recommend only one of my tracks for you to listen to it would be:

Dave Seaman & DJ Paul – Loco Hermoso (Hernan Cattaneo & Mariano Mellino Remix)

If I could recommend only one track for you to listen to it would be:

If you have to recommend to me a track to listen has to be like Monolink – Sirens (Patrice Baumel Remix) this track contain the perfect balance between a hypnotic groove atmospheres and the vocal is from another world. Every time I play this track I feel blessed to choose this career.