Mauro Picotto discusses his latest album and shares an intense guest mix: Exclusive

Legendary Mauro Picotto sat down with We Rave You to talk about his latest album, Ibiza and future aspirations.

This Thursday sees the return of our Hot & Current, We Rave You’s weekly segment bringing you a candid interview and exclusive guest mix. This time the hot seat belongs to an Italian star. Mauro Picotto is considered one of Italy’s most famous music exports and is now a big name in all corners of the world, especially in techno. Picotto’s career began in 1984 when the Italian artist was just 18 years old. He was the first DJ to perform live on the major BBC music show Top Of The Pops – one of many achievements at the beginning of his career that testify to a work ethic that paved such a solid path. A techno ambassador by nature, Picotto made it his mission early on to bring the genre to as wide an audience as possible. He fully succeeded in this with his Meganite events. They have been one of the most successful and longest-running events in Ibiza and have changed the soundscape of the white island forever. Meganite nights not only hosted some of the most respected underground players but also served as inspiration for ‘From the 80s Til Now‘, their latest album released on 21 April on Alchemy. In the wake of this incredible work, we sat down with Mauro Picotto for some hot questions that we suggest you follow to the sound of the exclusive guest mix that the Italian artist prepared exclusively for We Rave You.

 

It’s really interesting how you split the album. The first part is perfect to listen to in the car and the second part takes us to a Meganite party. What was the idea behind that?

The pandemic inspired me to create music about memory, rather than focusing on club music. It was really inspiring to go back and look at some of my previous releases through a modern lens, and also have the time to put into songwriting and creation. However, like my passion and personality are split between these two worlds, I also wanted a section which was dedicated to my love of underground techno, so this formed the basis of the split release.

Your Meganite parties at the legendary Privilege in Ibiza played a huge role in the development of the techno scene on the island. Do you miss those times and a less commercial Ibiza?

The idea of Meganite is always to do something different. And at the time in Ibiza, things were very locally led, and house music was everywhere, so I wanted to create a space for techno. Eventually, everything became more commercial. Even the biggest parties had to lean into commensal stuff to hold the crowd there. When you’re playing to bigger and bigger crowds I think that’s inevitable to some degree. You have to hold the crowd in mind, and DJs started playing more well-known records as they are the ones that get the big reactions. I believe at some point people will get bored again and will search for something new. That’s part of developing taste, and why I think Ibiza is special. There is room for everything.

In August, Meganite will make its big return to Ibiza at Eden. How much are you looking forward to it? Who will be joining you?

It’s night only, on the 17 August, and the aim is to create a journey of techno, starting at around 120 bpm and closing at 150 bpm with hard techno. I like to have a theme, and I think this is something that will work really well. Plus, the special guest is someone who’s never played on the island before and who will really bring that hard techno vibe later in the night. It’s going to be amazing.

 

Going back to your album, it includes some re-edited versions of your global hits. Describe for us the exercise of revisiting and refreshing a tune with a new outfit.

I took the approach of re-editing tracks from my youth, and as I said I found this approach exciting. I had more time to look at different approaches, and new technology to put a different spin on how these records originally sounded. Plus, I have all my experiences in music since they might have been originally made, so I’m bringing that to the table as well.

‘From the 80s till Now’ invites us on a journey through nostalgia. Nowadays it seems that we have to go back to the past to refresh ourselves musically. Do you see it that way too?

Before the pandemic maybe music lost sight of its own history and the art of making songs. I think maybe the pandemic cleaned out the system a bit and gave people a chance to reflect. That was definitely the case for me. People want songs that create moments now that we’re back playing clubs and festivals, whereas before it was more about the groove and rhythm. People want the past in their future. I guess that’s why more than ever you see covers and reedits in the last few years, but you can apply the same theory to original music as well.

You are one of the pioneers of the Italian techno scene and an international reference. How do you see the current state of techno and its entry into the mainstream?

It’s hard to say whether techno is in the mainstream from my point of view. Techno means different things to different generations, and yes, it’s more part of the mainstream culture in a way that it wasn’t when I started out. But there are also so many more people listening to different iterations of what we call techno, from all around the world. So, it’s not as simple as just saying “it’s too commercial”. There are some aspects of techno I don’t like, and some I love in the same way I always have. And that’s fine.

Your career is long and brilliant. What goals do you still want to achieve in music?

I’ve been a very lucky man due to this job which I never consider a job. It’s always been a passion and still is. A fantastic journey, so really there’s nothing left I need to achieve. I still have a strong desire to continue DJing and creating music, which is why I do it. But not at such a breakneck pace. I want to spend more time with my family and less time travelling, so the balance is more in favour of that now. Like I say, I’m very lucky.

Finally, for you, what’s Hot & Current in the scene right now?

For me, the scene is divided into two parts: festival and club. And I play more mainstream music at festivals and more underground music in clubs. The club scene is what I am most passionate about. It is where I feel the most connected to the public. But I enjoy both, and the fact that I can still do both after all these years is a blessing I will never take for granted.

 

Listen to the exclusive guest mix by Mauro Picotto for Hot & Current below:

 

 

Image Credit: Press