Mario Maroto is a Miami-based, Costa Rican deejay/producer who aims to burn Beatport charts in the near future! His productions on-point with a bouncy spin to his growing tech house collection, Mario is on the right path to establish himself as a household name in any artists’ repertoire . All it’s a matter of is timing, and here is your chance to get to know this brilliant newcomer. 
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As with other supporters, I welcome you to Feeling Mnml, Mario!
1. Tell us a little bit about the mix you’ve put together for us. (why you selected the tracks you did, your mixing technique)
Hi and thank you very much for having me.
Well on this mix I tried to portray what I would play on a peak time set nowadays. My taste has been more orientated towards the Tech-House sound and you will certainly be able to feel this vibe throughout the mix.
I choose some of my favorite tracks of the moment and managed to squeeze in my latest production called “El Mosquito Rojo” and a HUGE new track by my friends Mulattos & Dsan Powell which is what I end the mix with.
As far as technique, I come from a Drum & Bass background and started my career as a drum & bass/jungle Dj back in the day, so you can expect a lot of “double drops” and some fast mixing. I also like to leave tracks riding on top of each other for a long time in order to make the transitions a bit more seamless. I usually don’t use a lot of Delays, Reverbs or FX, instead I try and make up for it with what I mentioned above, letting the tracks ride on top of each other for a long time, some fast mixing and “double drops” every time I can and think it will sound good. By the way for those of you who aren’t familiar with the term since it comes from drum & bass, double drops are what you call when you have two songs riding on top of each other with no beats or bass, basically on a breakdown and then they both “explode” on top of each other when the beats and bass line come back at the same time.
2. How did you get started into Electronic Dance Music?
There were two stages for me. When I was around 6 years old my dad who was working around Norway and Sweden brought me back a cassette tape from a band called “SNAP”. I listened to that tape over and over until it literally broke! He noticed I really liked the kind of music so on his next trip he got me some Technotronic and AB Logic tapes which I again listened to until they broke. I kept on looking for more music like this but living in a country like Costa Rica at that time, it was extremely difficult. I grew into my teens and developed a love for rock and punk music. I was even in a couple of bands, I was supposed to be the vocalist but in reality it was more like I was screaming my lungs out!!!
Shortly after that a friend of mine from the Netherlands introduced me to “The Chemical Brothers Exit Planet Dust Album” and I was hooked again!!! At this exact time, around 1996, 1997 the first “rave parties” started happening in Costa Rica so in all fit in perfectly!
3. What’s your sound like? Were you always into this sound, or has it changed since you started?
Well like I mentioned before, I come from a drum & bass background, having that said I’ve always been into the more “bouncy” and bass heavy sounds. I use to be into much darker & heavier music, which I still like to listen to, but when I sit down to write a track or do a Dj set then I always try and go strictly for the dance floor. I try to make music that is very Bass oriented. Very groovy and bouncy. I also try and keep a balance between what would be too dark and aggressive for the girls and what would be too bright and happy for the guys.
4. Who are some of your influences? (past and present)
Wow -I have so many influences in so many different styles of music that I would have to write for days. Going from Bob Marly to Michael Jackson to Timbaland to Iron Maiden, to Steve Miller’s Band to Richie Hawtin to Pendulum to Livio & Robi. I listen to all sorts of music and it all affects the way I play and write my own tracks. I rarely listen to electronic music when I’m not DJing or writing tracks. Twice a week on average I listen to the promos and buy tracks online. All the rest of the time I’m highly influenced by Reggae, Dancehall, old 70’s rock and even some pretty hardcore heavy metal! Ha ha ha (laughs)
Some electronic music dj’s and producers that have definitely changed my life and I want to mention are: Jeff Mills, Andy C, Sven Vath Marco Carola, Richie Hawtin, Paco Osuna, Paul Ritch, Nic Fanciulli, Joey Beltram and Adam Beyer.
5. What is one thing you’re proud of the most in your musical career so far?
I would definitely have to say it was when my first track was signed. I felt so accomplished and still do even today, every time I finish a track and can play it out on my sets. There is so much work behind a track, sometimes people don’t realize this, and I certainly didn’t, until I started making my own music. It’s a lot of fun -yes, but it’s also TORTURE!!! LOL
6. Give us one rare fact that fans may not know about you!
I go to the gym religiously 5 times a week. I find that pretty rare myself LOL
7. What are some of the things we can expect from you in the future? (projects, collaborations you’re working on?)
Right now I’m working on collaborations with my fellow friends Kabuto & Koji (Cocoon, Supernature) and Mario Miranda (Bosphorus Underground). I’m going to be traveling back to my home country of Costa Rica to spend the holidays there, so that should give me some time to be able to sit in the studio with them and make some more tracks together.
8. If you could go back in time for 24 hours, where would you go?
Saturday February 17th 2005 Club Vertigo Back To Basics Black Party. The most energetic crowd I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing in my career so far and one of the most amazing parties as a whole.
All the best in the future Mario and thanks for being part of ‘Feeling Mnml’ as well as making an exclusive mix for us! To download it, click below.
MARIO MAROTO’S EXCLUIVE MIX FOR ‘FEELING MNML’ DOWNLOAD HERE
