Mauro Picotto Dj set from Finland

It's a new world of parties!

Mr Droid is mixing reality with DJ sets created in virtual and mixed reality.

Let's see how deep this rabbit hole goes...

https://youtube.com/@mrdroid_mixingreality?si=ZAtYHBXLvTB5q6Xc

The mission of this site is to create a unique view of the world's parties, festivals and music scene by mapping the music and media scattered online to it's geographical source and to promote the DJs, artists, labels and event organizers that make it happen.

As the first Italian DJ to tour the world, he’s put his homeland on the global techno map. As the first DJ to mix live on the eminent BBC music show Top Of The Pops, he’s helped bring techno to the widest audience possible. As the man behind Meganite – one of Ibiza’s most successful and longest running nights – he has recruited some of the world’s most respected underground DJs as residents; Adam Beyer, Marco Carola and Chris Liebing.

This journey to legendary status began over 25 years, 700 releases and 7 million unit sales ago when he became the first Italian finalist in the world DMC championships in 1988. Galvanising this success the following year with a win on a live broadcast Italian DJ competition called The Walky Cup, his national crown as a premiership DJ was realised... And the world beckoned.

A string of sonic successes, dancefloor dominance and industry victories followed; early chart appearances as R.A.F and co- writing for myriad European house acts during the early 90s led him to become a partner Media Records, while his reptilian trilogy in 1998 elevated him to a global level; ‘Lizard’, ‘Iguana’ and ‘Komodo (Save A Soul)’ fused trance with techno on such a level they became hymns for the biblical superclub explosion during the last few years of the 20th century and charted in many countries. From this point onwards, the world could no longer ignore the dance music and techno phenomenon. And Mauro was driving from the front. As one of the most in-demand artists across the globe, he barely left DJ Mag’s illustrious Top 100 DJ list throughout the first decade of the 21st century.

Constantly searching for innovative developments – both musically and technically – Mauro expressed an early vision that is now common place within electronic music: his ability to bring the underground to the masses, to fuse melody, hooks and harmony with industrial strength drum dynamics, his innate understanding of widescreen DJ selections that cover the whole spectrum created a reputation that positioned him in all corners of techno.

This focus and attitude meant that as a DJ he’s been invited to perform the broadest possible range of peaktime sets from Berlin’s famed Love Parade to Turin Winter Olympics via Timewarp, Tomorrowland, MTV Festival, Awakenings, Sensation, Mayday, Ultra Music Festival, Space Miami, Ibiza and thousands more. As an artist this gave him the freedom to flex from major remixes of top tier acts like Freddie Mercury and The Pet Shop Boys while delivering extensive albums that explore every side of techno with daring experimentation with tracks such as ‘Baguette’, ‘Contaminato’, ‘Hong Kong’, ‘The Riff’ and ‘Asteroids’.

As well as his journeyman DJ sets and full spectrum productions, this vision is also evident in his two brands. Both established in the early 2000s and still going strong to date, his Meganite events and Alchemy label are both melting pots for evolution and development. Meganite at Privilege is one of Ibiza’s most infamous techno parties and has since gone on to take over clubs and arenas across Europe and the US while Alchemy has delivered cuts from the likes of Adam Beyer, Chris Liebing, Joseph Capriati, Paco Osuna, Popof, Sasha Carassi, The Advent, Steve Rachmad, Nicole Moudaber and many more. Not just a label, Alchemy has also given the world a successful festival in Mauro’s motherland Turin in 2010 and is the home to his hugely popular podcast series that is syndicated across the world and listened to by audiences of millions. 

BIO:
"I did it my way", famous words by legendary singer Frank Sinatra, and apparently also the driving force behind Dutch DJ/producer Vato Gonzalez' success story to date. Widely recognized as the originator of the Ã¢ÂÂDirty HouseÃ¢ÂÂ genre/movement in his home country and internationally renowned for his Ã¢ÂÂBadman RiddimÃ¢ÂÂ anthem, the 28-year-old music enthusiast has already won thousands of fans with his immensely energetic stage presence, rather rebellious attitude and by generally doing things his way. So who is this kid, who appears to be the poster boy for DIY artists, building his empire with his own two hands and a rather insane furry ear flap hat? What drives a lad to wake up, look at the music industry with disregard for the way things have been going for years, raise one eyebrow and say: Ã¢ÂÂTo hell with it!Ã¢ÂÂBorn and raised in Spijkenisse, a small town generally hidden from sight by the thick smog of RotterdamÃ¢ÂÂs industrial zone, Vato Gonzalez spent most of his teenage days hanging around the block, messing up his eardrums by listening to UK garage, hip hop and dance hall. He used his college years to discover whether or not he wanted to be the next Mark Zuckerberg or become a world famous graphic designer like Paul Rand. In the end, he decided on Ã¢ÂÂnone of the aboveÃ¢ÂÂ, but not before he put his acquired knowledge to good use with slightly evil intentions. Tapping into the universityÃ¢ÂÂs student database, he started promoting his own party, which quickly turned into one of the most popular student nights out. These days, he is still a part-time software engineer and designs all the artwork for his own events, in between gigs and studio time.Earning his stripes in clubland by gigging relentlessly for almost a decade, Vato Gonzalez gets his big break in 2007, when he decides to unleash the first Ã¢ÂÂDirty HouseÃ¢ÂÂ mixtape to the public. The fast-paced mixed first mixtape proves to be an instant hit with the crowd and spreads like wildfire all over the internet, resulting in more than 150.000 downloads. When asked what Ã¢ÂÂDirty HouseÃ¢ÂÂ actually is, Vato Gonzalez states: Ã¢ÂÂWhether your kid brother or the biggest super producer in the World has produced the record, I could care less. Genres do not apply, whether itÃ¢ÂÂs tech-house, progressive, Brasil Funk, Baltimore club or electro, as long as the tune has that essential energy to rock my socks! Goodbye to the boring overproduced and politically overhyped records of the past! Hello to the thumping, rocking, down low and dirty records of the future, which give punters their moneyÃ¢ÂÂs worth when they go out clubbing.Ã¢ÂÂ Quickly after the launch of the first mixtape, he starts with Ã¢ÂÂDirty HouseÃ¢ÂÂ events and as the brand/genre grows, he keeps selling out clubs with his Ã¢ÂÂDirty HouseÃ¢ÂÂ concept, starts hosting Ã¢ÂÂDirty HouseÃ¢ÂÂ areas at massive events and as a result, he becomes one of the main festival attractions in Holland himself. Around this time, he also hooks up with his sidekick & partner in crime, MC Tjen, with whom he soon becomes one of the most lethal DJ/MC combos in Holland, tearing the roof of many clubs with their unparalleled energy and nonstop hype during their performances. Fed up with the state of the industry at large, he also decides to set up his own booking agency, Ã¢ÂÂ010 BookingsÃ¢ÂÂ, Ã¢ÂÂDirty HouseÃ¢ÂÂ record label and Ã¢ÂÂDirty HouseÃ¢ÂÂ publishing arm, to become completely independent. As demand keeps growing for Ã¢ÂÂDirty HouseÃ¢ÂÂ, he rolls out four additional mixtapes within the next 3 years, amassing well over half a million downloads together. In retrospect, Vato Gonzalez comments: Ã¢ÂÂThere was no masterplan behind launching the Ã¢ÂÂDirty HouseÃ¢ÂÂ brand. We just felt people were looking for something hot and exciting and were tired of hearing the same old, dull records in clubs. With the mixtapes & events we brought the hype back and gave the crowd a voice! We just ran with it and it took off in a big way, way beyond our expectations.Ã¢ÂÂ Currently averaging over 350 shows per year, his schedule takes him all over Europe (Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Greece, and Hungary) and heÃ¢ÂÂs ready to add a few more continents in the near future.Fast forward to 2010: Ã¢ÂÂBadman RiddimÃ¢ÂÂ, a tune Vato Gonzalez produced three years earlier, starts buzzing in the UK. While gradually notching up over 2 million YouTube views, the song finds its way to some key UK tastemaker DJs through amazing DIY promotion vehicles like Yousendit, Mediafire & Zippyshare, which are hated by the anti-piracy lobby, yet loved by DIY artists such as Ã¢ÂÂDirty HouseÃ¢ÂÂ bastard Vato Gonzalez. Soon after, Ã¢ÂÂBadman RiddimÃ¢ÂÂ pops up in specialist shows on BBC Radio 1 and gets snatched up by the mighty Levels Recordings/Ministry of Sound, who turn the Godzilla inspired tune into the actual monster that slowly, but surely creeps up to people. As a result, Ã¢ÂÂBadman RiddimÃ¢ÂÂ quickly becomes one of the biggest instrumental club tracks of 2010, winning over the likes of Annie Mac, Zane Lowe, Annie Nightingale, Pete Tong, MistaJam and Toddla T at BBC Radio 1, while also being championed in the clubs by a very wide selection of DJs, including the likes of Crookers, Chuckie, Skream, Tiesto, Grandmaster Flash, Congorock, Roger Sanchez, DJ Fresh, Erick Morillo, Benga, Avicii, Zinc, and Jaguar Skills, to name but a few. As the record keeps gaining momentum, UK urban heavyweights Foreign Beggars jump on board and add their trademark rhymes, which combined with Vato GonzalezÃ¢ÂÂ killer hook and phat bassline, quickly becomes one of the biggest summer anthems of 2011.WhatÃ¢ÂÂs up next, you might wonder? Early 2011, Vato Gonzalez launches his brand new event concept and record label Ã¢ÂÂCrowd ControlÃ¢ÂÂ, which he also plans to tour the world with and use as an imprint to release some of his own releases and music by like-minded artists. Ã¢ÂÂCrowd ControlÃ¢ÂÂ can be considered the big room and more tech-house, progressive brother of Ã¢ÂÂDirty HouseÃ¢ÂÂ, showcasing how VatoÃ¢ÂÂs sound has matured the last few years. But, he is not about to leave his Ã¢ÂÂDirty HouseÃ¢ÂÂ roots behind though; in true Vato fashion he states: Ã¢ÂÂI don't do Ã¢ÂÂand/orÃ¢ÂÂ, I do Ã¢ÂÂand/andÃ¢ÂÂ. Just like one does not only favor one type of food, I don't favor just one kind of music.Ã¢ÂÂ Much like the past ten years, most would consider his philosophy quite impossible, if not sheer madness; but if he had listened to everyone saying he couldnÃ¢ÂÂt, then you wouldn't be reading this biography at present.With forthcoming releases and remixes on labels such as Southern Fried, Sony Music, Universal, Ministry of Sound and some heavy collaborations in the pipeline, the future is looking bright for this Ã¢ÂÂDirty HouseÃ¢ÂÂ bastard!