Mauro Picotto (born 25 December 1966) is an Italian electronic musicproducer and DJ, and previously a member of the Italian Euro house group "R.A.F.".[1][unreliable source?] He became well known as a solo artist with songs including "Komodo (Save a Soul)", "Pulsar", "Iguana", and "Lizard". He has collaborated with other electronica/trance musicians such as Tiësto and Mario Più.
He now promotes his own club night, Meganite (named after an early 21st-century track of his), which has run for consecutive years annually since 2004 at Privilege Ibiza. He now produces under his own record label, Bakerloo.
Biography
Born in the Italian town of Cavour, near Turin, Picotto was raised in a family of stonemasons and dancers. His father ran a mason's yard called CRW, a name Mauro would later use as a pseudonym for his trance side-project.
Picotto longed to start making his own productions, but felt that to be successful he must first become a disc jockey (DJ). After winning the Walky Cup competition on national TV,[citation needed] an event for the top DMC DJs in Italy, he met with Daniele Davoli, who was there to promote his Black Box single "Ride on Time", and this led Picotto towards record producing. His first track, "We Gonna Get", produced under the name R.A.F., became a top 20hit single across much of Europe.[citation needed]
Between 1992 and 1996, R.A.F.[2] would release a number of dance hits, as well as achieving a top 40 UK Singles Chart hit with "We've Got to Live Together".[3] The song was co-written by Picotto and a number of other producers at Media Studios, including Media label boss Gianfranco Bortolotti.
Picotto and Bortolotti would see greater success a couple of years later together when another of their co-writes, "Light My Fire",[4] became a big Eurodance hit when remixed by Bortolotti's Cappella, with the song (once licensed to Pete Waterman's PWL Records) becoming a number 7 hit in the United Kingdom in the spring of 1994.[5] As well as Club House, Picotto had remix and co-writing credits on many of Bortolotti's other Eurodance projects such as Cappella (best known for hits like "U Got 2 Let the Music" and "Move on Baby") and the 49ers.
In 1996, Bortolotti decided to make Picotto a partner in Media Records alongside him, while a track released under Picotto's own name, "Bakerloo Symphony", ended up being a number one in Italy for eight weeks.[citation needed]
1998 saw the release of the Gatecrasher anthem "Lizard (Gonna Get You)". The track ended up being a top 30 hit on the UK Singles Chart,[6] and was followed by two further instalments in the reptilian trilogy: "Iguana" (#39) and "Komodo (Save a Soul)", which would give Picotto the highest UK chart position of his solo career – number 13.[6] This would see him make his only solo performance on BBC Television's Top of the Pops. Picotto was the first DJ to mix live on the show.[7]
Later tracks he was involved in also made an impact on the UK chart. "I Feel Love" – released under the pseudonym CRW – reached number 15 in 2000,[8] whilst "Communication (Somebody Answer the Phone)" – which he produced alongside Mario Più – reached the UK top 5 at the end of 1999.[9]
His remix of "On the Beach" by York also helped to propel that song into the UK top 5 in spring 2000,[10] when it was selected by the record company Manifesto to be used as the official radio edit. Two solo albums, The Double Album (2000) and The Others (2002) followed, as well as remixes and productions for Freddie Mercury, Jimmy Somerville, the Pet Shop Boys and U2. Upon leaving Media Records in 2002, Picotto formed Bakerloo Music, as well as the new label Alchemy, releasing several club tracks, including "New Time New Place" and the Alchemy EP. That same year, he launched his Meganite party at the Miami Winter Music Conference.
On 7 May 2005, Picotto headlined the dance stage at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend in Sunderland, in front of thousands of people.
Picotto released several Meganite Ibiza albums on the new label, Big in Ibiza. His Meganite party is held every Wednesday at Ibiza's Privilege club.
In May 2017, he released the album A Call in the Club.
Discography
Albums
BXR Superclub Compilation Volume 1 (with Mario Più Feat. Zicky – Franchino) (1999)
^"We've Got To Live Together" by R.A.F. (Written By A. Puntillo/G. Bortolotti/M. Picotto/R. Arduini, Produced by Mauro Picotto, Executive Produced by Gianfranco Bortolotti at Media Studios) 1991 GFB Records Active Music Projects/Mhara Srl. cat no: GFB 029 (licensed to PWL Continental/PWL Records in 1992)
^Light My Fire" Remixes by Club House, (Written By A. Puntillo/M. Picotto/G. Bortolotti/C. Fanini, Produced by Gianfranco Bortolotti), 1994 Media Records Srl, cat no: MR 618 (12 inch)
