Mariano Mateljan

With Croatia’s festival scene becoming one of the leading destinations in Europe over the last decade, Mariano Mateljan is a shining light when it comes to producers breaking through the electronic music scene in Croatia. Born and raised in Split, Mariano pays tribute to his father who introduced him to all genres of music from three different decades at an early age. His father’s audio cassette collection exposed Mariano to the sounds of The Everly Brothers, Perry Como and Johnny Mathis. It was clear from his early teens that a career in music was to be his path. At the age of 16, Mariano began to experiment with different genres of music, mixing techno from the late 90s with breakbeat. His first residency as a DJ came in his hometown of Split at Kameleon Club in 2012. It was here where Mariano developed a sound of his own, combining his early influences with the classy European sound of Perlon, Playhouse and FUSE, to create an evolving rolling minimal house sound. His first breakout moment came in 2013 with a release on FUSE sub-label Infuse. A-side ‘Pigeon Boxer’ combined evolving drums, bumpy sub-bass and sporadic vocal lines to create a track that would act as the stepping stone to releases on Cocoon, FUSE and Vinyl Club. Gigs at FUSE in London and Ibiza further enhanced his reputation leading to more high profile gigs across Europe at the likes of Fabric (London), Club der Visionaere, Chalet (both Berlin), Studio 76 (Madrid) and Das Zimmer (Mannheim). Fast-forward to 2017 and Mariano is reaching new heights. Once again it is FUSE paving the way. Dates at 93 Feet East (Infuse Showcase) and Sonus Festival in his home country of Croatia have given Mariano a new injection of life. With the inception of his vinyl-only label u.dig, Mateljan has created a platform for his own music as well as the music from a close circle of friends who share similar motives and vision. With releases on Moss Co and Vekton to come and a debut tour of South America and Australia soon on the horizon, 2018 looks to be an exciting year for an artist who is surrounded by like-minded people and prides himself on doing things the right way.