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I havenít heard of him for very long, but already Iím addicted to some of his tunes and records. Iím surprised that heís not as famous as people like Sash, although his musical style is very different (Sash is very pop-dance), Picotto is definitely as good, if not better, though itís an odd comparison anyway!
Top 5 Tunes:
Italian Mauro, not Mario ñ not to be confused with Mario Piuí, has produced a few CDs now, with his main one including songs just by himself and his DJ assistants.
Lizard: a fairly old tune now, but one of the best you have probably heard, but not known what it was ñ great synthesizer effects, wonderful.
Komodo: I must confess I am addicted to this tune, itís been around for a while now, but it still sounds fresh, is really catchy ñ itíll stick in your head for a long time, and itís pulsating rhythm and lovely synthesiser/popping sound is excellent.
Iguana: sounds a bit like Komodo and Lizard, but itís a bit faster and better to jump around to ñ Iguana is very atmospheric, a superb party track!!
Like This Like That: released fairly recently in the UK, like this like that is another stunner, with the most simplistic of lyrics, with the emphasis being on an original trance like synthesiser sound pattern. Beautiful! ìItís like this, itís like thatî Listen to it!!!
Pulsar: a very sound hard trance pumping track, a great Ibiza tune, Pulsar is another fantastic Mauro special.
All of these can be found on his own album, the Double Album, which I strongly suggest you look into listening to!!
Other tracks that deserve a mention are:
Proximus (medley with ADIEMUS), a really enthusiastic fast popcorn sounding synthesiser compilation mixed to a treat with an excellent jumpy trance beat.
Bug: as youíre probably realising by now, Mauro Picotto likes to write tunes about animals, they help him get a lot of movement and rhythm in his tunes, and bug is no exception, itís not as memorable as Komodo or Iguana, but still very talented.
Planet, Ulitmahora Ibiza, Underground, Pegasus and Baguette ñ other tracks from his album, all very good indeed, but not in my top 5!!
The second disc has a more laid back approach with some relaxing chilled out house and light dance with Goodbye, Deep Blue, Legacy, Get me Flying and Pacific Unplugged all making up the CD ñ theyíre far more instrumental than the other tracks, some are good, theyíre not as addictive, but make a nice change from the paced out disc one.
Mauro Picotto is a genius, his sequencing and mixing ability has enabled him to make a real name for himself and heís one of the most respected DJís in the world, very often at Godís Kitchen, Manumission in Ibiza.
Thanks for reading,
FLYING FOX!!!
Released by Bigstar records and powered by Iceberg records Mauro Picotto's talent is available for you to buy for just £11.99 or similar. With the exception of the two 'M. Chiticonti' tracks (Deep Blue and Pacific Unplugged on Disc 2 Go To Gate) all of the songs on the album are written by Mauro Picotto either solely by him or with help from various other song writers/artists in R. Ferri, G. Bortolotti, A Remondini, P. Pritchard, Karl Jenkins, M. Piperno, M. Franklin, N. Champion - apologies for not knowing the first names of most, but just a little more information for you to wade through! Anyway, Italian producer DJ and now the king of trance, Mauro Picotto does have some assistance in creating some really superb tunes. I'll continue...
You may have heard of the Nukleuz presents 'Mauro Picotto The Lizard Man' album which includes lots of his own music together with various other artists like Mario Piu', Marc Et Claude etc, which is an excellent purchase and if you like this genre of music, then I'd strongly recommend that CD too (instantly recognisable a bright green grass coloured case) but it was clear which songs stood out on the album: the likes of Komodo/Save a Soul, Iguana Ultimahora Ibiza all Mauro Picotto tracks were the best of the lot, although Mario Piu's 'The Vision' is pretty good too. Anyway, that's a brilliant double CD, but The Double Album something special.
Something that is interesting, that I haven't noticed with any other artists or compilations, that happens here, is that the CDs are named - it's a double CD album obviously (hence the name), but rather than the standard 'CD1' and 'CD2', we have disc 1 as V.I.P. Lounge (Energy) and disc 2 as Go To Gate (Love), which I'm sure you'll find interesting. This reflects the way the tunes kind of give you visual images of movement, I certainly think it's a very moving & travelling, also uplifting album, the music is something you have to hear if you have never done so already.
V.I.P Lounge (14 tracks) is much faster and has a general stronger beat than Go To Gate, which tends to be a more relaxing tranquil sounding collection of only 5 tracks, where the word ambience wouldn't feel out of place. Right, blasting off with 'Lounge' a very brief 'less than two minute' track, already you start recognising sounds - if anyone has a PlayStation then you simply have to get this album just to see if the start up sound for the PlayStation is included in this opening track, it sounds similar but very good indeed. Next up is Pulsar where we get reminded of how to spell 'M A U R O P I C O T T O D J D J' which is, err, nice, but it's already off to a fast beat, you'll be in a trance, a euphoric and perfectly sober trance, right from the beginning. Pulsar isn't the most exciting track, it's good though, but as with many songs - nearly everything in fact, you have to wait a while for the song to move on and the really impressive music to happen.
It makes Save a Soul (no. 3) seem even more superb though. Save a Soul includes Komodo by the way! That popcorn/air light popping sound is brilliant. And the rare vocal talent 'save a soul, save it now, for a better life...' makes it even more pleasing to the ear. As itís one continuous mix, everything is in the right place and sequenced to perfection. Very tuneful, and one of the best songs in a long while, Iíve even heard that the Childrenís BBC use Komodo at the end and before Neighbours which is superb ñ all you kids should take note! Like This Like That is also a fantastic song, with vocals again, flawlessly mixed and very fast, a really feel good tune that youíll be tapping your feet or hand to in the car or at home. Itís brilliant travelling music as I say, so itís really good in a car! Especially if thereís a CD player... thereíre some really great sounds and looping effects, immaculately crafted ñ well done!
Mauro Picotto likes animals, or at least to write songs/mix and produce music about them, especially the reptile variety, which is refreshing and also makes for a truly unique sound. Iím not an expert on musical terms so please donít quote me! Anyway if you look at the song title, i.e. ëBugí which coincidentally is the next track and imagine the bug/insect moving in time to the music, itís quite good. Maybe thatís the way it was all intended, or maybe Iím completely mad. Either way itís excellent. Bug isnít all that brilliant, ëPlanetí follows, itís very continuous and lively, and then we have another really good track Proximus, which is in a medley with Adiemus. Confused? Well just listen and appreciate! You may well remember the classic piece of music included which has been woven into Proximus ñ the same music from that really relaxing BA advert, not the most recent one (the one that shares the new relaxing music with the Ford Galaxy advert) but certainly itís been heard and is instantly recognisable. I forget what the original piece is called or whom itís by! More popcorn sounds, very nice!
My personal favourites are now probably Lizard and Iguana which both sound really good no matter how many times I hear them, thatís another really important aspect ñ it doesnít get boring quickly (unlike Paul Van Dykís ëOut there and backí which, well, does). Clear, clean, crisp and very melodic and soulful, itís emotive and not too heavy ñ unlike some dance/trance/house songs. Lizard is just awesome, Iím actually listening to it now (the CDís catching me up!) and after the ëitís coming to get cha!í and bouncy trance style sound, it really gets good. Definitely one of the best tracks of the past few years! He is the Lizard Man. <~^~>Fresh<~^~>
Moving onto Ultimahora Ibiza, quite a good word to say actually, we get a repetitive but really good deep bass/electronic loop for practically the whole song, with a stop in the middle, but itís great so you wonít really notice (the clubbers in Ibiza probably didnít). Itís a very typical Ibiza sounding track. Again, faultlessly sequenced. We then move on to Iguana, another in reptilian family, and another smooth sounding track, with great musical patterns leading from something that sounds like ëCactus Riceí which I doubt is right, but who knows ñ maybe itís Italian! I shall have to email the man himself! Iguana is superb, Iím not sure which songs have been released, but they donít tend to get high in the charts, which is littered with happy pop songs, not my scene! This album deserves to sell really well though. Eclectic, Underground, Pegasus and Baguette make up the last four songs of the first disc. Theyíre all good, but donít leap out as much in my view. Youíll be humming to a lot of the tracks I guarantee it, especially Lizard, Komodo, Iguana which all share certain similarities, i.e. all brilliant, all similar sound.
Disc 2 is very impressive actually, not at all heavy ñ more like Enigma/Mike Oldfield style of music, and also a lot more vocally involving. Goodbye, Deep Blue, Legacy, Get Me Flying and Pacific Unplugged almost tell the story for you, left whichever country youíre in (hence Goodbye) the seaís calm and blue, youíre a legend perhaps, get me flying ñ youíre flying in an aeroplane and then maybe travelling over the pacific ocean. Thatís of course after youíve gone to the gate and boarded. Right, enough analysis of the song order and meaning, back to the music! (Just changing the CD)
Goodbye: Okay, this really is the kind of music that you can just chill to, relax and would really suit the atmosphere of flying away, looking out over the ocean, youíre tired, the setting sunís light reflecting off the water and catching your eyes ñ thereís more tranquillity, itís quite an emotional piece of music, perhaps - I wouldnít recommend driving to this after a hard days work! Deep Blue, maybe the next day as the sun rises at dawn? A happier tone to this than in goodbye, although not a lot happens but you can even hear the water effects, the birds or something singing in the background (very quietly), actually perhaps Deep blue is when youíre sleeping on the plane? Hmm, Legacyís a bit livelier and again very smooth and easy to listen to. Lacking in a vocal touch I think. Still, itís a positive song. Everythingís going to be ok, in a time of uncertainty in your life possibly. ëGet Me Flyingí is the best song on Go To Gate, a lot more expression and sequencing, musical patterns couple with very harmonic vocals. ëYou get me flyingí Itís good. And in tune, which does help! More animal sounds - like at night, owls calling and crickets in a field or something, leading onto Pacific Unplugged. Another excellent tune, with male vocals ñ I think African or something, very good you might even be able to hear a wobble board ñ listen closely! I donít understand the words, but itís interesting.
Oh! Well, if youíve made it this far then well done, you deserve a crown just for reading it, I apologise if I havenít made any sense at all, but essentially Iím trying to get across that the songs have meaning ñ theyíve been thought out well and this is an absolutely sublime album that I heartily recommend to you! Iíve listen to all the tracks on both CDs, VIP Lounge is 74minutes long, and Go To Gate is 21:34minutes, so its well worth your money! If youíre interested in finding more about Mauro Picotto and or similar artists and DJs, then either go to www.MauroPicotto.com - be warned thereís a very funny face greeting you, or go to Italian site, which is in English I think www.bxr.it and you should be able to learn more.
The front cover and CD presentation is very fitting ñ with a Lizard or something on the CDs and inlay cover, along with track information and the front cover with two Mauro Picotto heads ñ no it isnít from some horror movie, it just shows that itís a double album, itís quite funny really ñ he must consider himself very much Lizard like as his head is attached to a Lizard skin design ñ well you can see canít you from the picture here! One looking a bit heated ñ reflecting the faster disc one, and the other more relaxed, emphasizing disc two.
Hope this review wasnít too long, boring or at all confusing. Iím sleepy now, so Iíll see you soon. Thanks for reading,
Dan
I havenít heard of him for very long, but already Iím addicted to some of his tunes and records. Iím surprised that heís not as famous as people like Sash, although his musical style is very different (Sash is very pop-dance), Picotto is definitely as good, if not better, though itís an odd comparison anyway!
Top 5 Tunes:
Italian Mauro, not Mario ñ not to be confused with Mario Piuí, has produced a few CDs now, with his main one including songs just by himself and his DJ assistants.
Lizard: a fairly old tune now, but one of the best you have probably heard, but not known what it was ñ great synthesizer effects, wonderful.
Komodo: I must confess I am addicted to this tune, itís been around for a while now, but it still sounds fresh, is really catchy ñ itíll stick in your head for a long time, and itís pulsating rhythm and lovely synthesiser/popping sound is excellent.
Iguana: sounds a bit like Komodo and Lizard, but itís a bit faster and better to jump around to ñ Iguana is very atmospheric, a superb party track!!
Like This Like That: released fairly recently in the UK, like this like that is another stunner, with the most simplistic of lyrics, with the emphasis being on an original trance like synthesiser sound pattern. Beautiful! ìItís like this, itís like thatî Listen to it!!!
Pulsar: a very sound hard trance pumping track, a great Ibiza tune, Pulsar is another fantastic Mauro special.
All of these can be found on his own album, the Double Album, which I strongly suggest you look into listening to!!
Other tracks that deserve a mention are:
Proximus (medley with ADIEMUS), a really enthusiastic fast popcorn sounding synthesiser compilation mixed to a treat with an excellent jumpy trance beat.
Bug: as youíre probably realising by now, Mauro Picotto likes to write tunes about animals, they help him get a lot of movement and rhythm in his tunes, and bug is no exception, itís not as memorable as Komodo or Iguana, but still very talented.
Planet, Ulitmahora Ibiza, Underground, Pegasus and Baguette ñ other tracks from his album, all very good indeed, but not in my top 5!!
The second disc has a more laid back approach with some relaxing chilled out house and light dance with Goodbye, Deep Blue, Legacy, Get me Flying and Pacific Unplugged all making up the CD ñ theyíre far more instrumental than the other tracks, some are good, theyíre not as addictive, but make a nice change from the paced out disc one.
Mauro Picotto is a genius, his sequencing and mixing ability has enabled him to make a real name for himself and heís one of the most respected DJís in the world, very often at Godís Kitchen, Manumission in Ibiza.
Thanks for reading,
FLYING FOX!!!