Italy · trance · techno

Mauro Picotto

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Italian veteran whose late-'90s records — 'Komodo', 'Lizard' — are still set staples a quarter century on.

Mauro Picotto was born on 25 December 1966 in Cavour, near Turin, into a family of stonemasons and dancers. His father ran a mason's yard called CRW, a name Picotto later reused as a pseudonym for a trance side project.

He entered production after winning the Walky Cup DJ competition on Italian television and meeting Daniele Davoli. His first track, released as R.A.F., became a top-20 European hit, and the group followed it with further dance hits through the mid-1990s, including the UK top-40 single "We've Got to Live Together," co-written with Gianfranco Bortolotti. Picotto also contributed writing and remix work to Bortolotti's other Eurodance projects, Cappella among them.

In 1996 Picotto became a partner in Media Records, and his solo track "Bakerloo Symphony" spent eight weeks at number one in Italy.

His reptile-themed run of singles followed from 1998: "Lizard (Gonna Get You)" became a Gatecrasher anthem and UK top-30 hit, "Iguana" reached number 39, and "Komodo (Save a Soul)" hit number 13, his highest UK chart position and the occasion of his only solo Top of the Pops appearance, where he was the first DJ to mix live on the show.

Later releases included "I Feel Love" under the CRW name and "Communication," made with Mario Più, both UK hits, plus a remix of York's "On the Beach" that reached the UK top five. He released two solo albums, The Double Album and The Others, and remixed work for Freddie Mercury, Jimmy Somerville, the Pet Shop Boys and U2, before going on to run his Meganite club night at Privilege Ibiza and produce under his own label, Bakerloo.

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