Born in Lima. Forged in Miami. Tempered in Paris, Mario Liberti's music bears the fingerprints of cities that never sleep but dream in shared rhythm. Like a seasoned digger sifting through dusty backroom bins, Liberti's basslines slide between continents, drum loops soak in archival memory, and synths flutter like passport stamps. From the streetwise swing of South American percussion to the cracked gloss of Detroit's machinated soul, from the warehouses of Frankfurt to the dusk-lit decks of Café Barge, Liberti's style is not interested in scene fidelity or sonic purity. He digs, reworks, and reanimates. Each track is a ritual, each mix a séance. Next on Liberti's horizon is his upcoming performance at Control Club on April 26.
Emerging from the melting pot of Lima, Liberti's early musical education was rich in diverse Latin rhythms and global dance traditions. But Miami's expansive and competitive underground scene elevated his craft. As a pioneering resident of the now-mythic Un_Mute collective, he cut his teeth DJing alongside legends like Ricardo Villalobos, Sonja Moonear and Rhadoo. Liberti would quickly gain recognition for his meticulous yet spontaneous sets, sharpening his instinct for unpredictable groove-led journeys that never double back.
By 2016, Liberti's transnational mindset found its mirror in Sons Of Immigrants, a collaboration with Chilean producer Rafael (Pinguino). Their vinyl releases, particularly on Frankfurt's Pleasure Zone and Italy's Amam, earned acclaim for their presentation of contemporary minimal meshed with the warmth of analog production, channeling displacement and memory into tactile rhythm—immigrant house music.
Yet it was Liberti's 2020 move to Paris that marked the true beginning of his most impactful era. Amid global lockdowns, he launched Deep In Dis International, an imprint dedicated to cross-pollinating genres like breakbeat, acid house, techno, and jungle. At the same time, he launched TCR, a vinyl-only white label specializing in creative edits and re-sampled obscurities. Underground heroes, including Arapu, Priku, Anthea, Tini, and Villalobos himself, would enthusiastically embrace the imprint. Together, the two projects acted as a double helix: one future-facing, one archaeologically inclined.
Like refrains in a longer composition, Liberti's EPs echo his past while sketching out his future. Quai des Célestins (Rawax, 2022) channels the ghost of early house through electro's punch and hiss. Meanwhile, the earlier Mumm-ra's Groove EP (2020) proved his ability to reinterpret vintage elements in playfully haunting new ways. His 2023 remix of Vince Void's Explorer (Maai Records) is all spatial tension and stripped funk. And in 2024, In My Soul (937 Main Mix) with Keraw (APRH Records) paid homage to '90s NYC house with analog tactility.
You'll find Liberti not only in the booth but also in the ether. His mixes for Numéro Netherlands, Cavilar, and Sacré Radio are studies in restraint, atmosphere, and a digger's intuition. They avoid obvious transitions, breathe, and reward close listening.
Live, he's something else entirely. Liberti performs around the world like someone trying to remember what the body knew before the head intervened. And beyond the records and the rooms is the community: Deep In Dis parties in New York, Miami, Lima, Paris.
As Mario Liberti's reputation continues to expand globally, his music remains grounded in the power of connection. When the BPM drops out, he's the one holding the thread, playing something you don't recognize but swear you've heard before. His sound invites all into a shared narrative that celebrates difference, creativity, and the ineffable potential of the perfectly chosen beat.
