Juan Maldonado, a.k.a. Maldo, is a DJ/producer from Bogotá, Colombia with over 6 years of experience. He has managed to be a benchmark of Minimal electronic music in his country, playing in several parties with a:ritmi:a and fonoteca expanding the minimal romanian sound and after party culture in the capital, from clubs to hostels, from bars to festivals.
Musician since he was 13 years old and very passionate about the underground rhythms of metal and rap, he found his place of artistic expression in electronic music when in 2015 studied the art of being dj in new york where he learned how to play turntables. since then His career has been focused on the minimalist aspects of techno and house, with a marked influence by Romanian sounds. His sound is characterized by groove, rolling basslines, experimentation, and sound design.
As a producer, he has released multiple EPs on national and international labels since 2018. Among his outstanding releases is Pirarucu EP, by the Essential of Minimal label, another outstanding release was the track “El Dorado” in the VA. Telurian 2 of Zebra Records among other world-recognized producers such as Mihai Pol, Dan Andrei, BRYZ, Priku, and Cristi Cons.
His live performances are full of energy and always makes people dance. In 2022 he was the headliner of the a:ritmi:a fest, which was the first minimal festival in Colombia and later he had the opportunity to open the Hypnosis festival where greats of the genre such as Mihigh, Herk, I3XM, Unaporte and Vadim Oslov also played. Maldo is one of the residents of the mythical label from bogota Fonoteca recognized for the quality of their parties, and for being pioneers of Minimal electronic music in Colombia.