in this business, it’s easy for any lucrative artist to get caught up in the hype and feel like a king on top of the world, but for the ever-evolving techno boss, it holds no truth. canadian dj and producer carlo lio has always been regularly pushing the boundaries. “people are quick to label you as a techno guy or house guy, but I always try to sway everyone and make myself grow musically as an artist.”

the humble character grew up in the retro disco era, first hearing house music through his uncle in the late 80’s and later ripened into a raver in the late 90’s. when these raves became banned, carlo used djing to get his fix, only really planning on using it for hobby purposes. from the early 2000’s, he started taking his talents more seriously and has since grown to be an international icon over the past decade and a half by remaining true to himself and mold the shape of his original sounds with his hip-hop old school and 80’s influences.

having played all over and deep in the corners of the world, carlo praises his hometown for its cultural freedom and boundless support that has carved his career. “the scenes in miami and toronto have always been healthy and consistent. the underground scene has never left toronto. . . it’s such an underrated city. I always value my roots, and never forget how I got to this position.” but out of all the places he’s toured, carlo would gladly drop everything to play in this little intimate lounge in thessaloniki, greece. “it’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. the vibes are intimate, the crowd is insane. . . I’ve played there annually for the past 4 years, and would be happy to take a huge pay cut for that.”

if not in music, one path that carlo would probably have a career in that’s also another one of his passions is as a sketch artist, one who draws humans and portraits. aside from releasing some ep’s this year, carlo plans on putting his hard-earned money into real estate and flipping houses in blooming places like costa rica and his hometown of toronto. the savvy businessman discloses that his dad was always a “hard ass with money,” so this has influenced him to not only make investment choices wisely in the real world but with his genuine and original artistry as well. support the reserved artist and see what he’s up to on facebook and soundcloud.