Music

The Beatdown

Hernan Cattaneo's turntables never took geography lessons

A A A Comments By Drexel Faris Thursday, Apr 6 2006

Just like 50 Cent's ninth bullet wound or a glowing review in MaximumRocknRoll, geography is often the secret to cred in the EDM DJ scene. With that in mind, it's all the more strange to consider the meteoric rise of Hernan Cattaneo. See, Cattaneo is from Buenos Aires, not exactly considered a hotbed for up-and-coming DJ talent. But in spite of his geographic constraints, he has reached the pinnacle of club land and shows no signs of slowing down. After years of playing small local gigs, Cattaneo scored a residency in one of Argentina's top clubs, and he was soon opening for the likes of Sasha, Danny Tenaglia and Carl Cox. Word spread amongst the DJ elite of the man's mixing prowess and five-hour-long deep, tribal sets; soon, he was scooped up by Liverpool super club Cream as one of its residents, and then Paul Oakenfold bagged him as the opener on one of his many world tours. A few quality singles later, followed by very successful mix compilations on Perfecto and Renaissance Masters, and the rest is history. Now Cattaneo travels the globe playing in top venues for throngs of clubbers, and all this from a guy who grew up 5,000 miles from Chicago--go figure. Come early and stay late as local tech-house guru Jason Vasilas (aka JV), who landed a track on Cattaneo's second Renaissance Masters mix, opens with what is certain to be an inspired set.