Mixmag Asia Radio: Sergio Berlino swears by a good groove

Jakarta mainstay Sergio Berlino is one of the city’s forward-thinking dance music protagonists. Inspired by music, fashion (peep his co-found label Rigio) and art, his sound is punchy, vibrant and excessively groovy. We recently heard him playing at Burning Box, the Sunset People Project’s after hours at Burning Beach festival in Bali last December, where he effortlessly took a room full of loose-limbed troopers into the early hours of sunrise.

Berlino is also the co-founder of SALA and SALA Records — a pandemic-born crew of DJs who’s events like La Cupula have quickly taken the Jakarta scene by storm.

For this week’s episode of Mixmag Asia Radio, hit play below to get in the groove with Sergio Berlino.

Where are you based and how did you get there?

Am based in Jakarta, Indonesia. But I'm very fortunate that I’ve travelled a lot.

What’s your favourite thing about the music scene there?

My favourite part about being here is the challenge, cuz the music scene here is emerging, the difficulties that we are facing right now is pretty complicated, but I’m confident that we will be in a better place soon.

In five words, what do your DJ sets sound like?

I’ve got one word, not five: “Groovy” haha.

And in three words, how would you describe yourself?

I love Family.

What recent trends in music have you been paying attention to? Have you caught onto them?

Am currently listening to all kinds of house music… I'm still exploring and learning.

Are there any producers and DJs in Asia that have recently caught your attention?

I have so many names in my mind but let me say.. first Angga Saputra, Wisdy, Reno Renatama, Rulli, Ecilo, Stef, Hogi Wirojono and Raysoo.

From pre to post-pandemic, what has changed & what hasn’t changed about your life in the music world?

I’m very fortunate because during the pandemic my DJ career grew so fast. One of the reasons is that I & my buddies created SALA, a DJ collective and event organiser. La Cupula was our biggest milestone so far. We succeeded to make rave parties happen again in Jakarta after a long time, and we are planning to make La Cupula as an annual event. We have also created SALA Records to be a platform for our dance music artists and producers in Indonesia.

Tell us about the inspiration behind this mix - what drove your thoughts and emotions, and how did you curate your selection?

How did I curate my selection? I'm very moody so it depends on my mood. For this mix, I rarely play this kind of set at my regular gigs, so I would love to share the other side of myself with Mixmag Asia readers. Am hoping to get to play more of this kind of set in 2023.

What equipment did you record this mix on?

I’m using my friend's CDJs hahaha.

Where can we hear you playing next?

We recently had Manda Moor in Jakarta, that was great! I'll also be at Zoo Club again, and we'll also be hosting more SALA events this year. Follow SALA here!