Hailing from Argentina, Mercurio is a name that has become synonymous with melodic depth and emotional storytelling on the dancefloor. A frequent collaborator of Hernán Cattáneo, his productions weave together lush harmonies, intricate rhythms, and a cinematic sensibility that sets him apart in the global progressive house scene. With a career rooted in live instrumentation and a passion for sonic exploration, Mercurio bridges the gap between organic warmth and electronic precision. In this conversation, we dive into his creative journey, his collaborative process, and his unique approach to electronic music.
You’ve released several tracks in collaboration with Hernán Cattáneo. How did your professional relationship begin, and what has the creative dynamic been like between you two?
My professional relationship with Hernán started in the year 2000. I used to slide CDs under the door for him since we lived in the same neighborhood. He was a Pacha Club resident on Saturdays, where I used to attend every time since around 1998 when “Clubland” started. There was a particular moment when he started to use one of my tracks, and then I produced the U2 “Ultraviolet” remix together with a DJ friend. It was a great tune that many DJs played back in 2003; even Paul Oakenfold used it to open Homelands. Hernán was the first to receive it and used it to open a big show in Mar del Plata city. I think it was one of the first Moonpark parties.
Your integration of live guitar into electronic music sets you apart. Can you tell us about the origins of this unique artistic approach?
Yes, I am actually a guitar player first. I have played the guitar since 1987 and later I bought a porta studio Tascam porta-two in 1991 and started to produce tracks until in 1996 I had my first PC studio with a Roland XP-10 and a Pinnacle Turtlebeach audio card which I waited around 6 months to receive. Haha. I have a full guitar player album of the same year kind of Joe Satriani s – Steve Vai guitar style which was personally praised by Steve Vai himself with a letter he sent me. This was a very special moment for me. Anyway I was always into house music parallel to my guitar playing. I used to record guitars for a house music band, the first in Argentina in early 1992/1993. They were named Codex. Hernan knows them very well. And also went to very cool clubs at the end of the 80 ‘s where very cool electronic music was played.
Improvisation seems to play a key role in your performances. How important is spontaneity to your process, whether during live sets or in the studio?
All my music comes from improvisation with my guitar playing; sometimes keyboards, but mostly guitars. Sometimes I record my ideas and then turn them into synth. I even used to have a guitar with MIDI mics and used a Virus TI while playing the guitar (not doing this anymore, though).
Argentina’s electronic music scene has seen significant growth in recent years. What has it been like to be at the heart of this vibrant and evolving community?
Well, I was very into it from 2000 to 2010, working with the best DJs and agencies here. Then I had a gap from 2010 to 2018 while playing with bands, until Hernán invited me as a guitar player for his Connected show. But yes—it’s a constantly moving industry with lots of parties, places to play, and new DJs emerging. It feels really good to be in a country with such a big scene.
How long have you been making music, and when did it all start making sense for you?
I have always loved music. Even before starting with the guitar, my sister and I took a couple of years of keyboard classes & I was the only one who continued. I also remember, when I was very young; like 8 or 9 years old; recording tracks I liked from radio shows on Sundays. I’d sit there pressing pause on my cassette, and when something I liked came on, I’d record it.
Your recent remix of “Got It Bad” by Husa & Zeyada, alongside Hernán Cattáneo, stands out as an emotionally rich journey. What was your approach to working with the vocals and shaping the mood of the track?
For me, the vocals were really interesting, and I worked a lot with them, trying to shape them more into the groove I created. When you listen to the first drop, the blend with the vocals and the groove—for me—was so cool that I kept working on placing them tightly into the groove. It’s all about the vocals floating in the groove, and then the sustained melody pad also floating into the groove.
Your catalogue includes remixes of legendary artists like Björk and U2. How do you approach reinterpreting such iconic material while still maintaining your own signature sound?
Well, those two remixes were a nice journey. Back in 2002/2003, it was more effective, I believe, to remix that kind of artist. The Björk remix was actually a track of mine, which was even included in a CD compilation of DJ D-Fuse (very similar). One day, I was playing with CDJs over the track and I placed the Björk vocal on it, moving the CDJ pitch, and it just became the remix. The U2 remix I did with a DJ friend, DJ Paul. He had the idea of just using the vocals from the intro in some way, and we ended up doing that remix where the vocals are in the drop, and the last sentence is taken to a long delay effect—it worked so well. Both remixes were produced in Cubase SX3 with Reason in ReWire mode, only for drums and bass. After that, I switched to Mac and Logic.
Could you walk us through your current studio setup?How much time do you typically dedicate to production and experimentation on a daily basis?
My studio nowadays is basically a Mac pro with a lot of monitors, Logic pro X and Ableton. Virus TI and some old keyboard synthesizer which actually I use more as midi controllers and not their sounds. Lots of guitars and foot pedals off course 
Who or what are some of the key musical influences that are currently shaping your creative direction?
For house music; Sasha was always one of the big influences for me and the last few years I have been very impressed with the Patrice Baumel sound. For guitars i have lots of bands and guitars player, from Andy Summers and Jeff Beck as top, Gilmour and the special guitar player like Rick Beato, Greg Howe etc etc…many younger i follow on Instagram Simon Vuarambon and Mike Griego are two amazing music (progressive house music) producer from Argentina.
What upcoming projects or performances can we look forward to? Are there any collaborations or releases in the works that you’re particularly excited about?
I have a couple of gigs soon and lots of releases in the next 2 or 3 months; mostly collaborations with Hernán and on some great labels. Regarding the work, I put the same excitement and emotion into every production. What I most enjoy is creating music/groove and having a good time in the studio; long hours doing this. There’s a moment when you get into something, and it becomes a very intense and connected experience. I do all this never using the same ideas or templates from myself. I try to never use the same thing twice. Most of my music lines, even if it’s from a synth sound, were probably played first with the guitar.
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