5 Facts, 5 Tracks: Mendo

One of the underground’s most requested remixers and head of the Clarisse Records label, the ever-ready Mendo has well over a 200 tracks to his name released over an almost 20 years period and has stamped his style across some of the best electronic music labels going.

A spinner since the age of 15 and the holder of a quintessential ‘music is life’ philosophy – this after inauspicious childhood inspiration was provided by acid house, new beat and anthems such as Technotronic’s ‘Pump Up The Jam’ – Mendo’s career from this point forward has thrived on the excitement “to produce a song, then play it in front of thousands of people and make them hysterical.

His Clarisse label has been dropping heat and upping antes since 2003, set up with right-hand man, previous remix target and Club Science co-member Chab. Flourishing into a sureshot imprint stocking club class from Solardo, Secondcity, Wade, Yvan Genkins, Oxia, Jay Lumen, Audiojack, Danny Serrano, Ross Evans, Vangelis Kostoxenakis to name a few and plenty of Mendo himself, the expansion into hosting Clarisse Nights across Europe now features a diamond dozen of in-house, in-demand DJs.

When it comes to house music, Mendo only deals in actual fact. To that note we’ve invited him on our series 5 facts and 5 tracks. He gives us 5 facts you don’t know about him and 5 tracks he’s loving!

5 Facts

1) Why Mendo?

After few months of searching, I created my DJ name simply by coming letters of my real name and other names, David Ortega …I just put Men before the D and O.
And the funny thing was that after few years, I saw the name of Mendo in the credits on the TV Show of Baywatch… but that’s honestly not where I got it from!

02) 1992

This is the name of one of my biggest tracks I made on Cadenza Records and I called it ‘1992’, not because I was born on this date as people think, unfortunately! I gave it this titled because it was the year I started DJing and it will always be a special year for me.

03) Why did I call my label Clarisse?

My best friend and myself were looking for a label name when we were planning to set one up, and one day in a party where we were playing together, a cute girl came to us at the end to congratulate us for the music. When she told us her name I looked at my friend and we both said at the same time: Clarisse Records!
Unfortunately, we never saw this girl again, but we’d like to say thanks for the inspiration!

4) I love TV

I’m a huge fan of all law-releated TV Show but (The Good Wife) and (The Good Fight) are the best ones for me and I think probably best TV shows ever. I’ve also discovered Stranger Things though Netflix which has to be the best series of 2018 in my opinion. I’m pretty much obsessed with boxsets too… Designated Survivor, How to get away with murder and Better Call Saul etc. I love them all!

05) My favourite format

Vinyl, CD, USB or Traktor: in 27 years of DJing, I’ve had the chance to play with all of them but my favourite is definitely Traktor. For me it’s the most versatile and allows me to do everything I’ve always wanted to do with my DJ sets.

5 Tracks

1) Mendo & Danny Serrano – Grush [Desolat]
One of my favorite productions I made with my buddy Danny Serrano!

02) Fancy Inc – Twist [Toolroom]
The biggest weapon I played in 2018 from the amazing Brazilian duo Fancy Inc!

03) Why – Prok & Fitch [Solid Grooves]
I love this tune because the production is verso solid: these guys are one of the best productions outfit out there, for sure.

04) Fernando Mesa – All Of You [Toolroom Trax]
I played this so much over the last few months as it’s the kind of track you can play in at a super-underground party but it’s also accessible more a more commercially-minded crowd, love it!

05) Rydim vs. DJ Funk – Ghetto_Booty – Jesse Perez’s Cutler Ridge Booty Mix [Hot Creations]
I never get tired of playing this absolutely wicked remix, just an out-and-out banger!

Mendo & Fancy Inc – Who You Are is out 25 January on Abode