Carlos Arteaga
Genre: Trance
Origin: United States
Expect Carlos Arteaga to show you a side of trance that you never knew existed. The MJR Management & Bookings-signed DJ and producer tapped into the genre’s dark undercurrent long before it flowed into the mainstream spotlight.
A DJ’s DJ in every sense, Arteaga feels most at home when the twists and turns of his set surprise him as much as the audience. His song selection never disappoints. Onstage he seamlessly blends the sort of tech and psytrance gems that you didn’t know you needed to hear yet, and he also delivers them monthly in the form of his Correlations mix series.
A first generation U.S. citizen, Carlos Arteaga was the only child of a Mexican mother and Guatemalan father. He first discovered trance in 2008 and began learning how to DJ in 2009, but it wasn’t until he witnessed a performance by John O’Callaghan at A State Of Trance 550 in 2012 that the tech trance subgenre took the forefront in his repertoire.
Arteaga grew more serious about his DJ career in the years to follow. After honing his skills behind the decks playing more casual parties, he made his debut performance at Yost Theater in Santa Ana, California in 2014. The same year he put together a guest mix for the KX 93.5 program Laguna Limelight; more listeners tuned into the broadcast than any other previous guest feature on the show.
Before long, Carlos Arteaga navigated his way through SoCal’s tech and psytrance scene, and the following year he added quite a few more clubs to his résumé. He has since played at destinations like Somewhere Loud and Spin Nightclub in San Diego, Garage Gallery and Exchange LA in Los Angeles, and Sutra Nightclub in Orange County. He has also become a fixture at desert parties as well the raves put on by local promoter K-Lin throughout Fresno.
In 2016 Arteaga officially launched his mix series, Correlations. Geared towards tech and psytrance, the monthly podcast gives him a means of sharing tracks that don’t make it into his live sets. Since starting the series, he’s also been featured on the Phoenix Trance Family show Phoenix Trance Radio.
2017 marked a major turning point for Arteaga as he got signed to MJR Management & Bookings. Adding him to an artist roster that includes the likes of Adam Ellis, Simon O’Shine and Nitrous Oxide, the partnership established him as a serious trance contender at the international level.
What has perhaps afforded Arteaga even more opportunities than his captivating style behind the decks is his professionalism as a performer. Whether given an opening, closing or peak hour time slot, he arrives prepared for each unique live music scenario. He conducts himself with the soft-spoken manner of an artist who puts art first, and tenured electronic music tastemakers have taken notice.
Now that he’s made finishing touches to brand new originals and remixes, the stage is set for Carlos Arteaga’s long-awaited debut as a producer. Tech trance aficionados from all corners of the globe ought to keep this rising talent in their sights in the months to come.
