Get to know Malóne: A Tech House Star Who Keeps Rising

1 month ago 17

After his set at this years’ III Points Festival, Miami DJ Malóne sat down with us to talk about the past, present, and future of his exciting and ever-evolving career.

Mid-October saw Miami bustling with good music, smiling faces, and people dancing. For three days, III Points welcomed stars and rising acts from around the globe to its stages within the walls of the city’s art district. Thousands crowded the festival grounds to witness it’s famously diverse lineups, and Miami-based DJ Malóne brought out the energy for his highly anticipated b2b with Milushka.

The Cuban-born producer has had an exciting and busy past few years, climbing his way to the top of the industry through both his talent and personality. As a newly appointed resident DJ of the iconic Club Space, Malóne has solidified his presence in the underground house music scene while experiencing a massive surge in his career.

His discography features releases on esteemed labels such as Abracadabra and Insomniac, and his showcases around the world are drawing larger and larger crowds to his unique tech house sounds. Collaborations with industry heavyweights like Blondish have earned him accolades from legends such as the Martinez Brothers, Black Coffee, and Marco Carola. And with his recently launched Miami-based label and events collective, WHYNOTUS, Malone has expanded his influence beyond the studio.

The past summer saw Malóne orchestrate scenes at Space, headline prestigious venues like Pacha Barcelona and Alemagou Mykonos, as well as make impactful appearances at Hï Ibiza alongside the Martinez Brothers. Gearing up for a monumental year ahead, Malóne is set to embark on a global tour accompanied by the release of over ten original tracks and remixes.

I had interviewed Malóne early in the year during Miami Music Week and was eager to catch up with him again six months later. It’s hard to miss his name around the city as he plays its most iconic venues, and the momentum at which he’s moved since I first spoke with him is impressive.

In our exclusive interview, Malóne delves into the inspirations behind his unique sound, the numerous projects he juggles, and what’s in store for him. With a calm, confident demeanor, his contagious energy and excitement for his craft beamed both on and off stage. Read on as we uncover the story behind one of the most exciting talents in the dance music scene today.

Stream Malóne – “La Niña Latina” on Spotify

Malóne, thanks for chatting with us right after an incredible set here at III Points. The last time I spoke to you was only seven months ago, so it’s really awesome to see how much you’ve accomplished since then. How do you feel? What did you think coming into the show tonight?

Of course, happy to be here and thanks for having me! Yeah, it’s my first show since I got back from Ibiza, and this was the first time I’ve played back to back with Milushka, so it was awesome to be playing this festival. We got lucky it didn’t rain during our set!

It was great, the crowd really showed up! Did you have a specific sound you were going for tonight?

I wanted just to play some of my music and a bunch of unreleased stuff that I had, and Milushka wanted to sing and do her thing, so we found common ground with a lot of percussion, a lot of groove — you know, Miami vibes. It was a lot of fun to play a set with her.

You’ve had a number of other big collaborations recently, such as working with Blondish at Allemagou. I’m curious to know if there is a specific one you’ve done that has been especially meaningful to you.

Definitely Blondish for sure, because we met during COVID when I was doing all her live streams and not much else was going on. She gave me a platform to express myself and show my music when everything was sort of still uncertain. That’s where the collaboration started, and so we did a song together. The first one was “Bana” and then “Voices Above,” and we built a really strong relationship there. It’s been an incredible friendship, and it’s allowed me to play shows with her all over the world. I’m grateful, she’s awesome.

She is fabulous! It’s been cool to see you both evolve. Last time I spoke to you, “Un Beso” had just come out. And now you dropped your track “Groove Con Clase” last Friday! What a great name, first of all. What was the creative process behind that track?

Yeah, I actually had signed a bunch of music from Cameron Jack back in the day. He’s one of the most talented producers I’ve ever met, and we’d always wanted to do something together. We sent ideas back and forth, and just like that, it came together after about a month. We put it out on Abracadabra, and the reaction has been amazing. Just before it came out, Pete Tong played it on his show. It’s been really cool to see. It’s one of the songs that’s seen the most support this year for sure.

Your sound really brings a wave of energy across your entire discography. Which reminds me, I know “La Niña Latina” was actually an old track of yours that you decided to remaster, and it came out incredible. What made you decide to do that?

That song! I made it maybe seven years ago, right? I asked the label that released it to pretty much take it down because I wanted to re-release it. I just found it in one of my old folders going through old music, and I was like, “Wow, this is crazy. I love this song.”

I played it in Argentina at a sold-out show with about 1,500 people — a crazy party — and the reaction was insane. It was the biggest reaction of the whole night. And I was like, “Wow, there might be something there.” So I tweaked it a little bit, nothing crazy, and then just put it out on my own label, WHYNOTUS about a month ago. It’s been great. I play it all my sets. I love it.

I actually went to my first WHYNOTUS party this past June, on my birthday! My friends and I had the best night ever. How does it feel to be playing in so many iconic Miami venues, including your Space residency?

Being a resident of Space is amazing. You know, I really don’t play that much in Miami, but more so wherever the Link Miami Rebels are. They’ve given me the opportunity to showcase, which is really cool. I’m doing Halloween next week, and then the ground on the Friday after Thanksgiving. It’s exciting to get to do while continuing to grow the label at the same time.

Of course. And tell me about WHYNOTUS. It’s not just a label but also an event series. What’s your vision behind this? Was that always a dream of yours?

Yeah, I’ve always wanted to do it. I started a label a couple years ago called Hurry Up Slowly, and we were doing insane parties. The label took off like crazy and was one of the best Afro house labels in the world within six months. And I’ve always been drawn to signing music and bringing artists to play events, so yeah, I’m just trying to do the same thing now and make it my own thing. I’m doing a showcase in Denver the day after Halloween, then I’m doing one in Colombia. That’s the goal: to have the party and the brand just go worldwide.

How do you manage your busy schedule?

I just try to balance everything as much as I can. You know, you can pace yourself, make sure you’re sleeping whenever you can. I’ve been doing it for so long already that I’m used to it. It’s all good.

When you are home for a longer period of time, do you feel like your sound is any different? Do you feel like being Cuban and born in Miami has a heavy influence or even just a slight touch that reflects in your sound?

For sure. I definitely feel like there’s a certain way to do it, though. I just try to draw a fine line between staying true to myself and trying to implement that vibe and that sound, or really any other style. I just focus on doing it the way that I like to do it. I feel like playing at Space helps a lot, actually. That’s probably one of the best rooms to play, and there you can really gauge and see and test what works. If it works at Space, then it’s pretty much gonna work everywhere around the world, right? I feel like Miami has some of the most educated house music crowds in the world. Miami has strong influence. There’s a few to ways implement that, but staying true to myself is ultimately what’s important.

Out of all of the tracks you played tonight, which received the best reaction?

“La Niña Latina” was really, really great. But one of the last tracks I played was a new track I just signed on WHYNOTUS. It’s one of the biggest tracks I’ve heard all year. It’s going to be coming out in 2025 before Miami Music Week. I’m really excited about it, and I think the crowd tonight felt that, too. They really liked it.

I can confirm the crowd erupted. A celebration is well deserved, so with that, I’ll let you go enjoy the rest of the night! Thank you again for taking the time to stop by, it’s been great to watch you grow and we look forward to what’s next!

Of course, It’s been great to catch up. Thank you guys!