Mephisto
Biography
Mephisto is the Italian musical project of the alter ego of DJ and producer Maurizio D'Ambrosio, born on November 13, 1963 in Verbania, on the shores of Lake Maggiore. He began his DJ career in the early 1980s and self-taught his studio skills, mastering new technologies such as samplers and synthesizers.
It was between 1990 and 1992, while performing at the Kursaal nightclub in Verbania, that his success started. His first maxi-single, Euphemia, released in September 1991, sold 10,000 copies in Italy and became a club staple.
Commercial success came with the single State Of Mind, recorded in December 1992. In January 1993, it reached number one on the Italian dance charts before becoming the country’s best-selling single in March. This success led Mephisto to tour in the biggest Italian discotheques with an innovative show blending electronic instruments and fast vinyl mixing, accompanied by a vocalist.
The next track, Keep On Groovin, was released in October 1993. He also made a remix of Corona‘s hit The Rhythm Of The Night.
In July 1994, he released the Eurodance single You Got Me Burnin Up, sung by Shunza, which reached the top 20 in many European countries. Shunza lent her voice to several Mephisto tracks before pursuing a solo career in Asia.
In December 1994, Maurizio D’Ambrosio reached a new milestone by signing a one-year contract as resident DJ and artistic director at a large nightclub in Lugano, Switzerland.
He released other tracks such as My Love and Back In Time. In early 1996, he opened his own studio and founded the label Sisma Records. The first single produced under this label was the dream house track Voices.
Success continued in France with the dream house single Mystery (Of Love), licensed under ZYX in Germany and Remixed Records in Sweden. In 1999, he released the tracks Waitin' For Love (in a disco house style) and Superstition, both licensed under Airplay Records in France.
Throughout his career, Maurizio D’Ambrosio has used several aliases for his productions, including Positive Pole, Elgar, Notorious (2), Tampura, Medusa (18), Yena (2), Debussy (2) and Urban People. He is also known under the name variations Memphisto, Meohisto, Meph, Meph!sto and R.M.X.