Early 2020s saw John Summit ascend swiftly as a DJ, during which he advised those pursuing the craft to build audiences through concise, video-centric social platforms. Heeding that counsel from across the ocean, Brazilian tech-house DJ and producer Mochakk has risen among South America’s notable dance-music talents.
Pedro Maia came into the world in Sorocaba, São Paolo, in 1999. Rock and nu-metal filled his early years, prompting guitar lessons at age six, while later adolescence drew him into hip-hop and skateboarding circles. At eighteen his interest turned toward dance-event culture and DJing; what began as a side pursuit in music production while enrolled in fashion school soon eclipsed everything else.
Maia issued his first tech-house singles in 2017, merging the style’s crisp beats with his appreciation for classic analog dance music and an esteem for remix figures ranging from Steve “Silk” Hurley to Seth Troxler and Pete Tong. Acting on Summit’s suggestion, Mochakk posted clips filmed inside the booth that showed him dancing with the same intensity as the crowd, triggering widespread online attention. That momentum spotlighted his own tracks—“Da Fonk” featuring Joni in 2022 and “Jealous” in 2023—alongside his reworkings of Diplo’s “Express Yourself,” Louie Vega of Masters at Work’s “Cosmic Witch,” and the Martinez Brothers’ “Rizzla.” Worldwide bookings followed, among them appearances at DC-10 in Ibiza and Miami’s III Points Festival.
