Marsalis Darino
This GTA Story deserves telling. Basically Julio Mejia and Matt Toth meet online in 2010 while both living in Miami. They start DJ’ing together. Then producing music out of a dorm room at Kendall campus of Miami Dade College. Things are going well and people are asking who they are. Shit. Now they need a stage name. They consider everything that matters to them- things like God, Family, Country and affordable healthcare come to mind. But those things don’t make for a good stage name. So they go where they always go when they need inspiration- Playstation. And then it dawns on them- GTA. Badass name, but Rockstar games owns that title…Then THE idea falls from the sky like a bass drop- they’ll appropriate the acronym and redefine it as “Good Times Ahead”. Duh. With that problem solved the duo go on to make a shitload of really excellent music that blends classic house beats with modern synths and club bass lines to produce a uniquely Miami inspired catalog of insta-classics. Laidback Luke gets behind them before Diplo features them, Warner Brothers dips their toe in the water, Calvin Harris and Tiesto invite them on tour. Fast forward to last week. GTA is playing a show in LA and Marsalis Darino is there with a half camera/half polaroid thingy snapping shots. Now Marsalis is backstage shooting pictures and catching this amazing show. And what does he do when he gets home? He plays GTA on his Playstation. Coincidence?
