Maffio

Born Carlos Ariel Peralta Mendoza, recording artist and producer Maffio (the name is a nickname given to him by his father for his love of crime films) was born in a poor area of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. His love of music began early when he taught himself piano and at the age of six he gave a recital of Bach and Beethoven.

With the separation of his parents Maffio was moved to Brooklyn, New York, to live with his father. However, he continued to spend time in the Dominican Republic and the music from both countries went on to inform his career. He learned to play bass, guitar and drums and absorbed influences ranging from bossa nova and merengue to techno and house. He began presenting his music to the wider world when, having bought a computer, he started layering beats and melodies performed on piano, percussion and bass and posting the tracks to MySpace then later Facebook.

From there, he began attracting wider attention and at 20 he had his first major hit when he produced 'Mi Alma Se Muere' for Fuego, Omega and Pitbull. Over the course of his career Maffio has collaborated with other artists including Reychesta, Arianna Puello, Coro, Papi Sanchez, LDA, Kinito Mendez, Juliana, Dombi and Joa. He has also produced for various radio stations and established his own production and management company, Alkatraks Entertainment.

In 2012 he released his first album, 'Mi Sonido', through Warner Music Latina and picked up a Latin Grammy for his work on 'La Music del Futuro' with Fuego. Much of his work is done in Miami and in 2015 Mayor Tomás Pedro Regalado gave him the keys to the city. In 2017 he signed a contract with BMG US, further cementing his place in the US music industry.