MARTE Gives Us a Glimpse Into What Inspires Her and What's Next

MARTE swung by to dive into her various aliases and inspirations, while also giving us a look at what’s on the horizon for her.

Mari Quero — better known as MARTE, EVIL MARTE, and one half of the duo MARU — is a Venezuelan-born DJ, singer, and producer now based in Miami. As MARTE, she has built a reputation as an open-format artist who takes crowds on fast-paced, genre-bending journeys. Her EVIL MARTE alias brings the scope to minimal and deep tech, while MARU highlights her chemistry with mnu, bringing K-pop-inspired dance parties to Miami.

Quero’s versatility is matched by her relentless work ethic. In just a short timespan, she has played III Points Festival, an ARC Music Festival pre-party, and Boiler Room, even recently going back to back with Méssous in New York City. As she prepares her first EVIL MARTE release later this year, she continues to build bridges across Miami’s community through her involvement with PNK Records — an emerging hub for the city’s growing minimal scene. Her ambition and hard work are what make her stand out.

Equally important is her identity as a Venezuelan artist in Miami. She draws on her roots through sounds like raptor house, baile funk, speed dembow, and neoperreo, while also championing Miami’s legacy in bass, house, and underground dance culture. Friends and peers — such as Nick León, INVT, and Coffintexts — continue to inspire her. In turn, she has become a peer to them while shaping the city’s various sounds.

We caught up with MARTE to discuss her roots, her evolving aliases, and what’s next as she expands her artistry into new projects, collaborations, and releases. Read on below for more, and make sure to check out her exclusive mix.

Stream EDMID Guest Mix 479 || MARTE on SoundCloud:

I saw that you were born in Venezuela and then moved to Miami later on. How have both places influenced you?

I was born in Venezuela but raised in Miami, so both places have really shaped how I see the world and how I express myself through music. Venezuela is where my roots are, but Miami is where I grew into the artist I am today. I always say Miami feels like a vacation I never left, but it’s also where I found my voice and built my community.

There’s a certain vibrance that exists in both places: the energy, the people, the rhythm. But they’re also very different. Coming to the US gave me access to music education and technical training early on through school, which really helped me dive deeper into production and performance. At the same time, Miami’s strong Latinx presence allowed me to stay connected to my culture. I got to explore pop culture references I admired from afar in Venezuela, learn English, and discover genres across Latin America that now show up in my DJ sets.

I try to represent that duality through sound, from raptor house (which originated in Venezuela) to guaracha, baile funk, speed dembow, neoperreo, and everything that falls under Latin club and electronic. I like to blend it all and represent where I come from.

Miami also has a rich history in music, both underground and commercial, that continues to inspire me. I try to pay homage to the legends who made Miami bass what it is, while also staying inspired by the artists around me. Friends and peers like Nick León, Sel.6, v1fro, INVT, Coffintexts, Near Dark, Ale Acosta, Nicole Gallamini, and so many others are constantly raising the bar and creating space for new voices. Being a part of that community fuels my artistry and pushes me to keep growing.

What would you say are the things that make a MARTE (and/or an Evil MARTE) set different?

MARTE is an open-format electronic artist who takes the room on an interplanetary journey across sounds and genres in the name of dancing and music. As a producer and singer, I’m open to exploring all kinds of creative projects under the MARTE umbrella, even beyond electronic genres and subgenres.

But when it comes to DJing, MARTE is rooted in the underground. I’m drawn to faster-paced genres and BPMs. What started with techno as my specialty has grown to include speed garage, UKG, footwork, jungle, breaks, leftfield bass, Jersey club, Baltimore club, and Latin club sounds at 133 BPM and up. It’s all about flow and connection. I follow the energy of the dancefloor and let each set become its own journey.

EVIL MARTE, on the other hand, is my alias for more commercial and underground House sounds. That includes genres like tech house and minimal house in the 133 BPM and under range. That side of me came as a surprise. I started falling in love with the scene as a club-goer while building my open-format identity. Over time, I really came to respect the world of commercial dance music. I studied the culture, the legends, the key players, and the rising talent. Creating an alias gave me the freedom to explore that space fully without compromising the integrity of my original sound. It lets me approach each set with intention, choosing which version of myself to bring forward depending on the energy of the crowd and the vibe of the event.

To me, EVIL MARTE is the sonic counterpart to MARTE. It’s slower, simpler, and more stripped down. It leans into punchy basslines, clean layering, and minimal vocals. It’s still me, just channeled through a different lens.

Beyond my solo work, I’m also one half of MARU, a femme DJ duo with my partner mnu. Together, we bring a shared chemistry and bold, genre-bending sets to the scene.

From what I’ve seen, you originally started out as an open-format DJ, with your alias focusing more on minimal and deep tech. How do you decide where to focus your energy?

I don’t think there’s a limit to my creativity, so it’s never been hard to pour my all into both sides of my artistry. I’ve never wanted to be put in a box, and I think that’s one of the most important parts of my mission as an artist. I want to express myself freely across all platforms. Whether I’m working on an Ableton session, singing and dancing on stage, or DJing a set, my energy is always focused and intentional. Whether it’s MARTE or EVIL MARTE, the decision is simple. I do it all.

There’s a demand in both markets for what I bring to the table. I show up and exceed expectations every time. No matter the set time, what genre I’m expected to play, what theme I need to follow, who the promoter is, what type of crowd I’m playing for, or what venue we’re in, I know how to make it work. I’ve earned the trust of my community, my peers, and the people on the dancefloor to keep the energy in the room fully alive.

And to be real, it’s so much fun. It keeps me engaged with music across all mediums and continues to inspire me to chase this as a lifelong passion.

Who inspires you right now in music?

So many inspirations, really. Like, so many remarkable producers and artists. And I’ve had the honor of sharing lineups and spaces with people who have created extremely inspiring projects.

But to name a few: I am currently inspired by Sally C, Chris Stussy, DJ Babatr, Seth Troxler, Dennis Cruz, Amor Satyr, Skin on Skin, Alisha, Ranger Trucco, Toccororo, Erika De Casier, Arca, Rossi., Josh Baker, Locklead, and more.

How did you originally get involved with PNK Records? Do you mind going into that story for us?

I got involved with PNK Records from the very beginning, through the cultural movement happening within Miami’s electronic music scene and the shared love for meeting at the “front left” of the crowd. Social media played a role, too.

Fate and community brought me together with my dear friend — and now manager — Nick. We ended up dancing all morning and afternoon on New Year’s Day 2024 to Rossi., Jamie Jones, and Dennis Cruz. He had actually seen me perform a hybrid DJ set at my first-ever III Points in 2023, so meeting in person after those initial online interactions felt really aligned. His support for my craft meant a lot.

Not long after that, he became the founder and label boss of PNK Records, and with his help, EVIL MARTE was born. The rest is history as we worked hard to define our journey and help each other along the way.

PNK has emphasized creating space for women and new voices. From your perspective, how is Miami doing on inclusivity in the scene, and what still needs work?

I’m really grateful for programs like PNK Babes within PNK Records that give women in the scene, both on and off stage, the space to uplift each other and be celebrated. Miami is doing its best to promote inclusivity and push talent of all kinds, but I do think there’s still room for growth and deeper development.

From the underground side of my community, I’ve seen a strong commitment to platforming smaller artists of color, LGBTQ+ artists, immigrants, and women. That effort has felt intentional and ongoing. On the more commercial side, there’s still a lot of work to be done. Many male-led collectives tend to platform each other, with the occasional booking of a woman or marginalized artist. And often, it ends up being the same rotation of male artists over and over.

I really hope to see more opportunities given to underrepresented artists across the board. Not just for the sake of inclusion, but because it creates a more dynamic and representative landscape in our scene.

I’ve seen both Méssous and you going b2b at a few shows lately. How have those been?

Méssous is a remarkable artist, a huge inspiration, and also a dear friend. I loved being able to share the stage with him and flowing energetically through the music we played. Our b2b in New York for Discovery Sessions at SILO Brooklyn was one for the PNK history books, and I can’t wait for the opportunity to do it again.

Where are you putting your focus right now? And do you have any big releases or shows coming up soon?

After a huge and successful year for my career, I find myself pulling back from my involvement in the community to reorganize my personal life. I want to be creatively and mentally prepared for my Isotropic set at III Points this year, and to release a project for EVIL MARTE before the year ends.

This set means the world to me, and I can’t wait to show everyone more of my production and singing side. Everybody has known me as a DJ thus far, and I definitely look forward to establishing myself as a seasoned musician and artist.

Any dream collaborations or shows you’re hoping to play one day?

Way too many dream collaborations to name and mention, but I would say it would be a dream come true to compose for a movie/video games score and to make music with EXO. A few goals of mine are also to be able to play a PIV Records event and release through Circoloco/Rockstar at some point. I’m always dreaming and manifesting my Club Space, Paragon, and Coachella debuts in the near future.

I think this is definitely a loaded question that would require a lot of references and names, so I’m keeping it nice and simple for now.