Massimiliano Pagliara was born in Tricase (Lecce), in the deep south of Italy. From an early age, he was exposed to a wide range of musical genres, including rap, reggae, indie-rock, dub, and 1960s rock’n’roll. Growing up in a small village, he and his friends created their own musical environment, spending countless hours playing records at private house parties.
After moving to Milan in 1997, Massimiliano pursued an academic path and graduated in 2001 from the Civica Scuola di Teatro Paolo Grassi with a diploma in theatre, dance, and choreography. During this time, he became immersed in the city’s fashionable and alternative club scene, where he discovered experimental electronic artists such as Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada, Autechre, and Mira Calix. These influences would later shape his own artistic output.
Following his studies, he relocated to Berlin—Europe’s underground capital—where he continued his training in contemporary dance while also diving deep into the city’s thriving techno scene, particularly at the legendary OstGut club. His passion for electronic music reached a turning point in 2006, when he began DJing seriously. Since then, he has performed worldwide, playing at some of Germany’s most respected underground venues and events, including Tape Club, Tresor, ://about blank, Cocktail d’Amore, Homopatik, Power Dance Club, and Berghain / Panorama Bar, where he has held a residency since 2015. In addition, he has held residencies at Robert Johnson in Offenbach (since 2009), Basement in New York (since 2024), and Romantica in Stuttgart (since 2022).
Massimiliano describes his sound as an eclectic blend of house, disco, electro, and techno—one may call it current yet classic. His DJ career naturally evolved into music production, where he channels his passion for analogue synthesizers in his studio work. In 2011, he released his debut album Focus for Infinity on Live at Robert Johnson, followed by With One Another in 2014, which was ranked among the top three albums of the year by Groove Magazine. In 2017, he made his debut on Ostgut Ton with the EP Time and Again. This was followed by a series of EPs, remixes, and singles, culminating in his third full-length album, Feel Live (2018).
In 2020, he released Nothing Stays in One Place for Long on the Munich-based label Permanent Vacation. In 2021, he completed his Uncanny Valley trilogy with Connection Lost Pt. 3. His 2022 album See You in Paradise, also released on Permanent Vacation, received widespread critical acclaim and was awarded the German Record Critics’ Award. From 2023 onwards, through his own imprint Funnuvojere Records, he has released several projects, including the collaborative EP For You with Chris Cruse (as Couple Looking), another EP with Luigi Di Venere (as Banana Moon), the single All the VCOs You Can Eat, and the solo EP Hooking Up (2024).
Over the years, Massimiliano has collaborated with a wide range of artists, including gui.tar, Snax, Daniel Wang, Lemercier & The Lala By, Discodromo, Peaking Lights, Kim Anh to name just a few. These collaborations have led to numerous side projects, such as [sic!] with members of gui.tar, The Rimshooters with Rotciv, Egyptian Nipples with Jules Etienne, Banana Moon with Luigi Di Venere, Couple Looking with Chris Cruse, and Hidden Frequencies with Gian.
In 2026, Massimiliano celebrates 20 years in music—a milestone marked by the release of a retrospective collection of previously unreleased material, featuring both solo works and collaborations.
At the heart of Massimiliano Pagliara’s work lies a continuous desire for dialogue—expressed through collaborations, solo productions, DJ sets, his label Funnuvojere Records, and personal interactions. Deeply rooted in the worlds of dance, movement, and communication, his artistic philosophy reflects a simple idea: understanding how to move oneself is the key to moving others
