Christmas will be a double celebration for Italian DJ Mauro Picotto.

For the music producer will be celebrating the festive season and toasting a special occasion - his 50th birthday.

“I will be home with the family at Christmas as it is also my birthday and I have never worked on Christmas day,” said the legendary producer.

Boxing Day, however, he will be working as he heads to Glasgow to spin the decks at the Colours Winter Party at the o2 ABC alongside his contemporaries including Eddie Halliwell, Will Atkinson and Kryder.

“Scotland is kind of special for me,” Picotto beamed.

He explained: “My children have got some Scottish blood from my wife’s dad’s side, he’s from Glasgow.

“My first manager Jake was also Scottish. He is from Aberdeen.

“We did too many crazy things to mention one, and often at the time I was too drunk even to remember. Good times!”

He added: “From my very first visit, the people have always been so nice and friendly to me.”

It is easy to understand why Picotto has had such a welcoming reception from the Scottish fans.

Hailing from Cavour in Italy, Picotto has been responsible for some of the biggest dance tunes of the 90s and 00s including Lizard, Komodo (Save a Soul) and Iguana.

He said: “I am very proud of those songs as it’s a strong sign of what music is all about - energy, emotions and grooves.”

Picotto is also one for preserving that classic trance sound which is something he is clearly passionate about.

He explained: “I love trance music because it can give me positive emotions.

“I love quality music in many genres, actually lots of music these days has good strong melodies that 15 years ago would have been classified as trance but nowadays some producers feel more cool calling them deep house, techno or progressive!”

He added: “The name trance lost credibility because some DJs abused it producing simple cheesy tracks.

“A bit like some techno now that has become mainstream and sounds all the same. “The real trance for me is a lifestyle, something that makes your mind float.

“At the end of the day as a music producer if I can find a quality emotional melody I will always win because I will touch the soul of the people.”

And it is that kind of passion that is bound to come across when he performs his set in Glasgow.

He said: “My producer set will take you on a journey through my music career.

“It will include the classics and some tracks from my new upcoming album.”

He added: “The Scottish people are always up for a good party.”

Seeing Picotto live, however, is becoming more of rarity for trance fans as even the DJ admits he chooses his gigs carefully in a bid to cope with his busy schedule.

He said: “I’m just more selective than I was previously with gigs.”

He added: “To be honest now I prefer gigs to be closer to home if there is a good crowd with a great sound system then I’m happy.

“I’ve just became a lifetime member of British Airways and I’ve had enough of travelling too much - even if I still love djing.

“In the past, South America, Japan and of course Ibiza were always a few of my most favourite places to play.”

Having started his career in the late 80s and worked right through the decades, Picotto is one of the few DJs who has had to embrace the changes in technology which is something he loves especially social media.

He said: “Yes its nice to interact with the fans but at the same time it is something I don’t take too seriously.”

He is currently working on a new album A Call in the Club which will be released next year but he does admit that planning the future isn’t his strong point.

He said: “I don’t like to forward plan, I just like to follow my mood day by day.

“The new plan for the new album will be for me a new achievement.”

Catch Mauro Picotto at the Colours Winter Party on Monday, December 26 .