OTW #468: Salva

Sleek, rap-inflected party jams

The firm head on this warm and affable Chicago-born producers shoulders will serve him well in the coming, manic months. Having just been announced as one of BBC Radio1's 2013 In New DJs We Trust line-up, currently awaiting the release of his 'Odd Furniture' EP on Friends of Friends in February and readying himself for a North American tour with Ryan Hemsworth and Daedelus in March, he's bracing himself for the hectic schedule that will see him propelled into a spotlight that he's endearingly hungry for.  

Having gone from “writing my debut LP whilst in community college jazz piano classes in LA, just trying to break out of the 'beat-maker' identity”, he looks back and sees that he has “transcended in many ways. From DJing at Top 40 rap clubs as well as weird IDM nights for a decade, and producing in the vein of this North American, hip hop-influenced electronic scene, it all came together when I was touring my live show in Europe. I realised playing out my squiggly avant-garde album just wasn't going to translate to a ten thousand-strong crowd, so the new EP reflects that shift in perspective for me.  It's my new statement of intent. I want do my own take on big-room, party rap music; big hitters that are still a little left.”

This seasoned awareness of how to rock a party as a DJ yet remain true to his own creative agenda as a producer is a massive part of Salva's appeal.  Having reached out from the West Coast beat scene towards the contemporary European perspective on classic house and techno, and becoming friends with Glasgow's LuckyMe and the achingly cool WeDidIt collective Stateside, Salva hopes to bring his own take on these crew-gone-global scenes with him to his Radio 1 slot and show the UK how the US lays it down.

Words by Lauren Martin

Where: Los Angeles, USA
What: Sleek, rap-inflected party jams
Get 3 Songs: 'Rest In 3-Piece', 'Keys Open Doors', 'BBQ'
Unique fact: Salva's secret ambition is to compose soundtracks to role-play console games.
 

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