LAMP Weekly Mix #262 feat. SiLVA

This week we are excited to welcome a local Los Angeles talent SiLVA. Born and raised in Southern California surrounded by diverse cultures and musical stylings she has become a voice for the underground dance culture in Los Angeles. In addition to being a excellent DJ she has a deep understanding and knowledge of musical trends which she shares with the world on her radio show Future Factory one of Dash Radio's longest running shows. The LAMP crew had a chance to be on her show last year and we strongly recommend you check it out. In addition she also hosts Dim Mak Studio's on iHeartRadio's Evolution Radio. During her time on the radio she has interviewed many big names in music such as, Claude Von Stroke, DJ Sliink, Born Dirty and Justin Martin are a few. We will have more from Silva later this week with our full feature when I get a chance to interview the interviewer. For now sit back and enjoy the wonderful mix SiLVA has put together for us.PZB: Hi SiLVA! Thank you for being our guest mix artist this week for LAMP. What do you have in store for our listeners this week? SiLVA: Hello! I am so well. Thank you for having me. For this week’s mix I am taking a tour of some of my favorites in lo-fi, disco, tech house and good ol’ house music. It's like going from the house party to the club.PZB: Seeing that we are called the Los Angeles Music Project it is great when we have artists such as yourself that were born and raised in Southern California. What part of Southern California are you from and how did your local community influence you musically growing up.SiLVA: I grew up in Riverside, CA, which is about an hour East of Los Angeles. I frequented local nightclubs such as Gotham and VIP. I got my first taste of house & disco at VIP, which as an LGBTQ club. As a teenager, Gotham felt like a rave. It was a place where us kids living in the Inland Empire could go to and dance the night away and still be close enough to home. PZB: Playing off of that a little bit with such a diversity of culture and music that permeate through the different hubs of So Cal what are some of the things (musical discoveries, moments, events, concerts) that drove you to follow music as a career path?SiLVA: Oh my goodness where do I begin. Back in the day I remember attending massives all over SoCal and seeing artists such as Digitalism, Christopher Lawrence, Armin van Buuren, Infected Mushroom and I was totally blown away. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing and hearing. Back then I learned what Religious, Audio, Visual, Experience was and I never looked back. R.A.V.E is life! Haha oh my god I am taking a trip down memory lane with this question. Once I moved to LA, I remember going to Dim Mak Tuesdays at Cinespace. Club hopping back in Hollywood, before social media even existed. I’m so happy I got to experience rave culture and nightlife, when people still knew how to be in the moment. Not a phone in site. Looking back, those times had such an impact because all we were doing was dancing and interacting with one another. I have so many memories, but one that sticks out the most is EDC 2009. Michael Jackson had just passed away a couple days before, so everyone was playing Michael Jackson in their sets. Groove Armada opening up with Thriller, straight into an epic tribal house track. I get the chills just thinking about it now. It was during that time that I really knew I wanted to work in Electronic music in some capacity. Electronic music always encouraged me to be myself.PZB: You run your own radio show Future Factory (LAMP came to visit about a year ago and had a blast) which is one of the longest running shows on Dash Radio. In addition to hosting Dim Mak Studio’s show on iHeartRadio’s Evolution. How did you get into doing radio and how well does it translate to your own real world/ club festival DJ’ing?SiLVA: Ya that was so fun having you at Dash! A few years back, I had a radio show that I made called “GrooveSpin”. I would make a mix, introduce songs and throw it up on SoundCloud. Not sure if people really listened, but I made it with the intention of learning how to present and host a show. When the opportunity at Dash came along, my husband had been working with Autograf back in early 2014. The platform Dash Radio had just launched and there was an opportunity to have a radio show for Autograf. Autograf had just started a rigorous tour schedule, but we wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to have a show. Autograf had the artist collective Future Factory in Chicago, so we thought “Future Factory” Radio would be a great fit. I had just finished an Ableton certification program at Dubspot LA. So when the time came, it was like “You’re up!” and I’ve been doing it ever since. With hosting Future Factory, I learned so many things that prepared me for Dim Mak Studios on iHeartRadio. You’re not ready until its time for you to be ready. Everything takes time. Looking back on it all, I always joke and say “My 19 year old raver self would be so proud”. The great thing about doing a radio show is being exposed to so much amazing music at any given time. Each guest I interview brings their own unique flavor and I’m able to take something from each experience and apply it to my own. When playing out, I like to keep a constant groove, yet bring some eclectic flare to the mix.PZB: Our industry is constantly going through changes, and we as artists are competing for ears with so many others out there. On the other side of things, listeners are bombarded and overwhelmed with the amount of music out there. You probably more so than others with all of the music you have to go through for your job. How do you try to connect with your audience, and what do you feel helps you stay relevant?SiLVA: Good question. Well for me personally, what helps me with what I do as a tastemaker, is to always remain a fan. By taking the “this is my job” part out of listening to music, I am able to listen to music for the purpose of enjoying it. What gets my head bobbing side to side, or what makes me want to stand up and dance around. It sounds funny, but that is literally what I do. As producers and djs, we are all too familiar with “ear fatigue”. After a while, it all starts to sound the same if you don’t take breaks. I still love listening to different radio shows and mixes from all over the world, to get a different feel for what people are listening to enjoy vs what it trying to be heard for plays, likes, and follows. PZB: I do my fair share of Q & A’s here for the LAMP weekly mix feature but they are rarely done in person which is something I know you have had the opportunity to do on many occasions with your radio show’s. Who have been some of your most fun artists you have had the opportunity to interview in studio over the last year or so?SiLVA: Oh wow so many. In the last year I’ve interviewed artists such as Born Dirty, TT The Artist, Astronomar, Claude Von Stroke, Reggie Watts, Justin Jay….the list goes on. It was a very good year.PZB: If you could interview any one artists on the face of the planet for your show who would it be and what is the first question you would ask them?SiLVA: That is a hard question because there are so many. But at the top of my head, it would definitely be The Chemical Brothers. I’ve been listening to them for so many years and their music still continues to have me in awe every time I listen. I would ask them what their process is like, since they are masters at genre bending.PZB: When not engrossed in your own music or listening to other peoples demos and such is there a genre of music you like to fall back to when you need a break?SiLVA: I love listening to the trip-hop from the 90’s. Massive Attack, Portishead…anything that has a sexy groove and a cool sample is my go to. I also really love Sade and Maxwell. That music is all about the vibe. PZB: What are some of the things that inspire you in life and in music?SiLVA: My special place when I need to recharge and get inspired is definitely the desert. I try to head out to Joshua Tree as much as I can. I love the desert because the landscape is so still and calming. I love playing my piano and just playing whatever chords come to mind. Of course I get so inspired by seeing live music. Seeing artists and the crowd in both of their elements is always a boost in good energy.PZB: Is there anything else coming up in your world that we should know or you want to tell us about that we should be keeping an eye/ ear out for?SiLVA: Well I am playing with my good friend Kaleena Zanders this Saturday 1/12, “Future Factory presents Kaleena Zanders & FriendZ” at the Music Box in San Diego. I’m really excited about this event because this is going to be the Kaleena Zanders experience. She is such an amazing performer and has collaborated with some of Electronic music’s biggest artists. We have Manik going B2B with Harvard Bass, as well as DJ Ideal and Lady Verse. I also plan on releasing more original music in the next couple of months.PZB: Wow that sounds great. Here is the flyer click on it for tickets and more info. If you are in San Diego I strongly recommend you attend. Kaleena is so amazing, not to mention MANIK and Harvard Bass. Thank you so much for your time and the incredible mix you put together. Please keep us posted on future releases and when we can catch you again here in Los Angeles or elsewhere.SiLVA: Thank you so much! Keep on doing what you’re doing.

Track List

Good Time - Amine Edge & DANCELove Recycled 1 - SolomunFifty Dollar Bills - Sworn VirginsB.F.O.D.A.A.S. - Mall GrabRhythm Make You Dance - DJ BorisUnderstand The Loops - Block & CrownCome On Up - DONT BLINKPiknik - Riva StarrDo You Feel Alright - Eli Brown, Mason MaynardHead Bounce - SiLVACan’t Help The Way That I Feel (David Penn Remix) - Sneaky Sound SystemMembers (Shahar & Motum Remix) - ChaimPush It - Pele & ShawnecyFollow:Website www.silvaofficial.comInstagram www.instagram.com/silvaofficialmusic/Twitter twitter.com/DJSILVAOFFICIALFacebook www.facebook.com/silvaofficialmusic