Jon Dasilva is a British DJ and producer. As a former resident of Manchester club,
The Haçienda
The Haçienda was a nightclub and music venue in Manchester, North West England, which became famous during the Manchester years of the 1980s and early 1990s. It was run by the record label Factory Records.
The club opened in 1982, eventually ...
, he is widely regarded as an influential figure in the early UK house scene.
Hacienda residency and DJ career
After graduating in Film and History from the University of Kent, Jon moved to Manchester. His mixing skills and innovative style were quickly noticed and he was soon offered a residency at legendary Manchester club,
Fac 51 The Hacienda. Dasilva and DJ
Mike Pickering
Mike Pickering (born 21 February 1954) is an English musician and DJ.
Career
Pickering was a DJ at The Haçienda's Nude and Hot nights, and later Shine. He worked for Factory Records, where he signed Happy Mondays, To Hell with Burgundy and ...
started the wildly popular Ibiza-inspired HOT nights, which are seen by many as the birthplace of UK
acid house
Acid house (also simply known as just "acid") is a subgenre of house music developed around the mid-1980s by DJs from Chicago. The style is defined primarily by the squelching sounds and basslines of the Roland TB-303 electronic bass synthesiz ...
, alongside
Danny Rampling
Danny Rampling (born 15 July 1961) is an English house music DJ and is widely credited as one of the original founders of the UK's rave/club scene.
His long career began in the early 1980s playing hip-hop, soul and funk around numerous bars an ...
's
Shoom
Shoom was a weekly all-nighter dance music event held at four nightclubs in London, England, between September 1987 and early 1990. It is widely credited with initiating the acid house movement in the UK. Shoom was founded by Danny Rampling, who ...
.
During his residency at
The Hacienda, he became well known for his use of a cappella vocals and sound effects. Such techniques influenced a new generation of young DJs, including
Sasha, who credits Dasilva for teaching him how to mix harmonically and build sets.
Since leaving
The Hacienda, Dasilva's career has taken him around the world. He was the first guest DJ to be booked by Slam (Soma Records) in Glasgow back in 1989, first UK DJ to play Tresor in Berlin around 1990. He was also one of the first British DJs to play China in the mid-90s, and was resident on the first Strictly Rhythm Records Tour alongside Todd Terry and a young Roger Sanchez. Since 2015 he has been one of the resident DJs at 'I Love Acid', currently the longest running dedicated, regular Acid House club night in the UK (established 2007) and winner of
DJ Mag
''DJ Magazine'' (also known as ''DJ Mag'') is a British monthly magazine dedicated to electronic dance music and DJs. Founded in 1991, the magazine is adapted for distribution in the United Kingdom, the United States, Spain, France, Italy, Lat ...
's Best Club Event 2019 award.
Production
Jon has remixed for bands such as;
New Fast Automatic Daffodils
New Fast Automatic Daffodils (later shortened to New FADS) were an alternative rock group from Manchester, England, active between 1988 and 1995.
History
The band was formed in 1988 by former members of the punk rock group Pariah.Strong, Mart ...
,
New Order,
A Certain Ratio
A Certain Ratio (abbreviated as ACR) are an English post-punk band formed in 1977 in Flixton, Greater Manchester by Peter Terrell (guitar, electronics) and Simon Topping (vocals, trumpet), with additional members Jez Kerr (bass, vocals), Martin ...
,
Inspiral Carpets
Inspiral Carpets are an English rock band, part of the late-1980s/early-1990s Madchester movement. Formed in Oldham in 1980, the band's most successful lineup featured frontman Tom Hingley, drummer Craig Gill, guitarist Graham Lambert, bassist ...
and
M People
M People (stylised as ''M''People) is an English dance music band that formed in 1990 and achieved success throughout most of the 1990s. The name M People is taken from the first letter of the first name of band member Mike Pickering, who form ...
, and has released productions on labels including Ellum Audio, Rush Hour, Soma, Mute, Deconstruction, Better Days, Eskimo, DMC and many others.
Some release highlights include "Soul On Ice" featuring
Rowetta
Rowetta Idah (born 5 January 1966, in Manchester), also known as Rowetta or Rowetta Satchell, is a British singer. She is best known for her work with the Happy Mondays, recording and touring with the band from 1990 and recently reforming with th ...
from the
Happy Mondays
Happy Mondays are an English rock band formed in Salford in 1980. The original line-up was Shaun Ryder (vocals), his brother Paul Ryder ( bass), Gary Whelan (drums), Paul Davis (keyboard), and Mark Day (guitar). Mark "Bez" Berry later joined t ...
on vocals, "Hot" by Ideal, Jon's most successful solo project to date and Jon's blistering remix of Screen IIs, "Hey Mr. DJ", on Cleveland City Records. Jon was signed to Cleveland City for some years.
In 2013, Jon collaborated with
Maceo Plex
Eric Estornel, better known by his stage names Maceo Plex (), Maetrik and Mariel Ito, is a Cuban-American DJ, techno music producer and DJ Awards winner, raised in Dallas and Miami.
Biography
He is best known for his diverse production style, wh ...
to produce "Love Somebody Else" which won "Best House Track" that year at the International Dance Awards in Miami. He is currently finishing a second album with his band The Virgo Mechanically Replayed, alongside a solo E.P. and collaborations with Josef K and
Posthuman
Posthuman or post-human is a concept originating in the fields of science fiction, futurology, contemporary art, and philosophy that means a person or entity that exists in a state beyond being human. The concept aims at addressing a variety of ...
.
External links
*
Interview with ManchesteradBiography in RussianResident AdvisorInterview with Decoded magazineMixcloudSoundcloudJondasilva.net
British record producers
English DJs
DJs from Manchester
English house musicians
Living people
Remixers
1963 births
Alumni of the University of Kent
Madchester musicians
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