BAKER’S FLAVORS : An interview with Paul Salva

FULL INTERVIEW HERE

*N->Hi Salva, I’m really pleased to finally meet you. You know, you’re the first guest of *BAKER’S FLAVOURS*! How was your trip to Montreal?

*S->Yes, it was good, drama at the borders…

*N->Yes that usual, at least I wish you will have a little time to visit. So let me ask you, now that the borders are crossed and we are sharing this moment, how could you explain the mixture of sounds and *flavours*you are adding? Through a little search we found that you used to work in a record store. Did that hybridize your notion of music and style?

*S->I don’t know if it’s very atypical for any musician to be in just one style. You know, all the people I’ve worked with and all the DJ’s I met and all the cities we’ve been to have a wide range of styles and I love that about modern music right now. My personal upbringing was in record stores and DJing in clubs and all that stuff. Back, when I started making music, about 10 years ago, in my various crews it would be my drum and bass friends, my *hip- hop* friends, my techno friends, and now everybody likes everything so I guess for me, everything from funk,* hip- hop*, house, techno, drum and bass, early dubstep, grime, music from wherever I can get my hands on.

*N->Everything kind of comes together, not only in the music industry but literary everywhere… So, back to the point, you are a member of *Friends of Friends*, could you tell me what does the name stand for?

*S->Yes, sure.* Friends of Friends* is a label and collective from Los Angeles. They released my first full length instrumental record last year called *Complex Housing* and includes other artists such as Shlohmo, Ernest Gonzales, Groundislava, Thomas Barfod and the LOL boys, Markus being from Montreal, that will be recording for the label later this year. The label speaks to my eclectic taste. It is not only one sound and that’s why I love it. It’s really representative of all the stuff I like. With the crew, we do music and we try to push good art and good music.

*N->You came on tour to Montreal with Nguzunguzu which are your fellow Bakers tonight.  Have you worked together before or it is a pure coincidence you both came along here?

*S->Well, we are touring together right now. We’re doing between 10 and 15 dates. So we toured in the West Coast, South West *South West*, we were there for the festival, and we are doing some East Coast dates and then we are going to head to a music conference this week end. I didn’t know them too well before but I was a fan of their stuff and the powers that be decided that we should get together and do a tour and it’s been very good so far . I love what they do and they are good DJ’s and good people.

*N->Simply developing on what you said about different tours and festivals. Have you been outside North America, in Europe for example? How do you think their scene is evolving musically?

*S->I haven’t been in any big festival so far. This *summer* I will. I did tour with Shlohmo from my crew and I’ve was in *Red Bull Music Academy* last year. Actually, I was in Romania for the *Raw Collective last year with Jimmy Edgar and Oneohtrix and a bunch of amazing artists. I really love Europe and the stereotype is that they are more forward thinking  and dance music and electronic music are more widespread and more  accepted there. And I think that to a degree it is but North America is definitely catching up and I like coming up to Canada a lot. I played in Vancouver a lot, in Toronto last month and it is my second time here so I think there are a lot of brilliant minds here too but yeah, Europe is amazing. I mean being from North Americas it’s just amazing to be there and soak up the culture. Most cities, they like to dance and party, some other cities are a little stiff, but you know that’s everywhere, it depends where you go. It depends on the party, the night but yeah, Europe is amazing for sure.

*N->It is. And for tonight’s party, have you prepared a set lining with what Nguzunguzu’s style?

*S->Yes. For example when I was touring with Shlomo, you know I don’t stretch too mouchfar  out of my sound . For his audience and his sound I did more of my live stuff. A lot of my originals from last year , played keys and played more of the down tempo stuff. With nguzu I wanna cather it more to dance, so it is more of a mix of variousdiff  kinds of dance music and I still love guetto hip hop, trap music, just dirty beats too. It is just a mixture of all those stuff and talered to the dancefloor  and people to have fun to. 

 *N->That’s the goal. And last year you released two albums..mm..

*S-> …And EP

*N-> EP’s. One album and EP, yes…and I’ve listened to them many, many times….hahah…and I just wanted to know…uh how can you….in terms of the fact that they came out so…in a so short amount of time and they are quite different …was this uh(choking) intentional? On your part or it was just two things that just ended up out? (fail)

*S->Yeah,  I played a lot of shows last year, more than I ever have  in my career  and I traveled a lot and just got in front of a  lot of people… and like I said I came from  a wide background  and so back in the days for a long time I was a hip-hop DJ,  and stuff like that and  I always love, you know,  dance music too, house music , I grew up in house music  and really, just sounds that are waiting to come out  of me. Really, you know, I will make tone of music and most of it will never get released cause I’m very critical on it as I think artists should be. But yeah, I recorded *Complex Housing* in 2011 but most of that stuff was recorded in the Spring of 2010 so it usually takes a while for an album or something you do lots of preparation for and as far as marketing and releasing, all that stuff was indicative to the sound I was doing then and the *Yellowbone* EP was ( they are kind of going along the same line if you dig deep)… But I guess the *Yellowbone* song was definitely the most four-four kind of dark, techy song that I released.  That’s more of what I worked around last year when it was released. But yeah, I’m just gonna keep on changing it up you know, the stuff that I am working on now is more boogie-based  and midtempo stuff , I am really into deep house , that whole movement that is happening  so I’m daggling in this stuff too and going back to making rap beats again and I’m just gonna keep going…all over the place you know…

*N->What are your plans with Shlohmo this *summer* and are you playing in any festivals, I heard that you would perhaps travel together.

*S->Yes, the festival’s name escapes me cause it’s tough to remember some of these but  in July we are doing some stuff together  and I have a lot of amazing festival plays in the US that I’m really excited about . I am doing *Movement in Detroit * which is a Detroit electronic music festival and I wanted to play that since I was young and *Cotchella* and a bunch of other good ones so a lot of touring the rest of the summer… and I run a label too, *Frite Nite* so I’ve been working hard, I’m getting the releases up of that again too. I’ve been doing collaborations, working with people and  putting out more of the artists that I work with : B. Bravo  and Kalmah, a lot of these  guys and  that’s again eclectic,  its funk stuff. So definitely, ->watch out<- for all the *Frite Nite* stuff and all the *Friends of Friends* stuff that’s coming out is amazing too, so yeah . Really, really exciting, tasteful music coming on that label too. I am just being a cheerleader for all that stuff and supporting it. Yeah, just doing music, doing shows and you know, just try to have fun, live life hahah.

*N->Thanks Salva, we will check this all out.  Come cross the street towards Blue Dog. 

HOLLAZZZ

PS: Keep it twerkin!:)