Festiva is quickly making a name for himself as a producer/DJ in the techno/tech house/progressive house scene in the Bay Area. A local resident, he has started putting out releases on international labels such as Mandarine Music, Deux Minds Records, Spundae Black, and Proton Music. Releasing his first EP “White Leather Couches,” on Mandarine Music in October, he looks to finish a full length album by the end of 2012. When he’s not in the studio, Festiva can be heard spinning his grooves at some of San Fransisco’s biggest nightclubs, such as Ruby Sky and many other dance floors throughout the city. Check the conversation below, links to Festiva’s sound cloud and Facebook and check out his track “Take This (Original Mix).”
Leading off with some basics, where are you from? And where are you at?
F: Born and raised in the Bay Area, United States. I’m currently based and providing grooves and bass directly to dance floors in San Francisco.
What does Reflection and Response mean to you?
F: I think any form of art, whether it be music, a film, a written piece, etc., that you as a listener or viewer can get an emotional, hormonal or thought evoking response from is Reflection and Response. Especially artist to artist because than we can inspire each other and hopefully help influence each others next piece.
How does your creative work fit in with that definition?
F: I try to make my music innovative, taking influences from all different types of genres and experiences while also staying true to the roots of techno, tech house and house. Alongside trying to putting together an infectious groove that just makes you want to step and bob your head, I try to tap into different hormonal responses from the crowd. In one of my recent releases, She Makes Me Animalistic, I attempted to “tease” the listener on the dance floor making them feel a particular hormonal release, even if it is just slight enough. With my latest EP release, which came out on October 22, 2012 on Proton Music, I wanted to make the listener feel like they are in a VIP party with white leather couches and glass tables, surrounded by promiscuous and mischievous people.
What else have you been working on recently? What are you looking to work on next?
F: I continue to work on my first full length artist album, which I am hoping to finish by the end of 2012. The majority of producers in the techno / tech house / house scene prefer to stick to the single or EP releases, which is a great approach, but I wanted to take a new approach and put together an album that progresses the same way a DJ set would. I also have started putting together a label of my own with a good friend of mine. We are hoping to have it ready and launched by early 2013.
Who or what inspires you?
F: When it comes to performance inspiration, I get the majority from one of Ibiza’s titanic DJ’s Carl Cox. His ability to mix flawlessly night after night on any type of gear while being able to keep the crowds attention for hour after hour, day after day, is something I look up to. In this day and age, every DJ is beginning to just copy whatever the “bigger” DJs are playing in hopes to get the same attention those DJs get, it’s predictable and boring. Like Carl, you’ll never hear the same set from me. I will always be mixing in something new or different to keep the listeners on edge and playing off the vibe and energy of the crowd. My sets are always pieced together on the spot, nothing is ever premixed or predetermined. When it comes to my own productions, I get my inspiration from anything that catches my attention. I’ve found Latin and African percussion really influencing my drum loops recently. Some artists in particular that are inspiring me at the moment are Umek, Belocca, Pleasurekraft and Olivier Giacomotto.
Is there anything else you would like the Collective to know?
F: I like what you guys are doing here. It’s good to see you featuring all types of music, organic and synthetic. I think musicians and producers, today, benefit from being exposed to all kinds of music.
Shout out to…
F: The homies P. Muller and Sneaky V.!
Take This (Original Mix)
Hit the following links to check out more music from Festiva:
http://www.facebook.com/festivamusic/
http://www.soundcloud.com/festivamusic/
http://www.beatport.com/artist/festiva/184505/
Reflection and Response.
the LIFESTYLE 