Jon Da Silva // Forty Five Records Presents

Forty Five Records Presents Jon Da Silva.

We’ve been dying to get Jon back since his last trip to the tiny city so here we go….. a massive night i the rave cave of Atika awaits!! Jon has been a huge influence in the career of so many DJs and he will be joined by Tim Hamblin, Martin Collins & Sam Close.

With a career spanning four decades, which began in what many consider to be the birthplace of the British House and Techno music scene and the UK’s music mecca, Fac 51 The Hacienda, and a busy UK and international schedule that shows no sign of abating, few of today’s DJs can boast a pedigree like Jon Dasilva, who was recently voted in at #25 in Iconic Magazine reader’s poll of All Time Top 50 DJs.

The Hacienda in Manchester, circa 1988, was a special place – a convergence of post-modern architecture, cutting edge music and out-there youth culture. It was home to Factory Records (arguably the best record label of the decade), and some of the greatest bands for decades to come, including New Order, the Happy Mondays and the Stone Roses. It was also home to three DJs – Mike Pickering, Graeme Park and Jon Dasilva – who in the words of the great Tony Wilson of Factory Records ‘pissed petrol on the fire’, sound-tracking the whole affair with a freshness of attitude that launched many a club… and even more DJs. 

You’ve probably read the books, seen the films, bought the albums, and yes, worn the Tee shirt.

Considered to be Hacienda’s most singular resident DJ, Jon Dasilva was fresh to the scene in ’87, finding DJ inspiration in the House and Disco DJs of deepest New York and Chicago, amidst a sea of influences, from Bowie to Dub Reggae to Kosmische Musik to Disco. His broad musical tastes and ability to work so many genres into proper dance floor action mark Dasilva out as a next level DJ, taking his cues from the greats that inspired him, including Francois Kevorkian, Ron Hardy and Lil Louis.

His greatest legacy from that period, alongside championing the early Chicago and Detroit sound, was his imaginative take on the idea of the DJ set. Not content with simply mixing one track into another, Dasilva wove acapella and sound effects into a broad selection of House, Acid, Disco, Techno and Breaks, intuitively mixing in key, building a set dynamic that until then was rarely heard on UK shores.

In the words of Sasha, who regarded Dasilva as his mentor:

‘Well Jon to me was the most influential DJ in my career really. He showed me the way. Not only did he give me my first breaks, my first proper, proper breaks, he taught me how to build DJ sets. I used to go and watch him play from 9 pm and follow the whole night, listening to the way he crafted his DJ sets… his use of acapella and sound effects was just mind-blowing. He was so ahead of the game. I don’t think there’s another more influential person on my DJing career, really.’