Jon Dasilva

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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), the greatest bands for decades to come, including New Order, the Happy Mondays and the Stone Roses, and three DJs who “pissed petrol on the fire” (A.H. Wilson), sound-tracking the whole affair with a freshness of attitude that launched many clubs and even more DJs. You’ve read the books, seen the films, bought the albums, and yes, even worn the T shirts.

One of the Hacienda Three, “perhaps the Hacienda’s most singular resident DJ”, is Jon Dasilva. Fresh to the scene in '87, Dasilva had found 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 and beyond… As a DJ, his broad musical tastes and ability to work so many genres into proper dance floor action also mark Dasilva out as specialist deck-master, taking his cues from the legends that inspired him, the likes of Francois Kevorkian and Ron Hardy.

Dasilva is considered an influence on a whole generation of DJ's from Balearic Legend, DJ Moonboots to the ubiquitous star, Sasha, who said: “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 9pm and follow the whole night and listening to the way he crafted his DJ sets and his use of a cappelas 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.”

Jon still retains a freshness of approach, as heard in his recent DJ mixes, in which his penchant for the varied shades of techno, acid house and house, as well as his keen nose for sniffing out the most interesting modern producers are evident. A mercurial producer, he has had a string of cutting-edge productions to his name spanning over two decades, on labels including Ellum Audio, Rush Hour, Soma, Mute, Deconstruction, Better Days, Eskimo, and many more. In 2012, Dasilva was awarded "Best House Track 2012-13" at The International Dance Awards for "Love Somebody Else" by Maceo Plex and Jon Dasilva (feat. Joi Cardwell). He is in the process of

finishing a 2nd album with his band The Virgo Mechanically Replayed, alongside new electronic solo work and collaborations that will see release this year on Manchester label, Sprechen Music and Sasha’s imprint, Last Night On Earth.

Jon Dasilva has also played support for some of the greatest bands in the world…the world according to Manchester, that is! New Order, the Fall, A Certain Ratio, the Stones Roses and of course, the Happy Mondays…Yes! The greatest bands in the world. Period. He does it with wit and he does it with flare, and he manages to frame the bands perfectly. He will be back on tour with the Happy Mondays again in Autumn/Winter 2019.

SASHA On Dasilva:

“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 9pm and follow the whole?night and listening to the way he crafted his DJ sets and his use of ?accapellas 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.”