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From the moment I met Valida, I could tell she was an unstoppable force. She is an undisputed local favorite in the Los Angeles nightlife scene, establishing herself as a purveyor of the Broken Beat and 2-Step sound. With several residencies to her credit including Sensa, Cultura and her own signature weekly, Proper, Valida has prevailed as a DJ with a purist ethic, and recently made her directorial debut with her Drum 'n Bass documentary, Concentric Beats.

Selectress: Where are you from?

Valida: Originally, I'm from Sarajevo, Bosnia. I came to the US in 1994
having already lived in many other parts of the world: Baghdad
(84-84), Oman (91-92) London (92-93) Moscow (93-94)



S: When did you start DJ’ing?

V: 1997/1998

S: What’s your style?

V: I play a lot of different things. Anywhere from soulful d'n'b to
Salsa, house, broken beat, soul, hip hop, dancehall.

S: What is your ideal DJ / sound set up?

V: 2 Technics 1200, a 0.7 Vestax mixer (or Pioneer), a monitor I can
control, sony headphones, a good all-around sound, and I'm good to
go.

S: What were the main reasons that made you embark on your career?

V: At the time I really didn't think of it as a career, I was just happy playing records for fun, which is still a huge part of it...but one thing led to another, and pretty soon I found myself playing out regularly, being asked to host weekly events...I don't know, must be something about the stuff that I play that people really like...and that's a good feeling.

S: Who are your biggest musical influences?

V: Jun, DJ Omus, a former Proper resident, Gilles Peterson (of course), Jurgen (Jazzanova) and Garth Trinidad.

S: How do you feel your style has changed since you started?

V: I was very limited in terms of what I was playing when I first started out...I was only buying d'n'b and some house...but with time and experience, I realized that DJing is about playing music that you love...and there is so much out there that I love that i really can't limit myself anymore...which, in some ways might have been limiting towards my career because people like the comfort of knowing that a certain DJ will always deliver a certain sound...no matter what. But when you book me, most of the time, it's wide open...unless, of course, it's previously determined what type of sound they want.

S: Your club Proper started as monthly with an eclectic mix of styles with a focus on Broken Beat and 2-Step, and is now one of the most popular weekly LA destinations. What do you feel was instrumental in the growth and success of Proper?

V: It is? Thanks. Proper started as a monthly, but we realized that since we were, at the time, promoting new styles of music, it was necessary to be able to offer a venue where people could hear that type of a sound on a regular basis. Proper made it possible for a lot people to understand broken beat and 2-step. And also, we were appealing to people like us, real music lovers with a sense of appreciation for many different styles. I think it helped that we knew a lot of big names who were passing through town and ended up playing with us on a "secret guest at Proper this Sunday" type of basis. They might have been in town for a main Friday or Saturday night gig, and they just ended up staying an extra day so we were able to get them to play with us.

S: What has been the biggest turning point in your career so far?

V: I would have to say it was the Concentric Beats DVD...but that's coming up, right?

S: What motivates you?

Love...friends...money (I'll be honest).

S: You’ve recently completed a major DVD release, Concentric Beats. Tell us how the project started and what you would like to achieve with it.

V: Concentric Beats was my MA thesis at UCLA. It started as a 45 minute dance documentary and then just exploded into a 73 minute research into the US d'n'b scene. The main purpose was to try and give back to a scene that gave me so much...It really did. D'n'b was instrumental in my growth as an artist.

S: What were some of the biggest challenges with producing Concentric Beats, and how did you overcome them?

V: The whole thing was a challenge from the get go. There were so many people I had to convince in the process from teachers, to grant donors, to talent. And because it ended up being almost twice the length of what I initially predicted, there was the whole budget issue. How did I overcome these? I wrote damn good papers rationalizing the importance of "capturing this new vibrant youth subculture in the making," and how important it was for the entire artist community to learn about d'n'b. When the money ran out, I just used my credit cards, so that's how I overcame that one. :(

Then there was the whole drama with trying to put it out cuz, really, there was no budget for that at all. It took me a good year and a half to finally do it...Arghhhh...it was a bit of a nightmare at the time...But now it's all over and I'm really happy that it's out there in people's homes. I get the most incredible e-mails from all over the US...people loving it, showing it to their friends, family, watching it 3 times in a row...all kinds of stuff. It's very rewarding.

S: What is next on the horizon for you?

V: I just bought an MPC 1000 so I'm having a lot of fun with it...That's all I'm gonna’ say at this point.

S: What boundaries would you like to break down?

V: I can't think of any at the moment, I feel I broke enough of them.

S: Best track you ever got for free?

V: God...That's a tough one...I get a lot of free stuff so it might be impossible for me to name the best one...OK, the best RECENT track I got is Horsepower Productions "Syndbad" on Tempa...AMAZING!

S: Red or Pink?

V: Pink definitely.

S: Sneakers or Stilettos?

Both. . .hehehhee…

S: Complete the next 2 sentences: I never thought I would. . .

V: . . .like Hennessy...and then Oakason who works at "The Room" in Hollywood made a "Beautiful" for me one night and it was all over. . .

S: I’m at my best when I . . .

V: . . . am surrounded by friends, DJing some cool party or even just hanging out.

S: What advice do you wish you had received when first starting out?

V: Playing other people's records will only get you so far, in most cases you really need to learn how to make music if you want to travel...frequently.

S: Any advice you would like to give to the ladies starting out in a DJ career?

V: Know your worth. It's cool to pay your dues the first year or so, but after a while, have a rate sheet ready, or better, get someone to handle all of your bookings. Also, musically, you have an advantage cuz you're a lady...women hear things differently...something about female DJ sensibility...and that's a fact, so use it!

To contact Valida for bookings or for more information about her film, email her at:
valida@concentricbeats.com