Producer, DJ and now singer-songwriter, Lil Silva has spent the last year or so sculpting and strengthening his vocal ability. To fans of his funky, bass-ridden back catalogue (see: "Seasons"), there's no need to fear, as nods to that world will keep appearing—but it's clear the melody has taken over for this Bedford lad. Rosie Lowe, Sampha and Jamie Woon have all helped to draw out the soulful sonics within 24-year-old TJ Carter; not forgetting Good Years labelmate BANKS, whose album Goddess he produced a bulk of. Stepping back from remix work—which has over the years included cuts for the likes of SBTRKT, The Streets, Storm Queen, Aluna George, Tyler, The Creator and Lana Del Rey—seems to have enabled the workaholic to focus solely on doing him.
When it comes to future-thinking British producers, Lil Silva ticks all the right boxes; a unique and uncompromising sound, full of fresh ideas that are backed by actual content. Following the release of his Mabel EP, which was dedicated to his grandmother who helped fund his music career, Complex recently put in a call to Mr. Silva to find out some of the tracks that he holds close to his heart. Click through to hear his musical story.
Interview by Nardene Scott
Macabre Unit – "Take Time"
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"I grew up around Macabre Unit, and some of the sounds they produced back then made me feel like I wanted to make similar stuff. Their track, "Take Time", that definitely reminds me of my teenage years. As a teenager, grime was what I listened to the most! We used to be able to get into under-18 raves, and it was pretty sick. Think Eskimo Dance, but a lot madder. The swag was like tracksuits and Reebok trainers—never Akademiks, not for me. If it wasn’t Adidas, it was a Nike tracksuit and you had to have on Reebok Classics or those Workouts, and you were nice. Oh, and we used to rock the Fila hi-tops as well. My highlight of those raves was just seeing that stuff outside of the radio. It was what was going on, what we were excited about in our teens, and kind of made everyone around that age form crews and get involved with clashes and stuff. It was fun times."
Youngstar – "Pulse X"
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"My brother was a DJ, so I had a lot of—well, I claimed a lot of his records, like, 'Yep! That’s mine.' I bought mostly vinyl back in the day, and I’d save up my dinner money to buy the latest white label. The first one I probably went out and bought was 'Pulse X'."
Half Pint – "I’m Not A Substitute Lover"
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"This track is one that my dad used to play, along with many other riddims, and it puts a smile on my face every time I hear it. Most of the lyrics are simple, but so meaningful. My dad used to listen to a lot of reggae and I used to hear all of it because my whole family is music-orientated in some sort of way: my aunts and uncles also run a big sound. I absorbed everything my dad done. It all had an effect on me, across the board. He would surprise me with what he listens to—even today, I’m looking, and he’s got some mad disco records and all these 7 inches, and I’m like, 'Where was this when I was 13? We weren’t rolling in the whip to these tunes.'"
Hindzy D – "Shrapnel"
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"There was a track called 'Shrapnel' back in the day, which was pretty cool, and it was the groove of it that really caught my ear. It was a new sound for me, because I was so used to the structure of how a beat should go, but this was something completely different."
Swiss – "Cry"
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"Every time I hear Swiss' 'Cry', and it’s normally only once in a blue moon, it always reminds me of home. Roy Davis Jr and Peven Everett's 'Gabriel' is another one."
BANKS – "This Is What It Feels Like"
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"Banks is amazing to work with and I think 'This Is What It Feels Like' was the first production I made that showed my sound had progressed. Like, this is my sound now."
Lil Silva Feat. BANKS – "Don't You Love"
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"Maybe my most accomplished track to date is 'Don't You Love', because the transition from 'This Is What It Feels Like' is huge. Working with Sampha and Jamie Woon, helping me with my singing and giving me the confidence, that was also massive for me."
SBTRKT – "Wildfire"
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"I always try and play 'Wildfire' in my DJ sets. I really love the track, obviously because Yukimi from Little Dragon and SBTRKT are dope! SBTRKT has been a massive influence on electronic music. The majority of my DJ sets contain my own production, but if there's a tune to get me on the dancefloor, it is this."
Sampha – "Too Much"
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"Probably one of the first gigs I ever went to was Sampha at Notting Hill Arts Club, in 2008. I wasn't even friends with him at the time, but I remember him giving out a deep range of sounds and melodies—and it was nuts! It was like right in front of you, this man doing a lot all at once. I'll never forget that gig."
