Valida
Bosnian-born, Los Angeles-based Valida is a freeform DJ with a particular affinity towards disco and house. A KCRW music host since 2010, she has helmed some of LA’s most beloved dance parties for over two decades, including a live music showcase, “Desert Nights,” – her homage to the 60s and 70s Laurel Canyon counterculture music movement. As a music producer, she has released several singles, remixes, and, more recently, an EP, Mixed Signals, in 2021. Her music has been featured in several TV shows, and her cult classic dance documentary Concentric Beats premiered at the Winter Music Conference in Miami.
Originally from Sarajevo, Valida fled a heavily conflicted Bosnia to pursue higher education in the US. In the course of her undergraduate studies as a World Arts and Cultures major at UCLA, she joined the Student Committee for the Arts and co-produced a multi-media performance at Freud Playhouse called “Betwixt ’n’ Between - a Glimpse of the Electronic Culture” where she presented the world of dance culture in a theater setting. During her post-graduate studies at UCLA, Valida won a coveted nationwide Pew Charitable Trusts Fellowship, allowing her to create and release the DJ-culture documentary classic Concentric Beats.
Her work on the film sparked a desire to dig deeper into her vinyl collection and explore the art of mixing. She founded Proper, a popular weekly club night that championed the best in house, broken beat, drum’n’bass, and everything in-between, and which XLR8R magazine aptly dubbed “one of the most righteous parties on the West Coast.” Valida’s specialty is a seamless blending of various music styles, and her reputation for fearlessly fusing everything from disco to country and beyond made her a perfect fit for KCRW, where she started on air in 2010.
As a music producer, Valida has created remixes for LA's Foster The People, Jenny O., Saint Motel, Milo Greene, and Bosnian pop star Dino Merlin. She has released several original singles, culminating in the October 2021 release of her debut EP 'Mixed Signals,' featuring a Psychemagik remix. Her new single, 1994, is slated for an August 2023 release and will feature a Sonar’s Ghost drum’n’bass remix. Valida can be heard on air on KCRW (89.9 FM) in Los Angeles on select afternoons and evenings or online on KCRW.com.
An ethical vegan since 2011, Valida has DJed Moby’s Circle V festival, Farm Sanctuary’s Gala in New York, Humane League’s Vegan Prom, Vegan Playground in Los Angeles, the opening of Veggie Grill in Hollywood, and was featured in Vegan Magazine and Vegans in Music blog.
Valida was also featured on Elysabeth Alfano’s Awesome Vegans podcast.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIub3iWhlBM
https://www.vegan-magazine.com/2018/05/12/la-hottest-dj-valida-on-music-being-vegan-bunnies-and-the-vegan-prom/
https://vegworldmag.com/veggie-grill-opens-newest-location-in-west-hollywood/
