In only a few short years, Bedford-born producer Lil Silva has already lived a handful of musical lives—his punchy instrumentals for London dance music label Night Slugs, his hi-def pop production for LA's BANKS and, more recently, his singer/songwriter flex on the Mabel EP released on True Panther/Good Years. It's the latter's title track that's had us under a spell this past couple of months—a heartfelt song that rolls his sharp sonics and pop nous into one—so a chance to feast on the sounds that make him tick was very much at the top of our FADER Mix wish-list. Spanning London club basements to LA hip-hop studios, Lil Silva's selections hit the spot. Hit play below and scroll down to find out who Mabel is dedicated to and what Silva would be cooking for you if you came round for dinner.
Where are you right now? Describe your surroundings. I'm at the airport, on my way to LA. The cold, cold surroundings and smell of Heathrow is what's going on around me right now but hey, it could be worse.
What vibe were you going for with your FADER Mix? It's a pretty wide range of stuff I’m into currently from more electronic stuff to new hip-hop to some classics weaving in and out and, of course, my own music. The idea was to give you my brain in that current time and what I felt would explain my current mood in music for 2014. It's got a lot of energy which I wanted to represent because of the way I’m feeling about the new release so just giving you a piece of where I’m at, I guess.
Who is the beautiful title track from your new EP, Mabel, named for and why? It's actually for my grandmother who passed away when I was younger. The whole body of work was inspired and is dedicated to my grandmother, Mabel.
How did working between Bedford, London and LA shape the record? It was special for me—it's nice getting out of your home comfort zone when writing music. LA let me breathe a little and express a different side to my music, especially working with the likes of Rob Ackroyd out there who gave tracks like "Mabel," "Don’t You Love" and "Right For You" a whole different human feel to the production which I haven’t been able to really grab in the way I’ve wanted to before this EP. I met so many people in LA when writing this music so it was such a different experience with different opinions and a whole different energy. It really helped shape this as a body of work because I wanted it to be something you listen to from 1- 5 and feel something new each time a track skips. Sometimes with EPs you pick your favourite track and just disregard the rest but I really feel happy with how this sounds throughout. Almost like a journey from Bedford to London to LA a little bit.
What's the last book you read that had a big impact on you? Charles Saatchi, Be the Worst You Can Be.
What's your favorite dish to cook? Curry mutton, rice n peas.
Tracklist:
Jamie xx - All Under One Roof Raving
John Talabot - So Will Be Now ft. Pional
Lone - Airglow Fires
Cozzy D - Aphrodite
George Fitzgerald - Nighttide Lover
Aaliyah - One In A Millon
Lil Silva - Mabel
Kill Frenzy - Warm Inside
Future - Move That Dope
Lil Silva - Gobble That
Schoolboy Q - Studio
Ludacris - What's your Fantasy
Lil Silva - First Mark
Hudson Mohawke - Chimes
Half Pint - Substitute Lover
Lil Silva - Don't You Love ft. BANKS
