Host of 'The Lab'
Originally from Sarajevo, Valida fled a heavily conflicted Bosnia to pursue higher education in the US. In the course of her studies, she won a coveted nationwide Pew Charitable Trusts Fellowship, which allowed her to create and release a DJ-culture documentary film, Concentric Beats.
A musician and a performer since the age of four, her work on the film sparked a desire to dig deeper into her vinyl collection and explore the art of mixing. She founded a popular weekly club night and rose through the ranks to become an important figure in LA's nightlife scene.
Her specialty is a seamless blending of a variety of 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.
Since purchasing her first set of turntables in 1998, she has been featured at a variety of high profile events worldwide, including; Winter Music Conference, SXSW Music Conference, Regine in Paris, Dragon-I in Hong Kong, Mystique in Kuala Lumpur, Boudoir in Dubai, Nuphoria in Tokyo, Candela in Puerto Rico, Organic in Mexico, Barbados, San Salvador and her native Bosnia.
When The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas opened its doors in December 2010, Valida played the launch party and continued to hold a monthly residency through summer of 2011. She also co-founded Hollywood's buzz-night, School Night at Bardot, which received Paper Magazine's coveted People's Choice Award for "America's Best Party" in its first year. She deejayed and assisted with talent booking before shifting her focus on her own music making which, due to a demanding DJ schedule, had been on hiatus since 2006.
Armed with a piano, Logic, and a midi controller, Valida has created remixes for LA's Foster The People, Jenny O., Saint Motel, and Bosnian pop star, Dino Merlin. Currently she is working on her original music with a debut EP slated for a summer 2013 release.
Valida can be heard on air on KCRW (89.9 FM) in Los Angeles on rotating Sundays from 3-6AM as part of their program The Lab. She can also be seen at The Standard Hollywood, where each Wednesday evening she curates and deejays an intimate evening of live music called Desert Nights, her homage to the 60's Laurel Canyon culture.