In the abyss of electronic dance music, hovering somewhere between hip-hop and two-step, stands Glaswegian DJ and producer Salvador Navarrete, who operates under the moniker Sega Bodega.
His first EP, ‘34’, was a mysterious mix of soaring sci-fi sounds and intricate layers of electro and hip-hop. Less than six months later, his ‘Song Dynasty’ EP was released, featuring three re-workings of tracks that include T2’s ‘Heartbroken’ and Fergie’s ‘Glamorous’.
“I chose these tracks because they’re all tunes,” he tells Clash. “I originally did them all three years ago, but I lost the files so I decided to do them again. ‘Song Dynasty’ was kind of a step back from ‘34’. People won’t know what to think.”
Currently working on his debut album, ‘Ferocious’, he’s had to find some way to keep the creative flame burning. “I’ve got these black-out curtains in my room, they make my room proper black. It’s not healthy and my mum thinks it’s a really bad idea,” he laughs, “but it’s kind of hard to make a dark thing when the sun is beaming.”
Perhaps sitting in the dark will lead to a development in the moodier side of Sega Bodega’s mixing style, hinted at in the brooding and cinematic ‘Tantarantana’ on ‘34’. Though perhaps it won’t, as he goes on to talk about other influences: “There’s this label that I’m loving at the moment called PC Music. They release really cheesy electronic music. It’s kind of what I want to go back to. I want to work out how they make it so catchy.”
Although it’s unclear which sound direction he’ll take, the recording process has already begun. When we speak, he’s eating banana porridge before heading to record the first single mix for ‘Ferocious’. “The concept has finally been born. It feels weird to be letting it go after three years of working on it. It’s a big shock.”
Whether creating mixes that are dark and brooding or catchy and anthemic, Sega Bodega presents himself as an integral innovator on the electronic dance scene.
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WHERE: Glasgow
WHAT: Intricately produced dance music with a twist.
GET 3 SONGS:‘Tantarantana’, ‘Stay Nervous’, ‘Security’ (video above)
FACT: When he was 16, Salvador suffered from a collapsed lung for three days, because his mum didn’t believe him and wouldn’t take him to hospital.
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Words: Hana Barten
Photo: Liam MF Warwick (website)
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