Valida

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 in 1999 called “Betwixt ’n’ Between - a Glimpse of the E-lectronic Culture” where she presented the world of dance culture in a theater setting. The production focused on the common parallels between dance music as a cultural ritual and other cultures’ dance rituals. “By combining traditional dance with techno, [the producers] proved this point brilliantly, […] hopefully to be repeated on more college campuses across the country.’ (Urb Magazine). During her post graduate studies at UCLA, Valida 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 Desert Nights at The Standard Hollywood, where each Wednesday, for ten years (2010-2020) she curated and deejayed an intimate evening of live music, her homage to the '60s Laurel Canyon culture.

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 an October 2021 release of her debut EP 'Mixed Signals.'

Valida can be heard on air on KCRW (89.9 FM) in Los Angeles on select afternoons and evenings or online on KCRW.com.