salute

Manchester-based producer salute makes vibrant, heart-on-sleeve electronic music, blending ecstatic and melancholy feelings. Equally comfortable with using samples and original vocals, their tracks draw from various styles of bass music. Early material such as 2015′s Gold Rush EP and 2016 mini-album My Heart blended R&B and hip-hop elements with production inspired by artists like Hudson Mohawke and Rustie. After the artist relocated from Vienna to England, subsequent releases like the Condition trilogy and 2023′s Shield have been more exuberant and club-friendly, and more overtly inspired by U.K. garage and future house. The guest-heavy full-length True Magic arrived in 2024. Felix Nyajo was born in Vienna in 1996; their parents were Nigerian immigrants who moved to Europe in the early ’80s. Nyajo discovered electronic music through video games, and started making music at the age of 13. They began DJ’ing at clubs a few years later, when the post-dubstep scene was in full swing, and their first EP as salute, 2013’s Lionheart, took inspiration from producers like Cid Rim and Dorian Concept. They moved to Brighton, England to attend university in 2014, but soon quit in order to focus on music. Signed to 37 Adventures, they released a few singles and the 2015 EP Gold Rush, which featured an appearance by Abra on the song “Colourblind.” My Heart (2016) drew from soul, grime, jungle, and gospel, with guest vocalists such as DRAM, KAMAU, and Krrum. Nyajo moved to Manchester and became more heavily involved with the club scene. Singles such as “Light Up” (with Liv Dawson) and “That Girl” (with Gabrielle Aplin) appeared in 2017. Following the death of Nyajo’s grandparents, they began making dance tracks which helped process all of their emotions. Condition I appeared in 2018, with II and III following in 2019; all three EPs were then compiled as Condition. Nyajo continued recording garage-influenced dance tracks, making a splash with 2021 singles like “Jennifer” and “Joy.” The EP Ultra Pool was released by Steel City Dance Discs in 2022. Ninja Tune’s Technicolour imprint issued 2023′s Shield EP, which featured guests No Rome and Sammy Virji. True Magic, salute’s Ninja Tune-issued 2024 full-length, included appearances by Disclosure, Rina Sawayama, Sam Gellaitry, Empress Of, and others. ~ Paul Simpson