1979, also known by his real name Giovanni Salviato, is an Amsterdam based, Venetian-born artist. Featured by the labels fryhide, previously Klangwelt, Addicted Music, his newest releases one after the other are gaining international success. We were lucky enough to speak to him about his love for Amsterdam and get some insights into the places he hangs out.
If you’re planning to visit the city soon then you can follow 1979’s Amsterdam recommendations on our Beatstravellers app – IOS/ANDROID.
Where are you from?
I grew up in a small city next to Alps and Venice. A rebel in my big Italian family, I decided to dedicate my life to music, my one and only drug. My inspiration comes from everyday ordinary cityscapes, airport rhythms, grey pavement, wild nature and love stories.
AMSTERDAM
Top Bars
Cafe Schuim – This is, in my opinion, one of the fewest really underground bars in Amsterdam. Located in the heart of this city, Cafe Schuim is the best place to warm up a night, the place is definitely not paying too much attention to the design/aesthetic itself but is full of energy and people are quite friendly.
Top places to eat
Amona Food Truck – Amona is in for me the best place for falafel in Amsterdam. I like to go there to have a proper vegetarian durum in a cool spot like Waterlooplein, a square that hosts a quite big flea market almost every day. The owner of the truck is originally from Jordan and you definitely can tell by eating his proper food!
La Zoccola del Pacioccone – I?m Italian and every now and then I get homesick. To cure it, my favourite medicine is always a tasty Pizza. La Zoccola del Pacioccone (pretty funny name 🙂 ) has a very good old school Napoli style Pizza. The place is very small and gets busy very easily, but it’s worth it! Buon Appetito!
Best Coffee in town
De koffieschenkerij – Lovely spot in the Red Light District of Amsterdam. Located into a section of the oldest Church of the capital, de koffieschenkerij has also a super cool interior vintage design, that goes along just perfectly with the historical building. My favourite choice here? Cappuccino with their little caramel cheesecake, a must try 😉
Where do you go to relax?
When I need a break, I usually like to take a walk and go on the top floor of the Nemo Museum. From there you can have a drink at the beautiful bar and sit outside staring at the amazing landscape of Amsterdam. It?s a very chilled place and the amazing view helps me to relax and meditate? try it for yourself!
Where do you go to hear good music?
Amsterdam is your kind of spot if you are a fanatic digger, there?s a big menu of top-notch record stores here.
About clubbing, I can say that Amsterdam is one of the best cities in Europe at the moment. My dream club is no-doubt Shelter but I enjoy performing in venues like Oosterbar or Radion, that, in my opinion, are some very underrated and super on-point locations!
‘Must try’ food or drink native to your city…?
When it comes to having a proper Amsterdammer meal, I always suggest to have a snack at Febo ( most famous dutch fast food) or to go to Ropram for the best Surinamese Roti in town!
What makes your home city so special?
Amsterdam for me is like a big village. I love the fact that the city is so compact, you can easily get everywhere by bike and the vibe is very chilled and cozy, never too stressed. It?s full of events, clubs and festivals. I also appreciate the multicultural vibe of the city, everybody speaks English and many artists from all over the world moved here in the last few years. It?s definitely full of inspiration for me, even though I have to admit to miss my hometown sometimes.
What Amsterdam based artists should we be looking out for?
There are a lot of good artists out there but I can suggest keeping an ear open for guys like Alex Preda, Tsubasa Matsui, Talee? I know them all personally and they are very focused dj/producers and their contribution to the scene is growing more and more! With Tsubasa Matsui I got my first residency in the city, for a party called Uki, in the beautiful Oosterbar Club.
Tell us about your latest release (Midnight) and what’s coming up next for you?
I can say that Midnight turned out to be a pretty huge success, and I?m glad for that. I was working on an instrumental track when Holger (HOSH) told me that he had this idea of trying to use a vocal from the Hunger Games movie? we adjusted a bit the track and Jalja recorded the vocal again on top of that? wow! The magic was there and the first time Hosh tested it in the club I was there with him; the reaction was incredible, since then we knew it could be a hit. For the future I have other material coming out on Fryhide and also some remixes on the making, one of these is for the German Dj/producer Dominik Eulberg, I?m very happy about that.
You can check out the collaboration with HOSH – Midnight (The Hanging Tree) feat. Jalja here.
Also, I will play in some very cool clubs and festivals around Europe. I?m looking forward indeed! Be up to date on my social media and hopefully see you soon somewhere in the world! Ciao!
Big thanks, Giovanni!
You can keep up to date with 1979 on his socials below & follow all of his recommendations on our Beatstravellers app – Download –> IOS/ANDROID.
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Photo credit: James Bowie
