Canada’s John Acquaviva is one of those behind-the-scene players whose influence spread far and wide. He is a businessman, artist and punter in equal spades, and have dedicated 4 decades to the global dance music industry. As a co-founder of Beatport and Final Scratch, he has helped sculpt the dance music transition from analogue to digital, and from vinyl to CDJs and laptops. (’I think of it as a horse and buggy age in that once you have a car, which in DJ life was both Final Scratch technology and Pioneer perfecting CDs, it’s hard to go back.)

A chance meeting in 1989 with fellow Canuck Richie Hawtin, lead to the creation of one of the most pivotal techno imprints, Plus 8 Records (which released music form artist like Cybersonik, Speedy J, Kenny Larkin and Plastikman). They followed that up in 1993 with the more house and tech-flavoured Definitive Records, which, almost 25 years later is still relevant as ever.

Today, Acquaviva calls himself a vinyl collector, insatiable entrepreneur, executive film producer and label owner. Yet above all, John Acquaviva is the quintessential performer at heart. His DJ career has surged forward with sets at BPM Festival, Space Ibiza, Output in Brooklyn, Bellevue in Zurich and Crobar in Buenos Aires to name a few.

With tracks from Henrik Schwarz, Matthias Tanzmann, Artslaves and more, this is a deep and body-moving tech workout with one the scene’s most reliable and longest-serving pioneers.

Interview + tracklist: https://www.balancemusic.com.au/news/balance-selections-53-john-acquaviva/

Soundcloud: @jacq
Facebook: www.facebook.com/JohnAcquavivaOfficial/