John Acquaviva

John Acquaviva as a DJ/Producer and Entrepreneur has flourished in the heart of electronic music. His multi talented persona is Superman like; the quintessential businessman by day – running Plus8 Equity Partners and an iconic musician by night. John Acquaviva is the eye of the storm on an incredible hurricane. The techno icon's strategic positioning along the electronic music spectrum as an inspired soul, rather than a hit maker, has made for one of the most exciting producers the community has ever experienced.

John Acquaviva was born in Orsara di Puglia, Italy and immigrated with his family to London, Ontario when he was just four years old. Fifteen years later, he was crowned #1 DJ by the best club in town – NOTORIETIES. A champion at song selection and beat matching, his innate talents assisted the then-burgeoning Acquaviva in cementing himself as a primary face of London and Southern Ontario's music scene. Having him transcend from a 'DJ's DJ" to a techno stalwart in his own right. Acquaviva's penchant for electronic music production has rewarded him a nearly four-decade-long career of excellence. This truth by his constant demand endorsed by the numerous clubs, festivals and promoters from Ibiza to Argentina that clamor for his performances.

John Acquaviva is a man who knows what he wants and has become a master attaining it. He is a musical polestar, a global iconoclast to those who admire his drive and a dedicated top-tier headline entertainer to his fans. On a technological level no DJ has made such significant contributions to the advancement of how DJ's perform than John Acquaviva. His personal masterful technique and firm grasp of the trade led to his fruitful involvement with Final Scratch and especially Beatport. A vital founder and active member of both companies – the former tool that allows manipulation and playback of digital audio sources and the latter a major online hub for electronic music – John's role extends far beyond his taste making capabilities. He is a pioneer of electronic music's technological evolution and helped sculpt the genre's game-changing transition from analogue to digital and from vinyl to turntables and laptops. In sharing this vision with Richie Hawtin, they spearheaded a project that would act as the iTunes of dance, the duo arguably paved the path for a new and zestful era.

When Acquaviva and Hawtin became friends in 1989, the pair immediately co-founded Plus 8 Records in 1990, which capitalized on minimal releases from Cybersonik, Speedy J, Kenny Larkin and Plastikman, to name a few. It wasn't until 1993, however, that he and Richie began to truly embrace their passions for house music by dishing up a second imprint – Definitive Records. Defined by a more progressive and tech house sound from such luminaries as Olivier Giacomotto, the imprint marked the beginning of John's unparalleled taste as a global powerhouse and exemplar in dance music culture.

Bringing us to the present in 2015, Acquaviva proudly upholds the titles of zealous vinyl collector, insatiable entrepreneur, executive film producer and label owner. Yet above all, John Acquaviva is the quintessential performer at heart. His DJ career surging forward playing stellar sets at BPM Festival, Space Ibiza, Output in Brooklyn, Bellevue in Zurich and Crobar in Buenos Aires to highlight some of the past 12 months. He has penned electronic music's prosperous novel, trailblazing the feast we comfortably sit at in the new millennium. With the imminent arrival of three forthcoming EPs, there's no telling what evolution John will pull from his sleeve next.