* En anglais uniquement
The moniker of Bedford, U.K.- based electronic/dance producer TJ Carter,
Lil Silva's sound evolves with every release, although his work has several signature threads that tie it all together. His early singles, like his 2008 debut 12", "Seasons/Funky Flex," put him at the center of the booming U.K. funky scene, but he didn't want his sound to be pigeonholed. Vocals played an increasingly important role in his work, whether he drafted singers like
Rosie Lowe on 2013's
Distance EP or took the spotlight himself, as on 2016's JIMI. Over the years,
Lil Silva's collaborators grew to include
Mark Ronson and
Diplo as well as frequent creative partners
George FitzGerald (with whom he worked as
OTHERLiiNE) and
Sampha, who appeared on releases spanning 2011's Patience EP to 2022's single "Backwards."
By the age of 13,
Lil Silva was DJ'ing at local all-ages clubs and was also a member of the grime crew Macabre Unit. In 2008, he was ready to share his productions with the wider world, which he announced by self-releasing his debut 12" "Seasons/Funky Flex," which perfectly framed his angular approach to bass music. Around 2010,
Lil Silva found a spiritual home in the form of innovative bass label Night Slugs, which released his Night Skanker EP, featuring six all-out tracks that fit perfectly with Night Slugs' output; so much so that both "Gold to Gets" and "Seasons" were featured on the label's first compilation, Nightslug Allstars, Vol. 1.
Lil Silva took his first evolutionary step with 2011's Patience EP, which featured his first collaboration with
Sampha. After his final release on Night Slugs, 2012's Club Constructions,
Lil Silva veered into new territory with his 2013 EP,
Distance, released on Good Years. The EP featured vocal appearances from
Sampha and
Rosie Lowe, and even some backing vocals from
Lil Silva himself. That year, he also contributed to Africa Express Presents: Maison des Jeunes, an installment of
Damon Albarn's ongoing Africa Express project. 2014's EP
Mabel took another step toward vocal-centric tracks by featuring
Lil Silva on lead vocals for the first time, as well as a couple of contributions from alternative R&B singer
Banks;
Lil Silva would go on to co-produce
Banks' debut album,
Goddess, alongside
Jamie Woon.
In 2015,
Lil Silva demonstrated how organic his gradual shift in tone was by turning it on its head and releasing the
Drumatic EP, which reached back to his dancefloor roots. Around the same time, he was in contact with
Mark Ronson, who invited him to work on
Adele's
25 -- together they produced "Lay Me Down."
Ronson's approach to song structure further inspired
Lil Silva's work, a development that became apparent on his 2016 EP JIMI. The record was his most ambitious to date, featuring dynamic pacing within the songs and introspective lyrics, yet the EP was unmistakably
Lil Silva. The single "Making Sense" arrived in 2018, and with
Sampha,
Lil Silva co-produced
Chip's "Darth Vader" that year. Also in 2018, he contributed to
George FitzGerald's album
All That Must Be. Along with appearing on Kano's "Hoodies All Summer'' in 2019,
Lil Silva once again teamed up with
FitzGerald for their house-inspired project
OTHERLiiNE's singles "Chimes" and "Hates Me." The project's self-titled debut album followed in 2020. Additionally, that year saw
Lil Silva remix
Paul Epworth's "Love Galaxy" and appear with
Melanie Faye on Duval Timothy's single "Fall Again."
Lil Silva then contributed production work to
Serpentwithfeet's 2021 album
Deacon, and reunited with
Sampha for 2022's single "Backwards." ~ Liam Martin