Get to know Salute

While it may not rank with the likes of Berlin or Detroit as a hotbed of electronic music, the city of Vienna has given the world more than its fair share of musical innovators. Once home to both Mozart and Beethoven, the latest musical export from the Austrian capital to get excited about is 20-year-old Salute, aka Felix Nyajó. Now based in Manchester, he’s making the kind of kaleidoscopic electronica you might expect from someone like Rustie or Joker, but with a distinctly soulful pop sheen.

“I’m a huge fan of [70s r’n’b singer] Patrice Rushen,” says Salute, going some way to explain the glossy, retro funk that underlines much of his debut mini-album ‘My Heart”. “All that late 70s and early 80s synth-pop music, I love. It’s so bright!”

His first foray into production was making d’n’b on a pirated copy of Fruity Loops, but his productions have broadened out since to take in influences including grime, funk, trap and classic soul, all of which can be heard on the album. “There isn’t one particular sound that’s prevalent in Vienna, like in London or LA,” explains Salute; “so I look to different places [for influences] and make them my own.”

That’s not to say the Imperial City hasn’t left its mark. “We used to go to classical concerts all the time in school,” he says. “It was a huge influence. It’s why I sample lots of orchestral sounds.” Looks like the city might have another classic on its hands.

‘My Heart’ is out now on 37 Adventures