Salvatore Ganacci
{{Short description|Bosnian-Swedish DJ and record producer}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Salvatore Ganacci
| birth_date = {{birth date|1986|7|29|df=y}}
| birth_place = Sarajevo, SFR Yugoslavia, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina
| image = Salvatore Ganacci @ Airbeat One 2019.jpg
| caption = Salvatore Ganacci (right) together with a lookalike at Airbeat One 2019
| birth_name = Emir Kobilić
| alias =
| origin =
| genre = {{hlist|EDM|moombahton|trap|dancehall}}
| occupation = {{hlist|Record producer|disc jockey}}
| label = {{hlist|OWSLA|Zatara|Refune|Universal Music Group|Mad Decent|Stmpd Rcrds|Spinnin' Records}}
| associated_acts = Sebastian Ingrosso, Major Lazer, Garmiani, Enya, Tommy Cash
}}
Emir Kobilić ({{IPA|bs|ěmir kôbilit͡ɕ}}), known professionally as Salvatore Ganacci ({{IPA|it|salvaˈtoːre ɡaˈnattʃi|lang}}), is a Bosnian-Swedish DJ and record producer. His performances at Tomorrowland in 2018 and 2019 became viral.
Early life
Emir Kobilić was born in Sarajevo, SFR Yugoslavia, and moved to Stockholm, Sweden.{{cite web |title=Salvatore Ganacci |url=https://www.electriclove.at/en/artist-salvatore-ganacci-655 |website=Electric Love |access-date=30 January 2022}} He told an interviewer that his performing name derives from being nicknamed "Salvatore Ganacci" by his childhood friends while playing football, as his "style of play was very Italian".{{cite news | url=https://www.youredm.com/2016/05/10/salvatore-discusses-his-origins-and-inside-jokes-interview/ | title=SALVATORE DISCUSSES HIS ORIGINS AND INSIDE JOKES | first=Mark | last=Fabrick | work=Your EDM | date=May 10, 2016}}
Career
Ganacci began studying at {{ill|Musikmakarna|sv}} in 2010, in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. He went on to work as a producer.{{cite web | url=https://www.musikmakarna.se/sv/framgangar/emir-kobilic | title=Emir Kobilić | website=Musikmakarna}} In 2013, Ganacci, together with Sanjin, released his first song, called "Zlatan", inspired by Swedish footballer Zlatan Ibrahimović.{{Citation |title=Sanjin & Youthman - Zlatan |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ_degb-2D8 |language=en |access-date=2022-02-28}} In the song itself, he used another alias, called "Youthman". In the following year, Ganacci released his collaboration with Sanjin, and Jillionaire of Major Lazer called "Fresh".{{cite news | url=https://www.complex.com/music/2014/04/jillionaire-salvatore-ganacci-sanjin-fresh | title=Jillionaire & Salvatore Ganacci ft. Sanjin - "Fresh" | work=Complex | date=April 25, 2014}} In 2015, Ganacci signed a record deal with Sebastian Ingrosso's Refune Music label.{{Cite web | url=http://www.musikindustrin.se/2015/05/21/musikbolag-salvatore-ganacci-i-avtal-med-refune/ | title=Musikindustrin – MUSIKBOLAG Salvatore Ganacci i avtal med Refune}} He also released a track featuring vocals from Trinidad James entitled "Money in my mattress". MTV News said the accompanying video "will be the weirdest thing you watch all day".{{cite news | url=https://www.mtv.co.uk/news/31q2wd/salvatore-ganaccis-money-in-my-mattress-will-be-the-weirdest-thing-you-watch-all-day | title=Salvatore Ganacci's "Money in my mattress" will be the weirdest thing you watch all day | first=Mike | last=Pell | work=MTV | date=July 20, 2015}} In 2018, he released the track "Jook It" with Tujamo.{{cite news |last1=Todoroski |first1=James |title=Interview: Tujamo discusses Salvatore Ganacci collaboration 'Jook It' |url=https://weraveyou.com/2018/08/jook-tujamo-interview/ |access-date=30 January 2022 |work=We Rave You |date=31 August 2018}}
Ganacci's song "Horse" was released on audio and video in 2019, by Owsla, a label co-owned by Skrillex.{{cite news |last1=Staff |title=Salvatore Ganacci releases bizarre new single and video on Skrillex's OWSLA: Watch |url=https://djmag.com/news/skrillex-releases-bizarre-new-single-and-video-salvatore-ganacci-owsla-watch |access-date=30 January 2022 |work=DJ Mag |date=17 April 2019 |language=en}} It later garnered recognition at the Berlin Music Video Awards and the Grammis. The music video for "Horse" was the overall winner of the Berlin Music Video Awards in 2020, also winning the award for the "Best Concept" category.
The video begins with a group of people in the forest torturing animals, before Ganacci is alerted by an eagle and arrives driving a shoe. He then subjects the torturers to the very punishments they were inflicting on the animals. Billboard commented "it's kind of funny, but mostly it's just bizarre".{{cite magazine |last1=Bein |first1=Kat |title=Salvatore Ganacci On Bizarre "Horse" Video: "I Love To Experiment With What Love Can Be" |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/salvatore-ganacci-horse-music-video-interview-8511256/ |access-date=20 July 2022 |magazine=Billboard |date=13 May 2019}} As of September 2024, the video on OWSLA's official YouTube channel had over 58 million views.{{cite web |title=Salvatore Ganacci - Horse (Official Music Video) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkRkuI0ZgX0 |website=YouTube |access-date=30 January 2022 |language=en}} Ganacci worked with director Vedran Rupic and said about the clip "My message is always about love, but I really love to experiment with what love can be." PopMatters listed "Horse" and also Party Favor's "Wasabi" which featured Ganacci in its best dance tracks for 2019.{{cite news |last1=Lathan |first1=Ryan |title=The Best Dance Tracks of 2019, PopMatters |url=https://www.popmatters.com/best-dance-songs-of-2019-2641528066.html |access-date=30 January 2022 |work=PopMatters |date=19 December 2019}}
Ganacci's next authored release was the "Boycycle" EP, which also came with a video. The new song had vocals from Sébastien Tellier and the video told the story of a being who is half-man, half-motorcycle.{{cite news |last1=Paredes |first1=Josue |title=Salvatore Ganacci Releases "Boycycle" EP |url=https://www.edmtunes.com/2020/02/salvatore-ganacci-releases-boycycle-ep/ |access-date=30 January 2022 |work=EDM Tunes |date=18 February 2020}} Ganacci collaborated again with Rupic to make the video for "Step-Grandma" in 2021. He later received Best Performance in a Video at the UK Music Video Awards.
In 2018, Ganacci performed at Tomorrowland Festival in Belgium and received attention due to his dancing and comedic antics. Billboard, Mixmag and NME gave his performance positive reviews, and clips of it went viral on the internet.{{Cite magazine |last=Bein |first=Kat |date=2019-05-13 |title=Salvatore Ganacci On Bizarre 'Horse' Video: 'I Love To Experiment With What Love Can Be' |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/salvatore-ganacci-horse-music-video-interview-8511256/ |access-date=2023-09-20 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US}}{{cite magazine |last1=Bein |first1=Kat |title=Salvatore Ganacci Puts on Eye-Popping Performance at Tomorrowland 2018 With Hip-Shaking Set: Watch |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/tomorrowland-2018-salvatore-ganacci-8466620/ |access-date=30 January 2022 |magazine=Billboard |date=23 July 2018}}{{cite news |last1=Funster |title=Salvatore Ganacci is the performance artist dance music needs right now |url=https://mixmag.net/feature/salvatore-ganacci-is-the-performance-artist-dance-music-needs-right-now |access-date=30 January 2022 |work=Mixmag |date=25 July 2018}}{{cite news |last1=Trendell |first1=Andrew |title=The best or worst ever? This DJ's Tomorrowland set has gone viral |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/salvatore-ganacci-best-worst-ever-djs-tomorrowland-set-gone-viral-2358565 |access-date=30 January 2022 |work=NME |date=24 July 2018}} He returned to the main stage of Tomorrowland the following year, beginning his set by standing in the crowd booing his own performance.{{cite news |last1=Staff |title=Tomorrowland MC Says He's on Ketamine for Salvatore Ganacci Intro |url=https://edm.com/events/salvatore-ganacci-tomorrowland-2019 |access-date=30 January 2022 |work=EDM.com |date=28 July 2019 |language=en}} He also played at Electric Daisy Carnival at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.{{cite news |title=Hear EDC sets from David Guetta, Tiësto, Don Diablo, Alison Wonderland, Salvatore Ganacci, more |url=https://djmag.com/news/hear-edc-sets-david-guetta-ti%C3%ABsto-don-diablo-alison-wonderland-salvatore-ganacci-more |access-date=30 January 2022 |work= DJ mag |date=20 May 2019 |language=en}}
Ganacci occasionally posts comedic shorts in his YouTube channel; much like his music videos, these sketches tend to explore the humor in absurdist and surreal situations they depict.
On 3 April 2025, Ganacci was announced as a playable character in the fighting game Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves.{{Cite web |title=Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves adds DJ Salvatore Ganacci as playable fighter |url=https://www.gematsu.com/2025/04/fatal-fury-city-of-the-wolves-adds-dj-salvatore-ganacci-as-playable-fighter |website=Gematsu |date=April 3, 2025 }}
Awards and nominations
| class="wikitable" |
| style="background:#ccc; text-align:center;"
! scope="col" | Year ! scope="col" | Ceremony ! scope="col" | Award ! scope="col" | Nominated work ! scope="col" | Result ! scope="col" | Ref. |
| rowspan="3" | 2020
| rowspan="3" | Berlin Music Video Awards | Best Music Video | "Horse" | {{won}} |
| Best Concept
| "Horse" | {{won}} |
| Best Narrative
| |Nominated | |
| 2020
| Grammis | Music Video of the Year | "Horse" | {{won}} |
| 2021
| Best Performance in a Video | "Step-Grandma" | {{won}} |
| 2022
|Best Animation |FIGHT DIRTY |Nominated | |
| 2023
|Best Narrative |Take Me To America |Nominated | |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.salvatoreganacci.com Official website]
- {{Discogs artist|artist=3315248}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ganacci, Salvatore}}
Category:Reggae fusion artists
Category:Musicians from Stockholm
Category:Swedish record producers
Category:Swedish male songwriters
Category:Swedish people of Bosnia and Herzegovina descent
Category:Electronic dance music DJs