Biography

Swiss producer Quarion makes deep, techy house with an immersive, unerring groove that makes it as perfect for sofa head-nodders as for the dancefloor. Born Yanneck Salvo in Geneva, he got into music as a child, taking up the saxophone in his teens and becoming a fan of both hip-hop and jazz (Herbie Hancock was a particular influence); later he discovered house and Detroit techno. In the early 2000s, he became part of his home city's unique scene which encompassed all of these genres and blended them together. His first release came in 2003 under the Ianeq moniker, with the hip-house single "The Light" on Mental Groove. He went on to put out several more singles under this name, as well as making nu-jazz and downtempo in the groups Enterplay, Side Hustle, and Square Meal. After a tour of Japan, Salvo was inspired to embrace house music more fully, and released his first single as Quarion, "Karasu," in 2006 on Drumpoet Community. The jiggy, elevating track became a dancefloor favorite and set him on his true path. He moved to Berlin, where he became well-known as a DJ, respected for his deep, eclectic selections; as a recording artist, for his deep, techy house that combined elements of dub, electro, Detroit techno, and even spiritual jazz; and as remixer, turning in dozens of versions for the likes of Darren Emerson, Josh Wink, and Jamie Lloyd. He founded the Retreat label with Hauke Freer, which became the home to many of his releases. He also continued to record for Drumpoet Community, which put out his acclaimed debut album, Shades, in 2019. ~ John D. Buchanan, Rovi