Positivo thinking by Juno Daily
MDA Grooves/South Bay Jams interview: “It is entirely about the music, and only the music.”
by Juno Daily on 04.07.2026 at 12:14pm. Last edited: 06.07.2026 at 10:55am.
Positivo thinking
We grab Universo Positivo boss Joseph Salvador for a quick natter about his double life as MDA Grooves and South Bay Jams…
Tell us about MDA Grooves and South Bay Jams. How do they differ, and how are they the same?
MDA Grooves is all about fusing Afro, Latin, and Brazilian music with house and electronica. MDA stands for Mundo De Aventuras (World of Adventures), which was the name of a comic strip series I used to look at before I could even read. The project originally started in Amsterdam alongside a Brazilian singer and a Ghanaian artist. Together, we created the track Batucada Tropical (TINK! Records, 1990), which blended Portuguese vocals, Samba, Carnival, and Batucada drumming rhythms with a House beat. Today, MDA Grooves continues to collaborate with Brazilian, Latin American, and African musicians. It acts as an audiosonic travelogue, bridging different cultures and musical roots with electronic music.
South Bay Jams, on the other hand, is my most recent House project. The name is inspired by where I live today—the south margin of the Tagus River in Lisbon, locally referred to as the South Bay. It’s a diverse region that blends industrial and agricultural landscapes with natural reservations and beautiful coastlines, like the well-known Costa da Caparica and its summer music festivals. Sound-wise, South Bay Jams is driven by my deep passion for the early ’90s, the era when I first started TINK! Records and House music was taking the world by storm.
While they explore different sonic landscapes, both projects stem from the exact same place: my absolute passion for music, studio production, and running record labels. Ultimately, they are both fruits of the way I choose to live my life.
What was the initial idea for the tracks, what was the inspiration, and how did it unfurl and come together over time?
I am incredibly prolific nowadays. I make music day and night in my own recording studio, managing almost every single aspect of production myself. This means if I get an inspiration today, I can have the track release-ready by tomorrow. Because I produce fast and create new music every day, I don’t wait around for anyone else to make decisions—no lawyers, no complex agreements, no bureaucracies. For me, it is entirely about the music, and only the music.
Inspiration hits me from everywhere: places I visit during my travels, a book, a film, a good conversation, or simply the surroundings of where I live. My creative process is a crossover from reality to daydreaming, weaving fantasies of a beautiful world free from the constraints of this one.
Tell us about your label, its history, its artists, its mission, and its vibe.
Universo Positivo started two years ago following an extended trip to Japan. A decade after running Tomorrow Is Now Kid! in Amsterdam, I had spent most of my time traveling before eventually relocating to Portugal. My studio equipment had been packed away in boxes for years, and I was itching to make something new—to get my hands back on the keys and make some noise.
The catalyst happened through Orlando Voorn, whom I’ve known since our Amsterdam days back around 1990. During a conversation, he mentioned he had a track he’d done with Amp Fiddler (Back To Basic, UP001, 2024) and wanted me to release it. I didn’t have to think twice; that became the official launch of Universo Positivo. Since then, I’ve collaborated closely with Orlando on several projects, including Slap My Funk as Voorn & Salvador (UP013, 2025) and What I Love with Orlando & Han Litz (UP009, 2025), alongside several remixes he has done for my tracks. I also recently put out a record with one of my favorite Lisbon artists, Helder Russo (Church Music, UP018), and we have another one planned for later this year.
My mission for Universo Positivo is for it to be a direct outlet for my own projects, as well as a home for a hand-picked selection of artists I deeply admire and consider friends. I wanted an uncomplicated environment free from heavy career expectations. In the past, I started labels for my own music but ended up working full-time managing other artists, completely neglecting my own creative work. Universo Positivo flips that script.
The vibe is all about good times, good energy, and music that is heartfelt and sincere. It doesn’t need to be the next global sensation, a marketing novelty, or radically revolutionary. It just needs to be genuinely made with love. To me, keeping it honest and simple is the best way to move forward into the future, as long as we remain true to ourselves and to the music.
What does 2026 hold for you guys?
2026 is all about keeping the momentum going and staying creative in the studio. We have a highly anticipated follow-up release with Lisbon’s Helder Russo coming later this year, alongside fresh material from my own projects, MDA Grooves and South Bay Jams but also follow up releases of Salphunk and Tokyo Joe Orchestra. The focus remains on putting out high-quality, soulful electronic music, collaborating with close friends, and expanding the catalog of Universo Positivo organically, one genuine release at a time.
Buy ‘Universo Positivo: Remixed’ featuring Kai Alce, JKriv, Medlar & Sean McCabe mixes, here