I remember the first time I strapped on that yellow Sony Sports Walkman loaded with a Def Leppard cassette tape, it was pure adrenaline that made riding my little Burton Elite 140 through the trees that much more magical. Not much has changed except the genres I listen to and the kit I listen to them on. Oh, and my knees are not what they used to be, but neither is Def Leppard. My knees probably aged better.
My perspective has always been that music and snowboarding are two great tastes that go great together, and when you hit that sweet spot of perfect powder and the perfect jam, there is almost nothing better. So with that notion in mind, I dropped some questions to professional snowboarder and DJ, Pat Fava, one of today’s more exciting riders on the pro circuit.
Snowboarding has always had its sonics — the scraping sound of the edge on ice, the thump of impact, the crowd hums and hoots that fill in the space between tricks — but Pat Fava hears it all differently. The ThirtyTwo rider, contest killer (X Games Street Style, Red Bull Heavy Metal), and unofficial Chief Vibes Officer of the 32 crew builds his world around music as much as around snow. For him, riding isn’t just movement; it’s cinema. And every great film needs a soundtrack.
His earliest spark came from a Waka Flocka Flame show in Seattle, where a mid-set EDM detour lit up something electric in his brain — a foreshadowing of the late-night warehouse energy that now shapes his style on snow.
In this feature, Pat shares the electronic playlist that scores his riding — a mix of Aphexian glitch, Lobster Theremin grit, and underground breaks that once powered his summer job mowing fairways at dawn and now fuels everything from street missions to powder days. It’s a collection built on emotional arcs, cinematic pacing, and that essential “send” factor only the right song can summon. Consider this not just a rider profile, but a look inside the sound system that keeps one of snowboarding’s most charismatic talents pushing, progressing, and occasionally convincing himself to try the trick that should’ve been left for tomorrow.
Q&A With Pro Snowboarder Pat Fava
What’s your earliest memory of getting into electronic music? Was there a specific track, artist, or trip that flipped that switch for you?
Pat Fava: I remember going to see a Waka Flocka Flame show in Seattle when I was young. He put on EDM music and came off the stage and was dancing in the crowd. It was sick!
Your playlist features artists like Aphex Twin, Lobster Theremin, ET-95, and Froman — deep underground stuff. How did you first start digging into those sounds?
Pat Fava: I had a job at a golf course when I was younger in the summers, that’s when I started really diving into electronic music. I would ride around on the mowers cutting grass from like 5 in the morning til about 1 or 2 in the afternoon. I was constantly finding new music, and a lot of those songs in my playlist are from that time.
The playlist moves through drum & bass, breaks, and house — all with this cinematic, emotional energy. Is that intentional? Do you think of your riding like a soundtrack or do you like to create soundtracks for your riding?
Pat Fava: I intentionally curated the playlist to move through emotional energy! I would say riding is like a soundtrack, you have to have an intro or “warm up” as I’d say in riding. The middle and meat of the song are the middle of the day, when your riding is high energy and you’re feeling good; then the finale, or “cool down,” of a song is similar to the end of the day riding, when you’re low on energy and ready for the next song or to go home.
Do you ever curate playlists for certain conditions — like storm days vs. park laps vs. street missions?
Pat Fava: I definitely have different music for pow days vs. park or street missions. More mellow for pow days, more intense/Hype music for park. When I’m in the streets, I don’t listen to music while filming, BUT when we’re shoveling and getting ready, I like to bump high-energy music!
How does music influence your mindset when you’re dropping into a big feature or contest run?
Pat Fava: Music will 100% be the deciding factor in whether I try something scary or not. I swear, many times in these situations, if I wasn’t bumping a song that got me juiced, I wouldn’t try the trick I’m nervous about.
When you’re editing a video part, do you get involved in picking the track? Any favorite song you’ve used (or wish you could)?
Pat Fava: I have been fortunate enough to choose my last two video part songs: Chief Keef and Future tracks. Rap has always been my favorite, especially to snowboard parts.
If you could have any artist — past or present — score a snowboarding segment for you, who would it be and why?
Pat Fava: I’ve always wanted to use a Project Pat song; hopefully, that can happen in the future. Imagine Project Pat to some Pow Jump clips and street clips, would be so epic. He also follows me on the gram haha cause my insta name is @_project_pat_ , so wild he’s shared my clips on his story before too, haha
A lot of these tracks feel like late-night warehouse energy — is this kind of an audio blueprint of your riding style, unexpected, groovy, etc.?
Pat Fava: I would like to think of my riding as late-night warehouse energy, yes!
You’ve got this mix of style and power in your riding — what’s your half-pipe power move when you’re feeling dialed in?
Pat Fava: Thank you for that comment! I don’t really ride half-pipe; they’re HUGE and icy. So, I’d say my half-pipe power move would be not to die! I’ll ride a mini pipe all day, though.
You’ve won events like X Games Street Style and Red Bull Heavy Metal. Does music play into your competition mindset, or is it more about blocking everything out?
Pat Fava: Music before contests, always. It gets me so hyped to board! I won’t have headphones in the contests, but constantly beforehand. The crowd during a contest gives similar energy to music in my ear!
What’s your current setup — Board, boots, bindings — and what do you look for in your kit when you’re filming or riding street?
Pat Fava: My Board: my new 32 signature XXX Pat Fava pro Model, sickest graphic!
My boots: the 32 Lashed in my signature color way, best boot
My bindings: the new 32 Fase Bindings in my signature color way. The bindings are epic.
Street Kit: all 32 gear! I try to aim for colors or styles that I’d wear in the streets, in my normal clothes, while skating, walking around, or grabbing dinner. Denim, black. Mellow colors.
ThirtyTwo has always had a team known for both performance and personality. How do you bring your own flavor to that crew?
Pat Fava: ThirtyTwo has always been my favorite since a kid for that reason. I just try to be authentically myself. Maybe my flavor addition is electronic music and DJing 32 events haha?
When you get a night off from riding, what kind of venues or parties are you drawn to — small DJ nights, festivals, dive bars?
Pat Fava: You know I like to keep it pretty chill with my lady and stay in most days, unless there’s an event- a movie premiere or something like that. I’d choose the small DJ night out of those three options any day, though!
Any local spots in Utah (or on the road) where you’ve caught a surprisingly good DJ set or sound system?
Pat Fava: When I was in Austria a couple of years ago for DIYX, my homies’ contest, I got to see Kettama play and hung out with him the next couple of nights, haha. I remember we were at a casino and he lost like 700 euros. He was LIVID haha. Epic times. His DJ set was epic.
If snowboarding had its own “afterparty” culture, what would the soundtrack sound like in your world?
Pat Fava: Snowboarding definitely has an afterparty culture, haha! Similar to every culture. Everyone in the end wants to let loose and forget about all the stresses in life. The soundtrack in my world would be Drinking and Dreamin’ by Waylon Jennings! Gotta throw some country in the mix.
Check out Pat Fava on ThirtyTwo Snowboard’s Web Site
The post Pro Snowboarder Pat Fava Shares His favorite Electronic Tunes appeared first on Magnetic Magazine.