Yasin comes to us from Brooklyn by way of Paris and has provided an incredible live set full of his own original music, remixes and edits.

At a time when almost everywhere you turn a DJ is fixated on dropping bangers, seeking to ‘kill it’ and keep things perpetually ‘raging’ from behind the decks, an exceptional guy with a slow burning swagger has come along to help equalize the hype. Parisian artist Yasin often spends his late nights returning to the classics (as in classical piano) from his home studio in a nondescript lair, where a fusion of aesthetics converge, ranging from the Blues to Moroccan folk music, sly elements of R&B, to his own blend of psychedelic Algerian disco and beyond. Awash in waves of mysterious piano lines and warm chugging drums, Yasin’s music is a departure of all that is pumped-up, instead drifting along a more circuitous river of melodic emotions and rhythmical movements.

A meticulous combination of his formal training and current exploration of Ableton Live has seen an outpour of edits, remixes and original tunes over the last three years. After debuting with San Francisco’s Lips & Rhythm label, Yasin has seen a swell of fans drawn to his low-slung styles and captivating textures. Music Is 4 Lovers recently got the scoop on Yasin’s journey and some insight on where this talented cat finds his groove.

Hometown Heroes: Yasin from Paris

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Interview with Yasin:

How long have you been making music?
I started putting things together something like five years ago. I didn’t expect or plan to make tracks public at the time.

What did you listen to growing up?
I didn’t listen to many fancy things, mostly folk music & rock /garage rock. The more I look back now, the more I realize that my music has inspirations from the environment I grew up in, what my parents listened to. Oum Keltoum, Gaâda, Abdel Halim Hafez and Fairuz…also Gnawa music and a few albums like Tea for the Tillerman, Deja Vu or the Köln concert that were played on repeat.

When did you start exploring the Paris dance music scene?
Hah, well when I first started going out I didn’t really enjoy it until my friends and I realized there was more to the music scene other then fancy nightclubs. The Paris music scene is insane now.

What is your favorite instrument?
There is a beauty in the simplicity of piano. Even though I’m classically trained, I’ve only started learning piano recently and I’m slowly getting closer to something interesting.

When did you start producing live sets in Ableton?
Last year, when a guy named Jesse Sizmo asked me to play a party at one of his friend’s houses. I produced everything with Ableton so it was only logical to stay in the same environment and I liked the flexibility of being able to blend everything together and get lost in it.

Tell us about your involvement with Lips & Rhythm. What’s that all about?
They are some talented people I’m glad I’ve met. We’ve been tinkering with music for a little bit and I’m sure there’ll be more to come.

As an artist, where do you draw your inspiration?
People, places, daily life; sometimes it’s about paying attention to what you wouldn’t in the first place.

Is there anyone special you’ve been listening to lately that we should know about?
I found this completely randomly, and I know nothing yet about this band, but I’ve been listening to the album F#a#infinity by Godspeed You! Black Emperor on repeat for the past few months and I can’t get enough of it.

You recently relocated to Brooklyn, what is going on there?
Too much to do, too little time.

Are you working on any new projects at the moment and what is on the horizon for you this year?
I’m learning new things and going in new directions. We’ll see…

CHEERS!

Jesse Sizmo
Contributing Editor

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