I have two brand new producer crushes and have already asked one of them to remix a track from out next EP. I wonder if anyone still reads this bad boy, but here are some gems from the underground of Disco House.
This guy is completely unknown to the internet world and deserves so much more exposure. He's from the Bay Area, so promoters GET AT HIM. God I fucking love this track.
It's here. Thank you all so much for your support. We're really tryna make moves this summer, and thus the blogging has taken the backseat. In the meantime, enjoy:
One of the songs on this son-bitch has been over 2 years in the making. After hours of toil, we are extremely proud to release our newest EP. We are fed up with the lack of class among the world, so we shall fill this heinous gap one Disco House track at a time. Hope you have as much fun dancing to it as we had making the album art. God bless Piracy.
Not too long ago, we received an email. I quote: "Hey, There's this guy named Yella Finesse. He makes REALLY GOOD french house music. i think you should check him out and do a post on him.! =). you wont regret it..."
It's not too often that we receive emails from readers promoting other artists (especially fucking French House artists, those two words are the key to my heart), usually it's something more like this:
"Hey, totes love your blog! I read it all the time, serial. Check out my new remix of Katy Gaga! Feel free to post!"
I hate those emails.
But enough about us, let's get to this fantastic new discovery, who happened to be so fantastic that we interviewed him. Without further ado, we are proud to present our interview with Yella Finesse:
Apes with Barrels: If given the opportunity, how would you wine & dine Etienne De Crecy?
Yella Finesse: I would probably take him to McDonalds for a burger or something...lol
AwB: How do you feel about House music today, in all of its forms? Specifically, which trends excite you and which do you wish would just go away?
YF: House music today isn't as strong as it used to be back in the 90's, but believe me its coming back strong over these next few years. The new lineup of producers are just sick, and they're trying to bring back that classic feel that had House so big back in the day. My personal favorite's are nu-disco (of course), french house, and funky house. I really wish deep house would kill itself...smh.
YF: Hahaha!!! The dumbest/ funniest video I've seen in a while. The first jump had me dying!!! Pretty funny video...
AwB: Will French House ever return in a big way? I’ve been waiting, but I’m starting to lose hope.
YF: Of course it will man!!! We're just waiting for that major "One More Time" type of track to show up and blow up the charts. (hopefully i deliver...haha)
AwB: How did you get into House music, and specifically French House?
YF: I got into house right after i heard One More Time (Daft) for the first time. I was 10 years old at the time, and the track had me and my family going crazy. I just started producing about 2 years ago however, after a failed rap career...lol.
AwB: Care to explain the name Yella Finesse?
YF: The name Yella (yellow) is actually a nickname given to me by my family. Everyone else in my family is dark or brown skinned, and i happened to be the only one who came out light skinned. And Finesse just means perfection in french. And there you have it, Yella Finesse.
AwB: Who’s you current favorite French House DJ/Producer? Favorite other DJ/Producer?
YF: Go Go Bizkitt! hands down. He's proven that he can put out great tracks consistently. Haven't heard one track from him that i don't love. My favorite of all time is, and always will be, Mr. Bangalter. In my eyes he gave us the very gift of French House.
AwB: What instruments do you play, if any?
YF: I play the piano and saxophone. I should start playing the drums. Yup, I'm about to start the drums. :)
AwB: Technical questions. What do you use to produce? Do you play live?
YF: I actually use FL Studio and a small M-Audio keyboard i got from a friend up the street...hahah... I rarely use the keyboard though (got a pretty slow laptop).
AwB: Do you ever see yourself producing/working in other genres (including non-electronic)? If so what potential interests do you have?
YF: Ive been listening to a lot of dubstep tracks lately. I love the grimey sound, so i might experiment with that a little bit in the future.
AwB: How/where do you dig for samples?
YF: I usually look around on youtube when im bored, or check out some 70's/80's music blog sites. Sadly I'm not one of those lucky producers who's parents have a crate load of retro records, so the internet is my playground.
AwB: List five tracks that everyone on this blog should hear right now. Go.
Well there you have it. French House lives. And I've just finished listening to the above tracks he recommended, and I've got to say they're killer. Now let's get to some of Yella's excellent work, shall we:
Gonna revive an old series I do here on the development of the best damn genre of dance music there is. This is French House Arrest. You can check out the earlier episodes by clicking on the link under Best of AwB. This episode will be the first on the great year of 1999. I've got one of the best damn French House albums of all time, along with two tracks from some great French dudes.
I love Cassius. At the time, they were like the 'other' Daft Punk that didn't really make it. And deservedly so, they aren't gods, but they did put out one of the best damn French House releases ever. Cassius is Boom Bass and Philippe Zdar, who was a member of Motorbass (the first French House group, read about it HERE), produced the latest Phoenix album, and is producing the new album by The Rapture. Why is this album important? It's a great definition of the genre, that is, the sound they create is cooler than you can ever hope to be. Listening requires lighting up a cigarette.
ALSO, Cassius just released a new EP on Ed Banger Records TODAY. It's not that great, unfortunately, but it's nice to see that Ed Banger still exists and is working with some legends of the past.
Meet Jackson. Sometimes, he goes by Jackson and His Computer Band. However, back in 1999, he was just Jackson. He's sort of fallen into obscurity, unfortunately, but he will always be a legend among the French DJ scene. Here's a little rare gem he released in 1999 that I picked up a while back. Who ever said drum machines have no soul? And if you're looking to cop his recent IDM album, you can do so HERE.
So someone has maliciously fucked with my computer over the weekend and I'm stuck without computorial assistance for my finals. But it's ok because all the worries in your mind, let em go and start advancin:
-J
Download Links for these tracks will come soon:
Fred Falke brings it hardcore:
EDIT: I decided to add a few more!
I Really love this one. Incredible couldn't ask for anything better, especially that last drop:
Not as Crazy about this one, but decided to include it.
I'm in my Politics class about the Middle East and North Africa, so I decided to put up the next batch.
-J
Toys (Felguk Remix) by Perplex, Golden Bannana Winner, that should be enough for you to know I've been listening to this track on repeat.
Think About The Way by Phatzoo Has a really funny part (acting as a buildup), I'm pretty sure I chuckle every time. But it drops into a cool electro beat.
Bastian Van Shield, is someone who I've definitely come to respect even though I only have a few songs. I'm hoping to do a post about this guy pretty soon, but until then this track and the great remix of it will be enough. Just get excited for the future post.
