DJ Yass isn’t shy of a killer vocal or two. His past productions ‘He Reigns’ and ‘My Only’ feature memorable gospel vocals layered over Yass’ trademark grooves and have been firm favourites on Defected dancefloors around the world. Now he’s teamed up with long-time Martin Solveig collaborator Jay Sebag on his latest production ‘All to Me’. We caught up with them in an inquisitive mood…
Yass: Your voice has been compared to Justin Timberlake…how do you feel about that?
Jay: Well, Timberlake's main influence is Michael Jackson and just like 5 billion people on this planet, I've listened to Michael a lot myself...so I’d rather be compared to the original master.
Y: Am I nicer to work with than Martin Solveig?
J: Tough question, you’re both very good friends!! But music-wise probably a bit more with Yass; working with Martin is more framed in terms of what he wants, sound, performance, etc…
Y: Being French, is it sometimes difficult to get the English lyrics exactly as you would like them?
J: Ask an English audience; it feels alright to me!
Y: What other projects are you working on at the moment?
J: As a songwriter I'm releasing a song for a very famous French artist named Amel Bent and another one in Japan for a huge local artist. As a singer, I'm thinking of an album for myself...just started...and still touring a lot in many places.
Y: Tell me about the best PA you’ve ever done…what did you perform?
J: I'd say with the mythical Parisian Olympia at Martin live show. Not the largest audience I ever did – that happened in 2000 when I happened to sing in front of 25,000 many times and 40,000 one time at the Stade de France – but the vibes were simply amazing.
Jay: How did we end up working together on ‘All to Me’?
Yass: After many discussions about our different feelings in the recent gigs we had, we imagined a song we’d like to perform in a club together (Jay on stage and myself on the decks). A celebration track, made with different influences containing a funky base, a catchy beat and an uplifting vocal. We had a lot of fun choosing the rights parts from the tons of ideas we had. After many years working together on many projects, I think ‘All to Me ‘ is a good balance of what we both felt.
J: What was the inspiration behind the track?
Y: We wanted it funky...talking about love as a message. It starts with some good strong chords, following a natural feeling inspired by Jay’s flow. The song is just a good bunch of funky influences combined in house music...
J: What the reaction been like when you’ve played it out?
Y: I’ve had great reactions in the clubs and it was a surprise to me to see how the response is amazing in the clubs that are usually more mainstreams. It seems to be touching different scenes at the same time.
J: How does it compare to your previous productions?
Y: It’s still house and funky but the format is a bit different, maybe more catchy with simpler arrangements. It’s a choice we made, to see how it would be to make something different, still interesting for DJ sets as the previous one but good as well for radio playlists . Also we did it less gospel than my previous productions, the vocals are very different. I like a lot the Roy Rox and Daniel Bovie mix for the bigger room...
J: What’s next on the cards for us?
Y: A bullet on the way! We are cooking it with love, it will be ready soon...to be continued...
'All to Me' is out now on Defected. Click to listen & buy.
