yayanights

[yayanights]

YAYA x MOAN presents Artslaves - The Q&A

Ahead of their debut for YAYA at Gonzo’s Tea Room in Norwich we caught up with Artslaves and asked them a few questions about their label Moan, what makes the Naples scene so special and what the future holds for their label and their music...

Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/153939658564999/

RA: https://www.residentadvisor.net/events/1075183

You're playing for YAYA at Gonzo's Tea Room with a small intimate capacity, tell us what you love about playing intimate venues? 

We often play for intimate venus, we love them! The atmosphere, the warm of the people and also the music we play in this kind of situation could be very different from big club/open air. Maybe inside such clubs we could really be 100% ourselves.

Naples has a reputable house and techno scene, Capriati told Vice in 2015 that he thinks it's comparable to Berlin or Detroit, what do you think is special about Naples when it comes to electronic music? 

We love our Town! We grew up going at the biggest clubs we have there, listen to our myths from the past! There's a big music culture and people really love to party here and to express their joy into listening a good dj playing good music! 

What plans do you have for 2018, any upcoming big releases or cool festival's you're playing at? We are focused at the moment on a big collaboration with one of our favourite producers. We still can't reveal who is...but it will be very soon! We have some festival options for the summer! Crossed fingers! 

Moan is a label with good solid releases from some of the scene's most respected artists but also put's out releases from newer lesser known producer's... why do you think it's important to have both on your label?

We love to listen to music and demos from everyone, big names or raising talents, and sometimes unknown artists could give their best and provide really quality music. Our politic is to give as much visibility as we can to all, solid producers or young ones, most of the times, putting together music from newcomers with some big remixes from the best artists on the scene. 

What does the future hold for Moan? 

That's a good question! Music is changing everyday! We need to work hard to stay always on top, following our style but without leaving out future music tendencies. 

What would be your dream venue to play in? 

We would love one day to play at Amnesia Ibiza for Music on family. They are giving us much support for our music and label..but the way is still so long. We'll never give up! 

Who’s your favourite producer? 

We have many favourite. One we've been following since the start is Radioslave, even if he is bit more techno compared to what we usually play, but for sure one of the pioneers of today music. 

If you could have a B2B with anyone past or present, who would it be? 

Maybe with Marco Carola at the Amnesia Terrace, or also with Danny Tenaglia at Cielo New York.

Artslaves Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/weareartslaves

Artslaves Beatport: https://www.beatport.com/artist/artslaves/252896

[yayanights]

Craig & Grant Gordon Meets YAYA - Q&A

Ahead of their YAYA debut at Gonzo’s Tea Room, Norwich - we caught up with Craig & Grant Gordon to see how they got where they are and what plan’s they have for the future...

Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/890856271095270/

RA: https://www.residentadvisor.net/events/1065088

Tell us a little bit about yourselves? We are Craig & Grant Gordon, brothers that produce & play groovy minimal & low-slung tech house. We have releases on Sanity, NoExcuse, SK Recordings, High Pressure and our music has been supported by Marco Carola, Stefano Noferini, Latmun, Cuartero, Joey Daniel, Neverdogs, Emery Warman & more. How long have you guys been DJing/Producing together? We’ve been playing together for about 3 years and producing for 2. Before that we’d been playing separately for different residencies but decided it made sense to join together.   You've had some releases on reputable labels early on in your career, you must be over the moon, how did this come about? It helped that Marco Carola played one of our first releases at the Music On closing party in 2016. That helped us get the attention of a lot of labels that we sent music to. And since then our tracks have been played by a lot of other big names which we’re really happy about. What exciting things have you got planned this year with releases/events/festivals? We’ve got quite a lot coming up with releases on Under No Illusion, Infamous Recordings and Shake. We’re playing Parklike festival and continuing our London residency for Eclipsar in Shoreditch. Your favourite producer at the moment? Probably a guy called Zlatnichi, we really enjoy everything he puts out and play at least one of his tracks every set. Best gig you've played so far? Too many to possibly pick one!… Guilty pleasure? Avicii

If you want to check out Craig & Grant Gordon before they play at YAYA, here’s a few links to keep you busy..

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/craigandgrantgordon

Beatport: https://www.beatport.com/artist/craig-and-grant-gordon/508034

[yayanights]

YAYA presents Nick Curly (03/04/15) + YAYA 1st birthday with Jacky & Denney (18/04/15)

Norwich is getting a lot of press these days but it feels like it’s been a good while since a really massive name in underground house music came here. Apparently YAYA has gained a good reputation and DJs are keen to experience that which makes YAYA so popular for themselves.

This time 8Bit and Cecille Records head Nick Curly made his way to the fine City. The news came much to local house heads delight!

Here’s some highlights from YAYA presents Nick Curly 3rd April:

Perry Bower played an excellent opening set to the evening with some down tempo, jazzy numbers to warm us up.

Dunny followed and true to form he didn’t hold back! He kindly told me that a highlight for him was playing a track that Mark Malle and myself produced called “Make It Rain”... Big compliment, cheers Dunny!

It’s currently available as a free download from the Housik soundcloud if you fancy having a listen or DL:

https://soundcloud.com/housikclothing/malle-stride-make-it-rain

Another highlight for Dunny was this belter:

Dill and Curror were an obvious choice leading up to the headliner with their trademark groovy tech house vibes.

Dill Farnham - “Finally had a moment to reflect on Friday nights antics.. What a night! Massive thank you for everyone that came down to support, the YAYA crowd was out in full force and the dance floor was bouncing! Massive vibes all night. Supporting DJs all played fantastic sets, and Nick Curly.. Well, he did what he does best all the way to the end, he blew my mind, and personally the whole night was a highlight of my DJ career. A massive shout to everyone involved! Couldn't be happier to be part of the YAYA family 🔊 xxx”

Then the moment came for Mr Curly to grace the decks and he didn't disappoint...

Nick “There’s a big gap between what these kids want to hear and what I want to let them hear.”

His set featured tight kicks, lo fi funky basslines and showcased heavier tech sounds such as Adam Beyer - Take Me Away :

Nick Curly - “One of my favourite gigs in the UK since a long time. Thanks ‪#‎Yayanights‬ !”

Mark Malle - “Unbelievable evening with the YAYA family, very strong turnout, was great to rave with you all. Nick Curly? Wow. Dale, Stu, Alex & Ethan smashed it in their sets too. Job well done Lee & Heather. Job well done!”

The 2nd YAYA installment for April on the 18th was their 1st birthday party! For this 2 headline DJs were booked and I was lucky enough to warm up for them which as you can imagine was very exciting! I won’t be so much of a narcissist to put up a picture of myself but I will say it was probably the most enjoyable gig I’ve had to date and definitely one that I’ll always remember!

Mixing in this chugger by Blondish was one of fav moments:

Viva musics new recruit Denney is doing extremely well with gigs all over the globe currently so it was very cool to see him here in Norwich. He came on straight after me and played an awesome, dynamic set with claps and clout!

Denney - “YAYA in Norwich is one of the best underground parties I've played in the UK...loved it! x”

Last but certainly not least, rising star Jacky from Keep It Zen Records took to the decks and laid down a set picked out from the very summit of the draw. With Steve Lawler's strong support for Jacky’s latest you are bound to hear a lot more from this top DJ/producer.

Jacky - “WOW.....What a CLASS night! I can't explain how good YAYA in Norwich was last night  I would go as far as saying it's one of my favourite gigs to date!!!”

Jacky - “Amazing venue, unreal crowd and the guys who run the party are the nicest bunch....

Thank you to all of you sound heads who came down and made it such a special night“

Tom Jenkins - “YAYA as per usual, went fully off. Great vibes & people, Denney played a blinder of a set & then Jacky Maughan took the decks and played a bloody blinder too, was fully having it”

Dale Farnham - “Absolute belter of a night last night at YAYA! DJs & crowd were fantastic, and the vibe was something else! Saw our 1st birthday out in true YAYA style, right till the end! A massive shout to everyone that came to support! Let's see what the next 12 months has to offer! 🔊”

Megan Copsey - “Was an unreal night, reflected every bit of passion and life the whole entire yaya family and friends throw into it! xo”

Check the evidence in this video ;)

Thanks for reading, see you soon!

Cheers,

David Downing

http://facebook.com/StrideSound

http://soundcloud.com/stride87

[yayanights]

Just uploaded YAYA Nights Episode #006 to Mixcloud. Listen now!

[yayanights]

Just uploaded YAYA Nights Episode #006 to Mixcloud. Listen now!

[yayanights]

YAYA -7th Feb 2015 with Weiss

In the gloom of early february it’s nice to know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We appreciated that lot of folk were behaving at the start of the year… Some even going in on a ‘dry’ January! For many in norwich the reward and reprieve came in the form of a party blowout!

At the risk of repeating myself I’ll keep this blog fairly brief and just bring you some of the highlights to refresh your memory box or indeed, just fill you in.

Consistently YAYA at Gonzos Tea Room fills up early with the promise of another great night. I arrived as residents Dill Farnham, Stu Curror and Freshstartlee were taking turns spinning on the warm up charge.  Some alluring house vibes filled the room with a swing to loosen those tight joints. These guys know how to set the scene and drew the clans into movement early on.

Carl Woodward stepped up to the wheels next with his warm up set. Being a vinyl enthusiast at heart I always appreciate hearing Carl play his records from the past and present. All of which are native to a place a little deeper underground than most. His sets provide a unique sound with depth, class and a dark edge which is always received well by house heads.

Highlights tracks were the hypnotic Ricardo Villalobos - Mormax

http://youtu.be/LxIhaXjyj40

And the spacey Nguyen - We Can Do It

http://youtu.be/rawD-LcuyLM

Next up was Kings Lynn's Mark Malle who brought with him a great selection of catchy tracks.  I spoke to Mark after the event and he told me that “the overall vibe of YAYA is always memorable, it gives the opportunity to bond with old faces as well as creating a friend with new ones”

Mark - “I dropped Sven Tasnadi - Feel Good and I watched people move away from the bar and on the dance floor”

At this point the night moved up a gear and I agree this was a cracking highlight! If you like a thick bassline checkout this track on the link below:

http://youtu.be/aJy3gEevGHc

Perry Bower graced the decks prior to the headline act and played a belter of a set keeping up the momentum for Weiss who was waiting in the wings (enjoying a drink with the YAYA crew)!

Perry - ‘the highlight was the energy and the vibe from the crowd. Best I've seen at YAYA! ‘My musical highlight was bringing in SEFF - like that’

Another first-rate track you can sample on the link bellow:

http://youtu.be/JWyZ12eN2gA

The headline act Weiss jumped up last to play out to the packed venue bringing with him his selection of jacking grooves. Weiss played a bold, sub ladened selection of tracks with percussion and vocal hitting the right spots and moving the floor.

About midway through the set I recognised a track I have in my own collection. This was the Weiss remix of Green Velvet - Robots and it went down a storm (see link below)!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyGPlglKXg0

The Finale of the night was his latest single ‘Our Love’ which he saved until the last few minutes. This was undeniably a very fitting chriscendo and definitely a memorable moment from a memorable night.  See you next time!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKuLHPV3d9g

Thanks for reading! David Downing http://facebook.com/StrideSound http://soundcloud.com/stride87/tracks http://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/stride

[yayanights]

Just uploaded YAYA Nights Episode #005 to Mixcloud. Listen now!

[yayanights]

YAYA blog #05 29.11.2014 and the Halloween Party

Happy new year revellers and music enthusiasts! I hope you’ve made the most of the festive weeks leading up to Christmas and the New Year!  This blog is going to be a bit special as I’ll be briefly writing up the Halloween party and of course the last biggy on the 29th November.

First off let’s talk about the Halloween party. This was a lesser promoted affair as the DJs were all locally based. Aside from trusty YAYA residents Stu and Dill on the decks, ‘Somewhere’s Carl Woodward and myself were booked in to play!

As you’d expect on all hallows eve the atmosphere was spooky, the crowd were up for it and yes it goes without saying there were costumes a plenty.

Consistently brilliant as always Stu and Dill played us into the night with a great selection of deep tech, suffice to say the place was hoppin’ well in time for Carl Woodwards return to Norwich nightlife.  Carl played a trippy tinged but very classy house and techno set that in my eyes was reminiscent of past times spent in Londons top bars and club. Carl told me that the vibe and clientele took him back to days spent at his night ‘Somewhere’ at Henry's.  I remember and loved attending these parties so I hope for a return one day maybe?!  His last track ‘Dimitri From Stoke On Trent - I Wanna Be Your Lobster’ went down a storm as it was clear everyone was loving the classic funky house finale! I remember it well because after Carls massive applause yours truly was up next!

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/ximhs9_dimitri-from-stoke-on-trent-i-wanna-be-your-lobster_music

I was very much looking forward to my debut for YAYA and it didn’t disappoint. Highlights for me were slapping my drum pads to The Junkies - Quartro Uno Sei (Uglh and Federico Locchi Mix) and debuting a new unsigned track of mine which seemed to go down nicely. The crowd were predictably on top form as always and it being one of the best parties I’ve played at in Norwich I very much hope to play again!

http://youtu.be/lXORkdjUcZY

Moving swiftly on now to the story of YAYA November 29th. This last event featured resident Perry Bower, Flo Lacy, Wozza and of course Viva Warriors Anëk! Perry Bower kicked off the night in a good fashion with some fine house winter warmers! Alex (Perry Bower) put it very simply on his facebook status stating that ’the night was everything YAYA was about. Great music, atmosphere and people.’

Living up to the text written in bold on her T-shirt reading ‘Flo-Rider’ Flo Lacey stepped up to ride for the secondary slot to an already packed ‘Gonzos’ (as is now the norm).  Her set Flo’ed on as played an eclectic mix using vinyl and digital mediums which is always nice to see! She shook the dancefloor and the temperature rose as she dropped Can you feel it (Supernova mix) Chez Damier amongst many fresh tunes and stated ‘it was a nice old favourite to drop in from '12’. ’

http://youtu.be/X7r_MpGcAFg

Wozza preceded Flo and I don’t think I could publicize his take on the night better than the man himself:

Wozza - “I have to say from my perspective YAYA is setting the standard for House music in Norwich . The YAYA crew have their fingers on the pulse when it comes to the underground variety of deep and Tech house. Also with their choices of headliners and support dj's they know how to deliver the perfect night from the top all the way down allowing the continuity of the night to dovetail seamlessly . When Lee asked me to warm up for Anëk I was beyond chuffed. The VIVA Music brand is what I try to generate with the flavour of sound I use in my sets and Lee and the gang recognised that . I programmed a set for the night that had energy but complimented Anëks sound perfectly. I think it worked well. I had great feedback from everyone and kept the dance floor buzzing . My first track set the mood for my set and the rest was filled with some old Skool ACID which gave it a Warehouse underground energetic groove! It certainly did the job. For me personally I felt it was the best set I've ever played and I've played a number including Ministry of Sound - Honey Club Brighton - Turnmills London!! Supporting Anëk , the venue, YAYA , the crowd , Anëks set which was amazing! It doesn't get better than this anywhere, let alone Norwich!”

Wozza's acid laced set was indeed energetic and it paved the way to the headliners with credit! Yup, heading up the night was Danish best friends Anëk! Originating from Copenhagen they are the first female duo to become part of the exclusive VIVa MUSiC roster!  These friendly ladies played an energetic set with a lot of old school influence and occasionally melodic vibes.  Thankfully they debuted a few exclusive tracks such as their new remix from producer ‘Lee Walker’ which went down a storm.

https://soundcloud.com/leewalkermusic1/lee-walker-mind-control-anek-remix-mile-end-records

Anëk smashed it until closing time applause appearing to genuinely enjoy themselves and this reflected out into the humble venue space. This is all too evident in the following video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xofPWtzkwTE

Wozza - “The intimacy of the venue adding to the dj sets with a closeness that isn't compared anywhere else . This gives a crowd and dj's a real sense of togetherness that works perfectly. I've honestly played out a fair bit and I can safely say YAYA is got it going on and long may it continue!!!”

Thanks for reading!

Cheers,

David Downing

http://facebook.com/StrideSound

http://soundcloud.com/stride87/tracks

http://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/stride

[yayanights]

YAYA presents Anëk - Q&A's

Ahead of their first appearance in Norwich for YAYA this Saturday we caught up with Anëk for a quick fire question and answer round...

1. How did you both meet and how did you become Anëk?

We both went to the same school when we were younger in Copenhagen Denmark. When we became teenagers we both developed the same taste for electronic music and would go out to parties together. Our first trip to Ibiza back in 2001 really changed things for us, as we bought our first vinyls when we were there. This is kind of where it all started, from just being passion about the music, to buying the records, and starting to DJ together.

2. YAYA is held at Gonzo's which has a capacity of just 140. From speaking to you in Ibiza you seemed really excited about playing in such a intimate venue... What do you love about intimate parties and when was the last time you played somewhere as small as Gonzo’s?

Yes for sure we love small venues. We love the intimate feeling of a smaller club.. Maybe its because we really love to be able to have a connection with the crowd when we play.. When you can watch people up close you can kind of analyse them better and take the crowd on a bit of a journey, depending of what they respond to and so on. Dont get us wrong, it can of course be amazing to play in a big club too. Its just 2 different experiences. Last time we played in a small venue like Gonzo's was probably at Culture Box in Copenhagen.. We played in the very hot and small basement, and it was a lot of fun.

We are definitely looking forward to play at Gonzo’s on Saturday, and it will be our first time in Norwich too :) 

3.. Being part of VIVa Music and playing VIVa warriors parties must be incredible. How did you come under Steve Lawler's radar?

Yes its so incredible. VIVa MUSIC and the VIVa Warriors crew is like one big family, who all support each other. One big music family. The parties are just incredible and not at least to mention the crowds at these parties.. It feels like we are all one family, not just the DJ’s, but the people there dancing. Its that kind of vibe, that we are all in it for the same reason, love of music. 

We first came under Steve’s rader when he signed one of our tracks to a VIVa MUSiC EP.

4.. VIVa Warriors at Sankey's was one of the best nights I've ever been to; great club, amazing music and an awesome crowd. How was it be one of the resident's for such a successful and well respected night in Ibiza?

Thats so amazing to hear that you had such a great time :) Being residents this summer has definitely been a highlight of our career so far. We just loved playing for the VIVa Warriors every week. Couldn’t have thought of a better way to spend our Sundays :) 

5. What exciting things have you got lined up for the rest of the year and into 2015?

Lots of things coming up rest of this year and next. We are working on a lot of remixes at the moment. Also planning a new release on our own label “Kena” Records, and signing out a new EP we have just finished. Gig wise we are looking forward to play with the VIVa Warriors in Leeds beginning of dec, Sankeys Manchester, Rainbow in Birmingham, Romania for new years eve. Hannover Germany, The Egg London January 2015, and so on :)

Anëk, thank you for your time and we look forward to seeing you on Saturday :)

[yayanights]

Just uploaded YAYA Nights Episode #004 to Mixcloud. Listen now!

[yayanights]

Just uploaded YAYA Nights Episode #004 to Mixcloud. Listen now!

[yayanights]

YAYA - 4th October 2014

Christening the start of this spooky month we saw the change of the seasons and another of Norwichs favourite house music event...YAYA!

Possibly the teams biggest event to date as headliner, the world renowned “Waifs and Strays” made his name at the top of the bill.  Yet again YAYA managed to pull another MASSIVE underground act to our intimate norwich crowd.

Thankfully the doors opened relatively early at 9pm allowing time for the masses to replete the humble venue.  Gonzos filled it’s boots to the brim in record time and the place was heaving by about half 10 setting the desired atmosphere early on!

Ian Vale started proceedings and was followed by CA~NA boss Scott George as they played smooth, bassy tracks the get the cockles warmed. Indeed the heat was palpably rising as I took a step back to feel the YAYA buzz manifest.

  http://youtu.be/-Upqf7lRV00

  In Scott's words,

“From the moment I dropped one of my old faves as the 1st tune Bostro Pesopeo - Cheer Up I could feel the energy and knew it was gonna' be an awesome night! One of my fave artist currently is Alix Alvarez and I played a couple of his tunes too and was very pleased with them. Also one of my classic fave is Bar A Thym by Kerri Chandler which always does the biz. YAYA parties are always great fun and it was a pleasure to play!”

  http://youtu.be/pw5j9VOqy9A

  Residents Stu and Dill who are becoming better known these days for their reliably solid and moving sets didn’t disappoint.  These guys bring with them a mediterranean vibe bought back through Ibizan inspiration no doubt with tracks like this:

  https://soundcloud.com/nickcurly/8bit082-a1-snippet

  Their sense of occasion has become as much a part of YAYA as the T-rex head overseeing the waves of limbs and smiling heads.

Mark Malle proceeded after the duo and played a corker of a set.  His musical trip floated around the percussive end of the deep house pool. Fists pumping to the minimal rhythms of Koen Groeneveld - Dig Disk

  http://youtu.be/cewwO1hR5uY

  Another highlight was the room filling Erik Hagleton - Pressure

  http://youtu.be/gw9cthSPTRE

  Mark left the crowd wanting more when he finished but up stepped Waifs and Strays to a hyped floor.  I managed to catch a quick word before his set and he said that he loved the family vibe and people of YAYA and was very much looking forward to playing!

W&Ss delivered a chunky set of new tracks that gave the YAYA crew what they ordered with extra sides.

  https://soundcloud.com/waifs_strays

The familiar chants of ‘One More Tune’ signaled the end the the evening as we had already surpassed official closing time.  It was clear by the positive glow on the patrons faces that Octobers party was another success.  Positivity spreads so lets keep this going and let’s allow Gonzos and YAYA to act as a beacon to influence Norwich. See you next time.

Cheers for reading!

David Downing

http://facebook.com/StrideSound

http://soundcloud.com/stride87/tracks

http://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/stride

[yayanights]

Just uploaded YAYA Nights Episode #003 (July 2014) to Mixcloud. Listen now!

[yayanights]

YAYA - 7th June 2014

With plenty going on this June (I’ll try not to mention the 'footy') the first Saturday of the month could not have been better! If you live in Norwich and you’re into your house music you'd probably be aware that recently it was of course the return of YAYA and their second installment of the new house music party!

  Norwich's top ‘four to the floor’ soiree was held in the same geographical location as before however this time there was a noticeable difference. The venue had a complete makeover and it exhibited vast, visual revisions in contrast to it’s previous stylings!  It was clear we were definitely no longer in old Kartel as we were welcomed into “Gonzos Tea Room”!  This is the quirky new name for our beloved bar in the Center of the fine City.  YAYA proved that the new venue had exactly what it takes to host a proper party as well as its predecessor, if not better!

  Free sweets, stickers and original cocktails were the order of the day as the venue filled up at speed.  Fortunately for the punters, in his flash get up Heisenberg from Breaking Bad made sure the bar staff were working hard...

    Whilst the kingpin looked on, it was hard not to notice a massive plaster of paris T- Rex head overseeing residents Dill Farnham and Stu Curror who were on warm up duty.  These were just some of the cool knick-knacks situated around the building.  Again the bar filled to capacity during Stu and Dills set and by the time the melodic grooves of Chaim - Blue Shadow could be heard the bar cruised into top gear and the YAYA buzz was back in full force for a second time.

  https://soundcloud.com/soperunivers/chaim-blue-shadow-original-mix-promotional-purpose

  Pre-set I managed to catch a quick chat with the easy going headline act Clancy who seemed to resonate strongly with the YAYA team and crowd. He vouched for the atmosphere saying that it felt like a proper party.  He graced the decks at about half 12 to release some of his peak time weapons into the space. Clancy played his polished house style with big kicks and claps supporting melodic basslines spattered with occasional euphoric peaks breaking through.  Of course to the delight of his fans, he included some of his own productions in his set. These were “Overdue”, “Giving You Up”, “All Just In My Mind”, and the FREE DOWNLOAD “Take it slow”

All available to checkout on soundcloud:

Overdue : https://soundcloud.com/mixmag-1/premiere-clancy-overdue   Giving You Up : https://soundcloud.com/xlr8r/clancy-giving-you-up All Just In My Mind : https://soundcloud.com/clancymusic/clancy-all-just-in-my-mind-1 Take It Slow : https://soundcloud.com/clancymusic/clancy-take-it-slow-free

  A major highlight near the end of his set was the moment when “Oxia - Domino” was dropped

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FO566BKY2Jc). You cannot underestimate the power of this track to bring the house down and it did exactly that!

Finally rounding off the party was YAYA resident Perry Bower who played a sweet eclectic mix of house vibes which kept the party pumping all the way to the end. Of course it goes without saying, YAYA number 2 was indeed another superb night.  Viva YAYA!

Thanks for reading!

David Downing [ http://facebook.com/StrideSound http://soundcloud.com/stride87/tracks http://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/stride ]

[yayanights]

YAYA @ TBC - 07.06.14 - Clancy Q & A’s

What an compelling few weeks it’s been for Norwich and its thriving club/bar scene.  It’s too bad Kartel is no more... But don’t despair, like a butterfly it has re-emerged (in a sense) as the quirky named Gonzos Tea Room!

  Yes, according to the owners the new venue is now set to be a “loungey, funky, vintagey, rather cool little bar, that is not too loud, dark, ravey and is officially scary and repellent to chavs.”  Sounds pretty decent to us, so we’ll look forward to seeing how the venue shapes up and slots back into our beloved City.

  As you may have already heard the YAYA team continue striving to bring in top artists to Norwich and after the massive success of the first party our next biggie is shaping up to be another great night as we play host to Clancy!

  Clancy, born in Manchester and residing in London, has been producing hypnotic, techno-infused deep house music since 2011 and was selected as the first artist to release his ‘What you do’ E.P to launch on Dirt Crew’s sub label S P I E L in 2013.

  Our next event will be on the 7th June so keep your ear to the ground for venue details.  In the run up to the gig Clancy has kindly agreed to answer some questions for us so without further adieu:

  1. It's an exciting time for us in Norwich with it's growing house scene and we're super excited to have you playing for us at YAYA on 7th June, will this be your first time playing in Norwich? Yeah it will be – not only my first time playing but also my first time in Norwich – I’ve heard so many good things about the scene you guys have so I’m proper excited about coming in and playing

2. Dirt Crew chose you as the first artist to release on their sub label S P I E L, how did it feel to be chosen as the first artist and how did this come about? It felt great - I've loved Dirt Crew for ages so I sent the EP over to them as demos and they got back straight away saying they wanted to sign. They mentioned they were thinking about setting up sub-label and would I like to be the first person to release on it – I of course said yes, and it all just happened from then on. I felt honoured to have the first release on the label – was a proud moment

3. What can we expect from you in the future? Anything that's really exciting you? I've just signed my next EP to Anjunadeep which is due to come out in the summer – there’s some new remixes to come out before that and another EP to follow it – I've been locked in the studio for the last month so there’s a lot of new music coming - can’t wait to get all the new stuff out there! There’s upcoming shows in the UK including festival sets at Glastonbury and Secret Garden Party and I'll also be in Ibiza at Space – exciting times!

4. Some artists move on from releasing E.P after E.P and go on to produce artist album's with music less focused on the dance floor, but more on musicality. What's your opinion on artist albums and is it something you could see yourself doing? I love artist albums and it’s definitely something I’d be up for doing one day. I’ve been hammering the SOHN album and also really into The Horrors new album as well. I also just discovered the band Peace through there cover of Binary Finary – been listening to it on repeat for the past 2 weeks. I used to be in a band – so for me music always has to have a sense of musicality to it and I try and get that into every track I make.

5. You currently reside in London. How does the music scene compare from your native Manchester to your adopted London? And what influenced your move to London, was it purely musical? The music scene is pretty similar in both cities – in London there’s more options just because the place is so much bigger – Manchester has some really great nights and promoters putting on class parties in all sorts of different genres and venues. I think it’s happening all over the UK, there’s a huge appetite for it – I was in Liverpool playing Circus a few weeks ago and the place was rammed from start to finish – Bristol has an amazing scene, so does Leeds, Newcastle to name just a few – it’s an exciting time to be in music!

6. Hip French electronic music label Kitsune featured your track 'Overdue' on their compilation 'New Faces'. Being a compilation that features artist's that they view as up and coming it must be quite an accolade to have your track included alongside the likes of George Fitzgerald? How did it feel when you found out your track was going to be included? I remember my manager saying Kitsune have been in touch and they really like your tracks – I was like “what?!” - it was a great moment. They actually got in touch originally to sign What You Do from my first EP which came out on a compilation they released around Xmas – then they got back in touch to sign Overdue for their New Faces comp. I’ve played quite a few shows for them now and been over to Paris a couple of times with them so it’s been great to be on board with them.

7. We've all had disastrous DJ moments, whether it's a self-inflicted cock-up, a drunken crowd member, dodgy equipment or environmental problems. What is your biggest DJ disaster? Stopping the wrong track and killing the music – yeah... that always goes down really well.

8. What is your favourite club(s) to play in? Lightbox in London is a big favourite – the place is lit with thousands of LED lights which cover all the walls and the entire ceiling – they can really create an amazing atmosphere and make you forget you’re even in a club

9. What is your favourite club(s) to party in? Sankeys in Manchester – I’ve never played there but I’d love to... had so many amazing nights partying in there. Soundsystem, atmosphere, people, lighting – just love the place!

10. What is your proudest career moment to date? Every time I release a record it’s a massively proud moment, when I saw the first pressings of my vinyls, that was a big moment. In terms of shows, playing Glastonbury has to be up there – can’t wait to get back in a few weeks time

P.s. If you can’t wait till the 7th don’t forget YAYA are hosting room 2 for the 31st May for Color at wonderland.  Should be ace!

https://www.facebook.com/events/816461775049312/

[yayanights]

Just uploaded YAYA Nights Episode #002 (May 2014) to Mixcloud. Listen now!

[yayanights]

YAYA Launch Night Success

As newly appointed events blogger the pleasure of recollecting and representing YAYA’s first club night falls to me.  Yes, to all those not in the know, Yaya's opening night was a blinding success!

  Gladly the demand for House Music in Norwich seems to be at its highest in years! This is made evident as we collectively witness an ample surge of House nights forging their way onto clubbers agendas in and around the “Fine City”.  So with the demand at a high it’s only appropriate that the supply should match it. Thus Yaya launched it’s first night on the 26.04.14!

  The night was held at the popular, late night venue Kartel following some sad news for the bar/club and its attendees. In the wake of the somber announcement that Kartel was to be “shut down latter to a review regarding a number of “violent incidents”; alas this was to be Kartels final night.  I will point out however I personally supported the club and signed the appeal as I hadn’t witnessed any trouble around the venue in my many years living in Norwich and attending the venue.

  http://norwich.tab.co.uk/2014/04/29/kartel-closes/

  In any case upon entering the venue it was apparent that the clubbing collective showed no sign of letting the lame report dampen their spirits.  Indeed the clubbers spirits were high and the alcoholic spirits were ready at the bar from the get go!  The familiar clientele knew that if this was to be their final night at the club under the name of “Kartel” they were damn well going to make it a good one and with this mind set the other revellers joined in for the cause.

  On arrival we were welcomed to free sweets which didn’t take long to run out as the venue filled up fast.  The excellent Stu Curror and Dill Farnham took over the decks from 11-1am and while warming up the crowd it seemed the club had hit capacity early.  Deep Trouble resident Stu Curror played loud and deep allowing the crowd to get into the full swing of things.  Dill Farnham brought with him a slightly ‘techier’ style of music for those who like it with more bite.  It’s fair to say both DJs worked the crowd with a great selection of underground electronic music and seamless mixing readying the booth for the headline DJ. A man who goes by the name of Cristoph!

  By the time DJ\producer Cristoph had moved onto to the decks the club was in rampancy. People were dancing on tables and there could be seen a mass of fist pumping bodies filling the dancefloor! It was probably the most hectic I have ever seen Kartel and that is no overstatement.  The Defected resident didn’t disappoint the punters as he moved the floor and removed the ceiling with big, groovy tracks including some well loved favourites.

  Half way through the set YAYA promo agent Sophie Parrot fittingly decided to prompt a *sit down.  *A popular communal act of clubbers in which they all decide to sit down on the dancefloor waiting for the opportune moment in the currently playing track to rise as one and erupt in euphoria. The first attempt needed work but with practise the second was executed with more vigour and this brought the YAYA party tribe together, in-sync with a winning roar!

  It seemed a shame that the night had to end at 3am but it couldn’t be prevented.  Rings of “one more tune” echoed around the room as Cristoph pulled his mix fader down on the last track of his set.  It was clear he would had loved to have carried on with the crowd but the end of YAYAs 1st and the bitter end for Kartel had to be accepted.  A great night was had by all!  Roll on the next one from YAYA on the 7th June with Clancy, Perry Bower and Freshstartlee!!!

  Cheers,

David Downing [ http://facebook.com/StrideSound http://soundcloud.com/stride87/tracks http://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/stride ]