Making a solid debut on Rondevu, followed by a stellar EP on Baile Musik, the deep, soulful and groove based sounds of Yungruzt are already turning heads across the scene. Ahead of his debut release on our SPIRALS series, we welcome him for an interview and guest mix.
So Firstly what’s the story behind the name Yungruzt?
Yungruzt, (Pronounced ‘Young Rust’), comes from my Dad. His nickname is Rusty, from having the last name Russell. I have fond memories of him and his friends lifting me up when I was little and referring to me as Young Rust, I thought it was a decent DJ name but I wanted it to have more edge so I changed the Young to Yung (making it look like one of those silly Grime/Rap artists names) and changed the letter ‘S’ to a ‘Z’ and squeezed the words together, it’s something a little unique and means something to me, It’s got a bit of my Mum and Dad in it and that’s very important to me. They’ve gave me so much support and pushed me from the start.
How would you describe your sound – do you think your music falls into a particular genre?
I try not to pigeon hole myself into certain genre’s on the decks or in the studio, in recent times I’ve found sticking to just one slows me down and dampens my mood and I can’t properly flex or get the point I want to make across. On the decks I’ve definitely found a perfect balance between dubby grooves, heavy percussion, slick techno and a wee progressive emotional trip here and there. As for my own productions, I’m definitely not sticking to any certain style, there’s so much trends in Dance music coming and going at the minute that I think you need to be very careful to not fall into generic patterns and drift too far away from what’s true to yourself.
You will be making your debut on Constant Circles with “If You Ever Need Me” – how did you approach this project and how did the idea come together?
Literally so excited for this one to come out, It’s the one I worked hardest on this year and poured my heart into. I approached Just Her, With 3 tracks earlier in the year after she gave my very first release (Simultaneously EP on Rondevu Music) full support. I didn’t hear back and I fully thought it was another rejection, a couple months later I heard back but the previous 3 tracks had already been signed and released by another label. So I was asked to contribute to the latest Constant Cirlcles VA Comp. I had a few finished tracks already but wanted something fresh and special. So I opened my macbook without any plans or ideas, and within 24 hours I had the track finished, It’s the quickest I’ve ever made a track and the most naturally any of my tracks have ever came together. There wasn’t any vocals in the first version, and I heard an 80’s track at work the previous week, it had a very Depeche Mode sound to it and I looked everywhere but couldn’t find it. So seeing as I couldn’t find the track to sample I recorded my own voice doing the part of the chorus I could remember where the vocalist says ‘and if you ever need me’, and chopped it up in Ableton. That’s where the name If You Ever Need Me comes from.
What is your production process – is each project different? And what are your key pieces of studio kit?
I only started production a year and a half ago, so I’m learning new things with every track I produce. Each project has the same approach, I either have an idea in my head or I don’t. Either way I’ll sit and mess around for an hour, if after that hour I’m getting somewhere then usually the track goes on to get finished, if not and I’m getting frustrated, then I totally scrap it and start a totally different one in a day or two. That’s my process for not getting stuck in a loop, and it works.
To be honest the best things I’ve bought in the last year are my Yamaha HS7 Studio Monitors, They’ve made a huge difference in terms of mixing down and hearing everything that’s going on in my tracks in comparison to my old monitors. So they are 100% my key pieces in the studio. Decent monitors.
What’s your dream label to release on?
Gotta be Cocoon Recordings. They cover it all from the beautiful, happy, melancholic, obscure, to the terrifying. Definitely a place for me.
What do you have coming up in terms of releases and gigs?
Other than If You Ever Need Me, I don’t have any other releases scheduled, But this winter I will be spending alot of time in the studio getting tracks finished in advance for Spring/Summer next year. I have a few new things I want to try in the studio and I’m very excited to get the end results out in the open. I’m playing with Rondevu on Friday 2nd November at Hot Since 82’s Knee Deep In Sound Party at SWG3 in Glasgow and We’ve booked Patrice Baumel for our Truzt Rondevu With_ party 30th November at Tunnels Aberdeen.
How did you put together your guest mix for the radio show & what have you included – any exclusives or surprises?
Recorded on 2x CDJ2000’s and a Allen & Heath Xone 92 mixer. I grabbed a load of recently downloaded tracks from the last month and a bit, put em in a playlist and had a few plays around with the order til I was happy with it. The mix has some special moments for me as I discovered some of the tracks at recent outings with friends and my girlfriend. I got the Kieran Apter & Leon Power track from Kieran himself. We had him up for our launch party last week and he is such a sound, genuine dude. I actually heard this track at an afterparty months ago and had been searching for it for a while, so for me to find this track this way is pretty amazing. Everything comes full circle!
Check out Yungruzt’s track on our SPIRALS series, on BEATPORT & SPOTIFY
Catch Yungruzt on Constant Circles Radio –>
