The Standard

This Friday, Le Bain presents two of the most exciting artists of the electronic scene: Drop the Lime and Yuksek. While the New Yorker resuscitates Rockabilly from the grave, the Frenchman Yuksek comes back with a sense of pop in his new album “Living On the Edge of Time”. We met Yuksek ‘on a train’ for a Standard Q&A.

The Standard: Yuksek, it is great to have you back in NYC. You are in the city for CMJ performing an exclusive DJ set at Le Bain and three live shows around town. How does your live set up look like? Is it built for huge electronic festivals or more intimate venues?

Yuksek: I think it works well for both, we are at the beginning of the tour and we did for example Rock En Seine festival in Paris for 7,000 people and a crazy night in a club in Moscow for 300, different vibe but so good!

We were joking with Etienne de Crécy about the geometric symbols in electronic French live shows: the cube for him, the cross for Justice, the triangle for Daft Punk. Are you the missing circle? Do you have yourself a gimmick which could describe your show?

I really like those bands but their common point is that it’s pure electronic music, so they need a visual concept to make the music living on stage… For Yuksek’s new live act we are 3 people on stage with instruments, drums, we don’t need more than real stage music… I don’t like concepts too much…

Your new album is called ‘Living on the Edge of Time’. Is it the feeling you have when you spend too much time touring?

Not really, it’s more about being contemporary and timeless at the same time, or trying to be at least.

If you have the power to travel in time and space, where would you go as a music lover?

First for Mozarts requiem first concert, and then Velvet Underground in a dirty place somewhere in NY.

And if you had the power to change something in the music history, what would it be?

Nothing! The history is interesting for creative moments but also bad times that create something from rubbish!

Could you describe us a perfect music moment where you were a child?

The music of ‘Les mystérieuses Cités d’Or’. Sorry, I don’t know the English name of this cartoon… (‘The Mysterious Cities of Gold’, Ed.)

In your last video “On a Train”, it seems you look like you actually are in real life (laughing)… Very quiet, in your own world, very stoic. What would have actually put you back in the real world in that train?

Music and love of course!

Having you performing besides Drop the Lime is very exciting. It is a bit Heaven versus Hell, your pop nonchalance versus the rock’n’bass attitude of Luca. Is it that simple? You actually have angel wings on your album cover…

Yes, I’m a very sweet person and I like birds.

What would be the evil version of Yuksek?

Yuksek drunk.

This Friday October 21st 2011, Le Bain presents Yuksek and Drop The Lime. Doors 11pm.