Yuksek

Posted by Pete on July 25, 2009 · 1 Comment 

“I try to share my time with other people’s music”

No one really knows what YUKSEK, also known as Pierre-Alexandre Busson, means when he says “Now I try to walk and talk, I need the extraball, it’s purely physical” in the song Extraball, but no one seems to mind. Mostly because Yuksek has an amazing ability to produce music which spans a multitude of genres.

This depth of appreciation may stem from his music roots, working at a Conservatoire as a pianist till the age of 17 and eventuating into a world of electro and production, remixing the work of musicians like Mika, Kaiser Chiefs and Ghostface Killah. This shift in sound may be a result of his non-discriminate love for music. Yuksek tells me, “I just love music in general. I love pop and rock and electro… It’s really natural for me. I don’t really feel like I need to find a strong connection between these genres. I think that way you have a lot more going on.”

This may also be why he’s drawn the attention of musicians like Amanda Blank and Chromeo. In seeing his broad but skilful approach to music, Yuksek explains his interactions with Amanda. “Many of those who work on the album are good friends. With Amanda Blank, we toured together in Mexico, we had just met and I really enjoyed her music. She wanted to work with me on my music, so that was when we decided to do something together and developed a friendship.”

Yuksek, however, has delivered more remixes of others’ songs than his own. Yet he humbly reveals, “I try to share my time with other people’s music. I don’t do it as much as I would like to, it’s just that I try to get involved with interesting tracks.” When listening to remixes of songs like Phoenix’s Lisztomania it’s easy to see why his selection is so rewarding.

Despite his enthusiasm for remixing however, Yuksek informs me, “Though I like to work with other people to get their opinions and ideas because I really value their input on how I’m doing things, generally I prefer to work alone so I can really concentrate.”

Yuksek may appear to be a recluse at heart. Particularly when he tells me, “I’m not that much into doing live acts. I mainly do it because I get to present a live show of all the people’s music that I like. And I really like bringing this music to an audience. I don’t really feel like a DJ, per se.” However, going from the comments and feedback of the audience this guy knows how to work a crowd and is clearly drawing from his humble beginnings as a pianist.

Despite the recent release of album, Away From the Sea, Yuksek already reveals that he has been working on music for his next album. It just goes to show that many more nonsensical lines combined with deep beats and melodic pop are yet to come.

Yuksek plays Lot 33 on Sunday July 26. Tickets available at Landspeed Records and Hubert at Lot 33.

Author: Peter Rosewarne

Yuksek – A Certain Life

Filed under Interviews, Music · Tagged with Amanda Blank, Away From the Sea, DJ, Extraball, Ghostface Killah, Kaiser Chiefs, Mika, Phoenix, Pierre-Alexandre Busson, Producer, Yuksek