Rising out of Germany’s electronic underground and making his microcastle debut is Yubik. Based in Munich and conceptualized in 2018, the Yubik project has achieved measurable success in relatively short order. Initial releases courtesy of MoBlack and Stil Vor Talent set the course for well received projects via Atlant, Oddity and Radikon. Seemingly in constant evolution, the German artist’s ingenious scope has continued to grow and mature as 2021 reaches its second quarter, opening up endless creative avenues and furthering his boundless appeal. With his latest Atlant vehicle ‘The Veil’ getting the year underway in style and forthcoming music signed to Adana Twins’ TAU imprint, Yubik continues his explorative path with his microcastle debut ‘Riot Romance’.
Last week, we shared with you the premiere of ‘Shiver On Shorashim’ and now we have the chance to speak with Yubik about the release. Enjoy!
WWD: Hi Max, thanks for joining us. What is your current mood and what was the last piece of music you listened to?
Currently, I’m actually doing quite well under the circumstances. I’m enjoying some time with Guzy, a good friend from Berlin. Tonight Michael (Innellea) my buddy will join me as well and we celebrate my birthday. No matter what the circumstances are I try to make the best of it! Back to the music – Just in the moment a track of Lexer came in that I should listen to. I don’t want to promise too much but the song was fun. I’m looking forward to it when it comes out.
WWD: What are your plans for the coming week?
Right now I’m working on a remix for newcomers “Souls Of Existence” which will be released soon on Radikon. This week it’s mix, listen at home, adjust again in the studio and that until I like the mix. Otherwise I have only a few small appointments, but I’m looking forward to starting a new song.
WWD: Can you name five tracks that were important in your musical development and why they are so significant for you?
Very good question, there are a lot of songs, but I’ll try to take the ones that come to mind spontaneously.
Paul Kalkbrenner – Azure
Because after his ‘Berlin Calling’ album I started to make music with Ableton.
Burial – Archangel
The compositions and the uniqueness of his grooves and especially this heroic sounding but also mystical atmosphere, simply a dream.
Michael Gracioppo – Creep ft. Wayne Tennant
Heard it for the first time at Dixon’s Lost in a Moment party (unfortunately only on Youtube). but from the first second I was addicted to this song. After the release, it was definitely a song that influenced my productions. I’m mainly a fan of a certain mystical foggy atmosphere that also gives you hope and not only shows you the dark path. Haha I digressed a bit but I hope you understand what I mean. It’s not uncommon to be at a loss for words to describe something that is almost impossible to describe.
GusGus – Crossfade (Maceo Plex Remix)
I don’t need to say much about this song ! Timeless, powerful & epic exactly what I want to achieve =)
Rüfüs Du Sol – Innerbloom
A very heart touching song for me with many beautiful memories. Insanely beautiful vocals and this synthesizer towards the end… just wow.
WWD: You have a new EP ‘Riot Romance’ out this week on microcastle, tell us a bit about the release and how it showcases your individualities.
As you can see the release consists of 4 songs. It’s the first time that I have so many songs on one ep. The reason for this is to show more facets and especially to have the freedom to live out my inspiration in different genres. I am very happy that Microcastle gave me this chance and I am very grateful for it.
WWD: It’s quite a diverse collection of tracks with some styles and sounds we haven’t heard much from you in the past. Do you see this as a natural evolution in your music or something specific to this release?
As mentioned before, I try to absorb everything that happens around me and turn it into a song with my learned skills in the studio and there are no limitations for me and no exact idea of the ideal fitting sound. However, I think you can always hear recurring elements, I don’t want to say my signature sound, but yes I still try to put a little bit of Yubik in it. And yes I think that is my natural development, but I do not want to have to commit to what happens next.
WWD: What made microcastle the right home for this EP?
I can’t remember exactly, however I have been in contact with Microcastle for a while and have always had them on my radar. Now it was so that they are about to steer their sound in a new direction, with the release of Mulya and Ivory, I realized my new songs would tie in perfectly.
WWD: Was there anything that inspired these tracks? And where does your inspiration come from generally?
That’s not an easy question to answer. Sure I often listen to music that inspires me, but I also have a certain kind of mood or better said a feeling that arises not only from music, but from everything that surrounds me. Thoughts become emotions and so is that often thoughts go through my head, a kind of vision that it should sound light, dreamy and yet energetic.
WWD: Like most microcastle releases, the artwork is striking, unique and memorable. How important is this aspect of a release for you?
That’s part of the reason why Microcastle is such a significant label for me. For me there is nothing more beautiful when art, graphics, design and music enter into a symbiosis and merge with each other. This time I shot a short teaser video in addition to the EP artwork, which more or less serves as a promotional tool for Instagram. Usually I accompany the promotion of my releases with pictures that fit the mood or that I have made myself.
WWD: What does your set-up like? Do you favor physical gear over digital? And what studio tools featured heavily in the writing of this EP? What’s a piece of gear that always gets used when you’re writing a track?
I think it’s important to find your own workflow to get the result you want, which can be digital but also analog. I must honestly confess that most of my work is done digitally, which is one of the reasons that I have a much larger selection of synthesizers. I love the range of Arturia, the diversification and the quality. But it can also happen that I get stuck or I have the feeling that I need the power of an analog synthesizer. I would say that I like the Moog Sub 37 the most. I am a very aesthetic person and apart from the quality, I also like its design and its simplicity.
WWD: How much road testing or friend feedback is done before you’re ready to say a track is finished? And who is someone you share your new music with first for feedback?
It’s not an easy decision and I think it’s a process for every producer, but I can speak from experience that it gets better and better. Sometimes you hear in the studio immediately whether the song fits or not, but then there are also songs on which you doubt more often, there I always let a little more time pass. Sometimes you just let yourself be misled because you’ve heard the song too many times. Michael from “Innellea” has always been a companion, he is also the first to hear my new productions. In the meantime I also call him Doctor Tone.
WWD: The problem of mental health is complex and nuanced, and it is an issue to which those working in electronic music are especially susceptible. It can be deeply rewarding but it is also competitive, fast-paced, unpredictable and hedonistic. Talk a bit about the pressures of what you do that fans may not be totally aware of.
This is an interesting topic, especially right now, that I think is still not talked about enough. I totally agree that we live in a fast-paced, competitive time, more than ever. For better or worse, I had to learn not to put myself under too much pressure, because one thing is for sure, this force that you think is necessary to achieve your goals is so often a resistance that prevents you from living out your creativity. I know it’s easier said than done, especially now that there are so many things happening in the outside world that we can’t control, especially those in the music industry. That’s when you have to realize that there are things you can’t control, no matter how hard you try. I have been working more intensively with the aspect of mental health for a year now, because I have realized that it is an important pillar of my life. If people here read this interview and have more questions about this very topic or just want to share about it, feel free to write me on social media. Because I think it’s important to get into the discourse about this and I know how good it feels to exchange ideas with others.
WWD: What’s a book you’ve read or film you watched that has left an impact on you, and why?
Allan Watts – The Wisdom of Insecurity
This book really blew my mind, an important message I could take away from it was life is like a river, constantly in motion, ups and downs. There is a passage in the book that is very applicable to society right now and from which I believe a lot of suffering arises. Here is the statement in question – In our culture, everyone is constantly making records of all sorts of things, and it is considered much more important to note what happens than to experience an event at the time it happens. If you think about it, you will realize that we are putting ourselves under this pressure that you asked about in the previous question.
WWD: Apart from music, what makes you happiest?
More than ever during this time I realized how happy it makes me to enjoy a nice evening with friends. To have interesting conversations, to laugh, to cry, just to be in that moment.
WWD: What does the remainder of 2021 hold for you? Anything you can share with us?
I’ve been working towards a release on “TAU” for a while now, but I don’t want to give too much away yet, but I know that a strong compilation is coming soon. I’m also happy to be part of Radikon and will also release some nice songs there this year. Besides that I’m still trying to expand my horizons and bring my productions to the next level.