Egg London Podcast 007 - Yousef

Circus curator, international DJ and in-form producer Yousef continues to make a strong, well earned impression with both his Liverpool and now London Circus events; hosting huge events with both current and forward-thinking lineups and surpassing all expectations both in the studio and behind the decks.

Yousef got his break after winning the Muzik Magazine’s Bedroom Bedlam competition many years ago, but it is because of this he has always been there to support new acts within the scene, and he has showed that this year with his bookings at Egg. But while 2014 might have seen Circus explore new ground, that doesn’t mean it’s lost, any of it’s heavyweight status as one of the best club nights in the country.

Circus has grown into one of the most respected nights in the UK, growing a huge following in the process, with Yousef at the helm. His sets encapsulate everything he and Circus is about; not confined within boundaries, he's free to explore all sides of house and techno, from upbeat to down tempo, darkened house mixed with melody driven tracks, all the while keep the dancefloor in mind.

We caught up with him after the massive Circus Weekender at Egg London which featured the likes of Laurent Garnier, Steve Lawler, Darius Syrossian and Noir.

This mix was recorded at the massive Circus Weekender here at Egg London. How was it?

It went off in true Circus style! Garnier and Lawler Friday and Syrossian and Noir Saturday, and myself playing both nights. Friday's event stood out for me playing wise, beginning my set earlier than i usually do i had a chance to musically organise the tone for the entire evening. It was such a momentous weekend for both me as dj and for Circus and my label Circus Recordings in London, offering two world class line-ups for both nights and both events running pretty much at capacity.

Circus is a massive thing now – what’s the ethos?

The ethos behind the event in Liverpool and here now is the same thing – I just want people to listen to fresh new music and feel welcome, have a good time. It’s about the atmosphere and allowing people to feel safe in the space.

Circus is originally from Liverpool – it’s booming here right now – why?

I think we’ve always just loved getting down there – people always have – from northern soul in the 60’s, and the Beatles of course too – Liverpool in particular, has been rocking for a long, long time now.

You brought Circus to London a couple of years ago – you chose Egg, it’s a second home for you – why?

I’ll tell you exactly why. As a DJ I’ve pretty much been able to play every single club in London, but I felt when I came here, it was the only club in London that really made me let go and generally just the people really respond to the music in a really positive way. Generally, I found this club mirrors exactly what goes on in Liverpool. I’ve been here 18 months now, and every single time the events just go up and up and up and get better and better, but always in a really natural, organic positive way. Here we are, in 2014, and it’s just a roadblock nowadays. I’ve just always been really really happy with it here.

How has the musical direction of Circus changed over the years?

I think the musical ethos of Circus has always been really broad – we have real hardcore stuff sometimes, and then some techno, but there’s always 4/4 house at the centre of it. Like Gorgon City, they’ve been breaking through in Liverpool for a few years, and it’s great to have them. It’s always a cool thing to have a broad perspective, I think with me musically, even next month, we’ve got an incredibly broad mix. We don’t pigeonhole. We just have broad pallets.

What have you got planned for the rest of 2014?

From Circus, in Liverpool, there’s some massive nights coming up. It’s always moving forward. The label is going crazy, new releases by Reboot and myself, and I’ve got stuff coming out on Desolat too. I just did a track for the Fifa world cup album too, which is bizarre. I recorded an entire samba band for it – it sounds like samba-techno, it’s weird.

Do you have any proper plans for the label?

Yeah – I’d love to turn it into a proper label – over time we’ve set it up to be really structured and organised. Hopefully it’ll go from just being the small piece of artwork it is on Beatport at the minute, to having a huge office we can function from. Who knows. I’ve got an exceeding amount of ambition for it – I never thought it’d get this far.

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You can catch Yousef at the next Circus on the 17th May, alongside the mighty Danny Tenaglia and Tom Flynn, here at Egg London.