Interview with Joey Youngman by Ollie Brooke

PHM: Despite a concerted attempt to gleam any information about you on google, details about your past are sketchy and blurred. Can you give us a brief history of your foray into the music world?

JY: I've been into music as long as I can remember. When I was a little kid, it was playing piano and writing songs that way. Then around 10 or 11 years old I started acquiring basic studio gear to start making music (Christmas presents and such), and it all sort of went from there. My uncle had a big recording studio so that probably sparked my interest in the whole electronic side of things.

PHM: Thanks for that! You work with a number of producers and under a number of guises, when you produce a track or a remix do you decide before hand which guise you're going to use or do you decide that afterwards?

JY: There are a lot of factors involved in my choosing of the aliases. Usually I don't decide before hand, no. I just make the music, then when it comes time to put it out, decide what to call it and what name to put it under. But sometimes when I am doing a remix for another label, yes, we make an agreement before hand that decides which alias will be used.


PHM: Your "Mario Fabriani" guise seems to be definable by the use of more sustained bass lines and seems to have a much grittier, even speed garage feel. Could you compare and contrast this sound with your "real" guise's sound...

JY: That was true for a while I think, if I made any techier grittier stuff, I would put it out under the Mario name. But at this point, I don't really assign aliases based on styles. In other words, everybody knows I'm Mario Fabriani already, so I might as well just put whatever music out under whatever name, and not worry about trying to maintain an image for each character. Mainly what I have to think about these days is how often each alias has released a record recently. For example if I've just put out 2 Joey Youngman EPs this month, then I'm going to need to use another alias to keep things interesting.


PHM: "Jackin'" is a term regularly associated with your productions, can you define this term for us please and where did it originate?

JY: Oh man, the most overly used word in house music. Well I don't really know exactly where it came from, "Jack your body" maybe, I'm only 24 man, so I wasn't really around when house was growing up! People associate it with my productions, yeah, I think that's cool. I don't know that it has a really specific definition though, you could use "Jackin" to describe half the house music that comes out today and nobody can argue with you because it's a subjective thing I guess.


PHM: With the evolution of dance music the scene seems to be coming out of the drug fuelled haze that pretty much brought it to it's peak. As a result the club music that's being produced now is a lot more discernible as being more akin to "real" music than just cool sounds and effects. What would you say is the key factor about this music that keeps it relevant?

JY: Hmmm, that's an interesting take on things. I can see what you're saying and I think you have a point, but I must grudgingly admit that I don't think the music has really become more discernible. In fact I think over the last few years, it's gotten worse as a whole. Not sure exactly why, quite possibly the computer software revolution in music production. House music definitely needs more good, talented producers right now though. And quick!


PHM: What do you think it is that humans possess that enable us to appreciate music, from the position that we are animals and so everything we do has some kind of primal reason, what is the primal instinct that makes us like music?

JY: It stimulates our seratonin and norepinephrine receptors. Or something like that, maybe. Just a guess.


PHM: The state of commercial or pop music continues to regress, certain credible house producers have been known to use their abilities to cash in on the commercial market, presumably to make a few quid, what do you think about this practice and would you ever consider such a move?

JY: I probably shouldn't say this, but I will be honest. Absolutely I would make that kind of move if I had the opportunity. House music is and will always be my true love, but if I have an opportunity to do something commercial as a side project that's going to make me a bunch of money, then by all means I'm going to use my skills to do it. I think any man would be a fool not to. You can always make house when you come home at night.


PHM: One thing that is noteworthy of most of the music you produce is a lack of "real" instruments despite your background in this field, is this a conscious thing you've done or just that you've never felt the need to employ "real" musicians?

JY: Well technically there are loads of "real" instruments in my tracks, they just aren't played by studio musicians. They come from other sources, . . . . . I'll let you figure that one out. I don't like using studio musicians for the most part, it has just never really worked out for me. The funk just doesn't seem to come through strong enough. I play keys so I end up with a lot of keyboard and piano bits in my tracks though.


PHM: You say in your Bio that you "don't belong" in Austin, Texas, why not and where do you think you belong? Perhaps "Jack"son?
Oh that's not my bio. I was having a bad day and wrote that on myspace.

JY: Wow, might be a good idea for me to take that down then. I belong somewhere on the coast of California. That's where I grew up and that's where I want to be. Austin is cool for now, especially since I don't really leave my house much. It's a good base and a good place to hibernate like I do.


PHM: You say you're pretty happy doing what you do at the moment, if you didn't have house music what else could you do to earn money?

JY: Maybe work at McDonalds, or stack boxes in a warehouse somewhere!


PHM: The digital music revolution seems to be working in your favour as far as I can gather? What further advances do you perceive with, as Carl Cox put it, the Future Alliance of Communication & Technology?

JY: It's doing alright for me, still not nearly as well as vinyl though so I think we have quite a way to go. There are benefits and drawbacks to the whole digital revolution. I like the touch and feel of vinyl, but I don't like it when the turntable starts feeding back on the sound system or skips when somebody bumps the table. Lots of different things. Digital is definitely good for the consumer though, much cheaper than the alternatives. But illegal file sharing is certainly a big obstacle to overcome too.


PHM:When you DJ what percentage of CD against vinyl do you use now, 4 years ago and how do you think it looks for 2010?
Is this a good thing or a bad thing for you?

JY: Now it's about 50/50. 4 years ago, I was all vinyl, no CDs. In 2010 I will probably be 90% CD 10% vinyl. But who knows. It could be 4 years, or it could be 10 years before it is all-CD. I can't really tell if it's good for me right now. At the moment I make most of my living off vinyl sales so it scares me a bit, but the digital market shows promise and is definitely growing, so there is potential there. Right now we are just in the shaky transition period and I think most people are a bit unsure.


PHM: You seems to be putting out more tracks than several people could shake several phat sticks at, how long does it take you to produce a track from start to finish, do you come up with the bass lines first or the beats, give us a bit of insight into how you work?

JY: These days, it's taking me as little as 12 and as much as 25 hours to make a track (roughly). I used to do them in as little as 3 or 4 hours but that was just careless. I have definitely upped my quality standards over the last year. I always start with beats. After that, I'd say most often I start by adding a bass line. Lately I've been trying to build tracks around different things though, like playing chord progressions, and it's hard trying to make that switch. I am a very bass-oriented person.


PHM: Have you got any plans to tour Australia in the future or have you ever been here?

JY: Yeah I played there last year, really good time. Nothing on the schedule at the moment, I'm sure I will be back soon enough though.


PHM: Your DJing career must surely be taking a back seat with all these tracks you keep putting out, or is it, what gigs have you been doing lately and who and where has impressed you?

JY: Not really, I'm playing about 3 weekends a month all over the place. I'd say my social life is the thing that takes a back seat! Lately I'd say Bulgaria was the most fun. They definitely know how to have a good time. I also really enjoy England, about to head back over there in a few days actually.


PHM: It has oft been a problem for headline DJs that the warm-ups often over play and don't "warm up" but go straight for the jugular, what warm up DJs have caught your eye/ear lately?

JY: That's a hard one. To be honest, I haven't been blown away lately by anybody that's played before me recently. People tend to be playing all the "hot new shit" that just came out, and it's like the same 15 records (including mine) that I seem to hear every weekend. Obviously this is a generalization but it is true way too often. In all fairness though, it takes a lot to impress me. I need to go out and hear the "big boys" (and girls) play in order to really be inspired.


PHM: Why do you think it is that the DJ and production world is male dominated, obviously there are exceptions and you've worked with a few, so perhaps you're in a better position than many to comment on this issue...

JY: It's not just dance music, it is the entire music production and studio industry that seems to be dominated by men. I don't know why, but I do know that it's not just dance music.


PHM: You're relatively young (excuse the pun) to be such an accomplished producer and DJ, when was the last time you had to do a normal job to supplement your income and what advise would you give to hopeful DJs & producers who want to "make it"?

JY: The last job I had was a few years ago working at Guitar Center (it's a music chain, I worked in the keyboard department). Then I was going to school for music production, and dropped out when I started making enough money to support myself. As for advice, just love what you do. And be prepared to sacrifice every other aspect of your life. If you enjoy making music and it is your true love, then you will be happy no matter what. I will say that it is very hard to make it in the dance music business these days though, with the way sales are and the state of the industry. I started sending demos to house labels when I was 14, and got my first record out on a label when I was 21. That's 7 years of pounding away at the industry trying to "make it." (And 10 years of practice). Most people I know in this business have day jobs. It is a luxury and a blessing to be able to support yourself off it, and it takes a whole lot of work.


PHM: If you had the chance to come face to face with your maker and ask him/her/it one question, what would it be?

JY: How long do I have left in this life?


PHM: "To be successful you need to be on the crest of a wave, there's no point in doing what's already been done unless you're VERY good at it", what do you think about the validity of this statement and how would it apply to the (collective/figurative) DJ?

JY: Interesting quote. I don't really feel like I am on the crest of any waves, in fact quite the opposite, I feel like I am sort of recreating house music from the late nineties. Maybe that just means that I'm very good at it!! haha. I think a lot of people get their start in this business by trying to recreate other peoples' ideas. You're going to have to bring something a bit different to the table though, your own unique twist on it for sure, if you want to have longevity. But if you are too unique or too different, people aren't going to want to listen to it.


PHM: We are currently living in a capitalist age, this is comparable to the various different ages humans have lived in over the millennia, do you think this one's here to stay and if not what sort of social order could/would replace it?

JY: Hard to say, but I think this is here to stay for quite a while. Maybe it will keep progressing until the robots that we've created take over the earth and we all blow ourselves up. I wouldn't be surprised. Hopefully they do it after I've died though.


PHM: Old people often carry on about how the music we listen to is just "bang bang bang" (quite correctly), what music do you think our kids will listen to that will make us whinge?

JY: They're already listening to it, and it's already making me whinge -- mainstream rap. You know, that "crunk" sound. Absolute rubbish.

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