Yuba
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Troubleshoot Mix
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Episode 011
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Yuba | Troubleshoot Mix | Episode 011 |
21-year-old, Finn Ducker from York, uses the alias “Yuba” named after his late grandad, Yuba Warn, who was an RAF mountain rescuer in the 1950s. “His name was unique to me and I’m proud to carry it on these days.” Yuba was brought up to a soundtrack of Jazz, Psychedelic rock, and Deep House, most notably St Germain and Hotel Costes, who still massively influence his life.
Ducker is a resident of a club collective in York, named Chameleon. They aim to share the sounds of the underground dance music scene with locals and students alike, putting on nights alongside artists such as Adam Pits, Barker, Pangaea, Breaka, Tom VR and Lenzman and Fox.
For his Troubleshoot mix, Yuba delivers an hour of what he describes as one of the “most enjoyable sets I’ve ever compiled and recorded”. The hour opens with a special recording of a friend, Samia Lopez, reciting a piece of text from Norwegian writer Karl Ove, before moving into the colder depths of techno. The mix is paired with an interview, in which he shares his earliest musical memory, how Chameleon began, and his favourite gig to date.
Interview
Words: Troubleshoot
05/10/22
What’s your earliest musical memory?
My dad has been a massive musical influence in my life from an early age. He used to burn compilations onto CDs and play them to me in the car. One particular memory has stuck with me. When my mum wasn’t in the car with us, my dad would play “Speak To Me” followed by “Breathe (In The Air)” by Pink Floyd, turning the volume to the max. The track starts in silence, progressively getting louder and louder until my ten-year-old ears were nearly blown. I still have him to blame for my obsession with music.
How did you first get into DJing?
When I was around 16, I began playing house parties and mixing at home on the weekends. Pretty quick, I got bored of playing singalongs and delved into multiple genres, particularly Euro Techno and Intelligent Drum and Bass (Photek, Source Direct stuff etc). When I got to University, I met the Chameleon boys, who allowed me to play my music out in a club space, to people that wanted to come out to dance. It was so refreshing to meet people who shared the same passion for electronic music as myself, I never want to stop!
You are a resident for Chameleon. Tell us a bit about it, how did it start?
Chameleon began a few years ago as a group of mates who all loved the same music and had a passion for playing it at house parties. I was lucky enough to be introduced to those fellas last year, and we’ve been a great collective ever since. It started with no more than an intention to throw parties a little bit more officially but to see the growth now has been phenomenal. Since this time last year, we have welcomed so many groundbreaking artists to York for the first time, and the reception has been remarkable. People love dance music I guess. In a few weeks (14th October) we welcome Hessle Audio’s own ‘PANGAEA’ to dance with us and it still hasn’t sunk in that it’s real. I've looked up to the Hessle Audio boys for years, they set the pave stones for so many artists and are still to this day considered giants in both production and DJing. None of where I am now with my passion for playing music would have been without the support of Oli, Oli, Ben and Theo; better known as “Allfield, Owari, B:Cam and Deo”. Cheers lads!
What would you say has been your favourite gig to date and why?
I’ve had a few really memorable moments over the last year in particular, but for me, having the opportunity to play the same night as Barker was certainly a highlight. Barker’s music is like no one else’s, and his reputation as a DJ and live performer is one of the highest (being a resident at Berghain comes with some bragging rights). It was a real one-off that he decided to play for us, let alone in the UK, so it was an honour to share the booth with him. Sam was a super humble guy and it was a pleasure to get to know him that night. I played a 90-minute warmup, allowing me to dive into my ambient side for a short while before setting the tone of the night before he took command of the crowd for a few hours. His performance was exceptional, packed with everything from Heavy Berlin rave cuts to euphoric Electro Techno. A special night, where I just could not stop smiling.
How did you find recording the mix? Could you talk us through a couple of the standout moments from your set?
In my opinion, this was one of, if not the most enjoyable sets I’ve ever compiled and recorded. I took a lot of time making it something special. This for me begins with the very first thing you hear. I recorded a very talented friend of mine Samia Lopez reciting a piece of text from Norwegian writer Karl Ove Knausgard’s “Winter.” The piece I selected titled “Cold” describes the beauty of Norwegian life moving into the year's colder months. Samia translated this piece into French as I believe it sounds more poignant spoken in that language. I find it is fitting to the theme of the mix. I wanted the mix to have a graceful entrance, symbolising the beginning of a journey into the colder depths. I included a nod or two to Chameleon in there with an older track from Adam Pits and Pangaea’s new release playing into Troubleshoot’s newest release “Dream Stealer” from Scaefa, a track I really love.
Do you have any plans to produce music in the future? And if so, what genre(s) of music would you be interested in making?
I want to but honestly, the idea of production scares me. I have a filmmaking background so I feel like the swap can’t be as hard as I am imagining it to be, but it’s daunting nonetheless. I aim to give it a crack soon and would love to produce deeper dub techno stuff, similar to that of Al Wooton, Azu Tiwaline or DVS1.
Tracklist
Karl Ove Knausgård. - "Cold" (read and translated by Samia Lopez, recorded by Yuba)
36 - Symmetry Systems (midnight)
Stojche - Raison d'etre (Yuba edit)
Marcelo Antonio - No Rush
Blawan - Lit Up Communicat
Kassian - No Clear Shape (Warehouse VIP)
French II & King of Snake - Tribal Drum
Adam Pits - Intergalactic Espionage
Kassian - Actions
Pugilist - Déjà Vu
Pangaea - Fuzzy Logic
Scaefa - Dream Stealer
Bobo - Sin
Yosh - Slow Down
Elisa Bee - Dense Metaverse
Fracture & Sam Binga - Xtatic
Kessler - Lotus
Otik - Whole Wide Worlds