There’s a child inside your head, He’s waiting for you.
Hailing from France, YuKnoWatt delivers an electro tune characterized by warm, retro synth arpeggios, a punchy bassline, ethereal vocals and nostalgic aesthetics. Read our discussion with the artist below!
Tell us a few things about Duality. What is the main idea behind it?
The text of Duality talk about my daily struggle : I’m introverted by appearance, and I stifle as much as possible the extrovert being that I contain within me (symbolized by the child in my song) and that dreams of expressing itself, but can’t. This holds me back enormously when it comes to self-fulfilment, for example when it comes to performing live, as I’m extremely self-critical. I forbid myself to do a lot of things to the detriment of my desires, because I don’t consider myself legitimate. “Duality is a battle between me and myself 🙂
As for the musical aspect, I chose to do a dance track that contrasts with a melancholy melody, because I’ve always liked doing that.
What initially drew you to the retro aesthetic and sound of retrowave/synthwave music, and how has it influenced your artistic journey?
I’ve always loved the retro sound. My parents made me listen to a lot of Boney M, Abba and French songs in general from the 60s and 70s. As a teenager, I was a fan of industrial metal, particularly the Neue Deutsche Harte movement with Rammstein, Oomph! and Kraftwerk. I love the cold, metallic sound, the very martial rhythms with melodic, almost epic or unifying choruses.
All this led me to play music in teenage rock bands as a guitarist, then around the age of 20 I started composing tracks that sounded like Gesaffelstein but in a cheap version, because I was already using cheap sounds that I liked, but my mates thought it was rubbish ahah (they weren’t ready for the return of retro sounds). I found my fulfilment in electronic music, but ended up stopping for 5-6 years.
A few years ago, with the advent of Kavinsky, series like Stranger Things, Carpenter Brut, I started to recompose towards 2019.
My revelation was the re-discovery of Daft Punk’s track “Veridis Quo”… which put me in a melancholic, nostalgic mood… A feeling in which I feel bad and which at the same time really inspires me. I started working seriously on my project, with sounds that inspired this nostalgia, and that led me to this style today.
I never set out to make synthwave, it came to me by chance, and when I discovered the style I felt in tune with it. I really like the nostalgia it evokes, especially in vaporwave, with its retrograde side, these colors and things that evoke this feeling of nostalgia once again.
How do you balance staying true to the nostalgic elements of retrowave/synthwave while also bringing your own unique flair and innovation to the genre?
Simply because I’m not trying to do “Synthwave”, I like electro-sounding drums, catchy drums, but I love retro-sounding synthesizers! And what touches me most of all are chords that sound melancholy.
When a sound sounds good, whether it’s modern or retro, I just use it and let my creativity flow. I don’t try to fit into a box.
Which is your go to synth (analog or digital) when you start a project?
I love opening “Pigments” by Arturia, because it contains retro sounds, but also very modern.
It’s a surprise with every sound, and as soon as something inspires me, I compose with it. I always start with pad chords that I play on my synthesizer.
But I have to say that my favorite preset is Steinberg’s “Retrologue” VST. I won’t give its name, but you can hear it in practically all my tracks, including Duality.
It’s my magic synth, giving me a bit of an identity.
Artists and people that have influenced you?
I’m listening a lot of things. It’s extremely eclectic, but I’ve always been influenced by artists such as Rammstein, Bring Me The Horizon, Slipknot, Linkin Park, t.A.T.u (yes, really), Gorillaz, Daft Punk, Abba or Boney M.
Among more recent artists, my latest musical slaps have been Ghost (Mostly the first 3 albums), Carpenter Brut, L’impératrice and Zaho de Sagazan.
I also love soundtrack composers such as Hans Zimmer, Ennio Morricone, Ramin Djawadi and Hiroyuki Sawano (Attack On Titan).
A song you would pay to hear for the first time again?
No doubt about it, Keine Lust by Rammstein, because at the time it was when I discovered this band that I felt the passion for the music scene.
If the music of YuKnoWatt was a film or a video game, which one would that be?
It’s hard to say, as I don’t have a highly developed film culture, but I think it would be a series like Stranger Things. In my music, as in this series, you can have very dark phases and others that are much lighter.
Thank you!
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