Yousef

Circus and Get Physical…

As the colder months of 2013 get replaced with the thoughts of a new exciting spring and summer ahead, it’s fair to say Circus have whipped up another triple-decker slice of dance music’s hottest names in current circulation. This April witnesses a fusion of the most sought-after house and techno names coming together in one of the most exciting venues in the UK – tantalisingly made more prescient by Egg London’s tenth birthday celebrations just round the corner.

Headlining will of course be Yousef. Four months into the year and the man behind Circus’s exultant achievements, he’ll be taking control of the decks for another incredible night in the capital. Already Yousef can count California, Florida, Barcelona and Italy ticked off his list as he gradually spreads his victory across the UK and the rest of the world, and he will be releasing Circus Recordings X this month. A collection of individual tracks prepared by guests and friends of Circus especially for the label and it will feature a mixed and unmixed disc including music from Guti, Kerri Chandler, Derrick Carter, DJ Sneak, Butch, Paul Ritch and Carl Cox.

Elsewhere release wise, Defected have delivered further backing to the underground growth of Circus Recordings after the end of 2012 success of “Beg”, with “Think Twice” released backed by Catz ‘N Dogz and Fred Everything remixes. And he’s maintained the ability to unearth new talent, with the label continuing to showcase the future sounds of the dancefloor.

Joining him will be none other than Josh Wink. The Philadelphia native has been an ever present tycoon of techno and house for the past two decades, a die-hard exponent of the familiar gargle of acid house that was first brought to the masses via his monolithic “Higher State of Consciousness” back in 1995. He’s since been ever present in the minds of anyone interested in electronic music, a reassuring stateside bastion of the underground.

Get Physical’s DJ T is also in attendance, fresh off producing a captivating collection of some of the best work the label has released to mark the ten year anniversary, including Booka Shade, Catz ‘N Dogz, Samim, Fuckpony and many more. His wide ranging take on electronic music will provide the perfect counterpart to Yousef and Josh. Completing the bill will be eclectic duo Smash TV, who have thrilled audiences around the world with their ecstatic electronic imagination and will no doubt be showcases elements form their forthcoming debut album, due to release on Get Physical.
A great taste of what DJ T and Smash TV will be injecting into their Get Physical showcase at Vertigo Festival this year.

Circus
Egg, 200 York Way, London
26.04.2013
23:00 – 06:00

Tickets | Yousef | Josh Wink | DJ T | Smash TV | Vertigo Festival |

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Circus Easter…

Circus London is set to warm up Egg London‘s Easter weekend with a triple hatching of tantalising talent. The spectacle flaunts an ensemble of mouth-watering house and techno lynchpins as Yousef combines forces with two scintillating stalwarts, Robert Babicz and Acid Mondays, to develop a bank Holiday precursor of certified vintage.

After making waves on seven stop tour of North America, Yousef‘s monthly return to Egg London crowns a glorious March, which also see his annual presence at the Miami Winter Music Conference. Alongside his state-side endeavours, continued curation of the 21st Century House Music radio show and the consistently essential Circus Recordings, Yousef is also on the cusp of announcing a frenetic summer which involves a smorgasbord of Ibiza and festival based activity.

As ever, the activity for him remains relentless and resolute. After the runaway success of “Beg”, Defected have taken two further tracks from Yousef’s unmissable “A Product Of Your Environment” artist album. The next single, “Think Twice” drops early April with equally essential remixes courtesy of Catz & Dogz and Fred Everything.

His guests for 2013′s third carousel of Circus London are no strangers to the forefront of electronica either. Robert Babicz graces the decks, celebrated for his showmanship and a plethora of performance personas under pseudonyms such as Acid Warrior and Sontec. The ever changing musical chameleon champions ‘Babiczstyle‘, the namesake of his own label and the authenticity of his own organic output, to create a wholly unique and personality soaked template of sound. Acid drenched hedonism is a foregone conclusion.

Completing the line-up will be Acid Mondays. The Circus Recordings duo have quickly gained a reputation for an off kilter and a unpredictable take on authentic house. Clocking up releases with 2020 Vision and more recently “El Recorrido” on Sascha Dive‘s Deep Vibes imprint, to the delight of Laurent Garnier and Mixmag whom both made it their track of the month. Showcasing an ability to go beyond the usual parameters of house and techno into eclectic and Balearic territories indicative of the history the duo, Mambo resident Alex Wolfenden and Wax:On starlet Negghead, share in Ibiza.

WIN TICKETS
Guerilla Sounds has one pair of tickets to give away to a lucky winner and their friend to experience this rare sellout event. To be in with a chance of winning these tickets, simply click here to go to the relevant artwork on our facebook page and leave a comment with the answer to the following question: -
- In which city did Yousef start his Circus night?
All comments / answers must be made by 15:00 (GMT) on Monday 18 March, when the winner will be announced.

Circus London
Egg, 200 York Way, London
29.03.2013
23:00 – 06:00

Circus London keeping it hot…

The second instalment of Circus‘ capital frolics in 2013 sees them whip up another triple pronged line-up of exciting talent. As ever the focus is on the most vibrant and exciting names in modern house and techno, all headed up by the man that defines Circus, the indomitable Yousef. It marks the culmination of twelve months in the capital for the clubnight, part of Egg London’s continued spearhead as one of the most exciting venues in the UK.

Yousef’s 2013 has begun in much the same fashion that 2012 ended, a relentless buzz of effervescent electronica. With his “Beg” release entering the year as one of the biggest sellers across any genre, Yousef has continued consolidating his status as one of the most important figureheads within the electronic scene. A tour of the US and Columbia ushered the year in whilst Circus Recordings announced exciting plans of a cluster of forward thinking music; further proof of Yousef’s role as a pivotal force in unearthing new talent.

That role is illustrated perfectly in the shape of the guests for this party. Hot Since 82, the remixer which enabled “Beg” to reach its lofty status, is next in line and a name that is quickly garnering widespread acclaim. Another product of Leeds’ unerring ability to create house music heroes, his sound is the perfect juxtaposition of deep house and the classic jack of yesteryear. He’s found the support of Pete Tong, Jamie Jones, Seth Troxler, Jaymo & Andy George and Joris Voorn, as well as gigs at Ushuaia, Snowbombing and Watergate all coming his way, proof of a man rising to the very top of the game.

The next name comes in the shape of another producer who set the world alight last year, Pirupa. The Italian firebrand delivered one of the most popular tracks of the summer in 2012, “Party Non Stop”, a volatile slab of hip-house that never relented on its endearing energy. Caned to death by an astonishingly versatile selection of DJs including Carl Cox, Marco Carola, Steve Lawler and even Paul van Dyk, it followed on from a whirlwind few years which has also seen “Sweet Devil” and “Get Funky” fervently supported.

His DJing ability is as energetic and funky as the productions which have seen his star rise; all ensuring his Egg London performance will be one of the early pace-setters in the capital’s nightlife this year. The second and third rooms will as ever be manned by a strong selection of Egg London’s friends and residents.

Circus London
Egg, 200 York Way, London
22.02.2013
22:00 – 07:00

Egg | Tickets |

A W!ld start to 2013…

2013 is here, and Circus aims to start the year in just as strong a fashion as the way they ended the last one. That momentum is first cranked off through their residency at Egg London, bringing a caveat of sophisticated house and techno to one of the finest clubs in the capital. The line-up is a scintillating selection as ever, pulling together two domineering figures alongside the main man himself, Yousef.

2012 was the strongest year yet for one of dance music’s most venerated institutions. He cemented his status as an artist of considerable note with his second album “A Product Of Your Environment” receiving widespread acclaim, whilst his single “Beg” has been in the upper echelons since late November. Yousef also became considerably more concerted in his role as an ambassador for house music, both through his radio show 21st Century House Music and via Circus, the night which celebrated a decade. 2013 promises much more in that vein and Yousef and Circus will be kicking it all off at Egg London on the 25th.

Joining him and making his Circus London debut will be French enfant terrible DJ W!ld. The Gallic troubadour has been a visceral influence on the world of house music in the past few years, rapidly building up a heady profile as a tastemaker du jour. His celebrated residency at Circo Loco has been cemented by show-stopping debuts at the WMC and Sonar, as well as being enlisted on arguably the most impressive talent agency on the planet; cocoon. His inimitable brand of deep and dark, sexy and twisted house is a perfect fit for the dark recesses of Egg London and will be no doubt a hotly anticipated showcase to ring in the New Year.

The final name is Jesse Rose, a key figure in house music throughout the past decade. His funk laced productions have always floated towards the jerkier end of the standard house groove, adding a leftfield swagger. Whether running his own imprint Made 2 Play or lighting up venerated labels such as Classic, Jesse’s twisted jack remains one of the biggest draws throughout the UK’s house music scene. The bill is rounded up by the sound of Egg London’s friends and residents.

Circus London
Egg, 200 York Way, Islington, London
25.01.2013
22:00 – 08:00

Circus | Tickets |

Final Circus London of 2012…

The final Circus London of the year rounds off a frenetic 2012 for the club night’s forages into the capital. It kick-starts an important four days for the club, predating the Boxing Day bonanza up in Liverpool with its own style of arcane hedonism. It’s a role Circus London has served brilliantly at the Egg this year, expertly dovetailing with the Liverpool showcases to bring the mantra to the capital with further forages into the underground. The rising pedigree was summed up last month by putting on Laurent Garnier’s final ever LBS performance in the city and now allows for a headline slot from Circus kingpin Yousef for a congratulatory end of year celebration.

Yousef has had quite the 2012. A brilliantly received second album has been combined with a slew of killer singles and a hotly lusted after record label in Circus Recordings, further establishing the aural snapshot of the club into the releases realm. He was recently asked once again to provide an Essential Mix off the back of Circus’ decade of dance, the result met with widespread acclaim by the dance music community.

It was easy to see why; it was emblematic of the floor wrecking which has been his template since the mid nineties, DJ sets traversing house and techno that ooze with funk and charisma. It’s a template which is quickly making Yousef’s Circus sets in London as feted as they are in Liverpool, establishing his and Circus’ musical vision beyond his hometown.

Proceedings are bolstered by a turn from Lee Foss. He’s been behind, alongside Jamie Jones, the hottest label of recent times Hot Creations, blazing an emphatic trail on the current electronic music landscape. His true house music heritage (Foss is a born and raised Chicago native) has combined with the Hot Creations and his own personal signature, injecting warmth and emotion back into house music – adding humanity back into the machines. Like Yousef he has also mixed a recent Essential Mix to universal approval and has tasted recent chart success with Hot Natured’s “Benediction” nestling into the UK top 30, a rare achievement for a record to untie the record buying public and the world’s dancefloors.

Minus’ moody techno doyen Matador also joins the soiree, the creator of some of the most evocative and heartfelt electronica in recent times fresh off a year touring across the world’s biggest clubs and festivals. The Irish producer has delivered a stunning update to Bryan Zentz’ classic “D-Clash” as well as creating the “Kingswing EP”, five slabs of stadium shattering sonics that saw widespread love from the likes of Loco Dice, Seth Troxler, Sven Vath and Steve Lawler. Further announcements on the line-up are due imminently.

Circus
Egg, 200 York Way, King’s Cross, London
22.12.2012
23:00 – 07:00

Circus | Tickets | RA | Egg |

Laurent Garnier’s last LBS Project in London…

Circus moves towards the end of 2012 with another epic showcase lined up for its London residency at Egg. The year has already seen the likes of Sascha Dive, Riva Starr, Guy J and Dinky join Yousef down in the capital’s resurgent rave enclave, but this gig sees arguably the most anticipated and special of the lot so far. A certain Gallic troubadour is incoming…

Headlining will be a historic and monumental turn from Laurent Garnier and his LBS project. Few guests manage to get the full scope of what Circus is about, but Laurent certainly has. He first graced the club back in 2004 and his eclectic approach has been fully representative of the stylistic shifts and turns Circus has been a part of across house and techno over the years. That first gig saw him do an impromptu Kurt Cobain tribute on the ten year anniversary of his death, and since then he has blessed Circus with a glut of far ranging and fully panoramic offerings. And now they are bringing him to London.

It will also be the final ever London performance of his LBS project that has re-defined the concept of merging improvised live performance and DJing, being a revelation since its inception. Garnier believes only in moving forward, and after a stellar couple of years the project will be moved aside for his latest delve into musical ingenuity. This will be the final showcase the project ever delivers in London and marks a breathtaking year for Circus in the capital.

Support will of course come from Yousef, who’s 2012 continues to yield stronger results both behind the booth and the boards. “A Product Of Your Environment”, Yousef’s full length second album, has seen a rapturous response across both the media and the DJing world and comes allayed with a sterling touring schedule that has seen frequent action on five continents this year. Circus recordings starlets Acid Mondays also swing by to showcase their effervescent take on house and techno.

Circus
Egg, 200 York Way, London
30.11.2012
22:00 – 08:00

Circus | Tickets | RA | Egg |

Launching Yousef’s new album…

Circus is back in London for another instalment of meticulous melodies and gorgeous grooves. It marks the first show of their eleventh year after September saw them celebrate a decade at the pinnacle of UK clubland. This party is emblematic of why exactly the club manages to retain such a definitive allure, featuring a selection of some of the defining figures of the underground alongside Yousef for celebration of the release of his second artist album “A Product of Your Environment”.

Yousef’s 2012 is coming to an end in scintillating style. His sophomore album has been met with universal acclaim by both his peers and the media, with continued DJ support from the likes of Loco Dice, Magda, Carl Cox, Guti, Uner and Nic Fanciuilli. It’s a showcase of the journey Yousef has made both as an artist and as a man during the twenty years he has been involved in dance music, and whilst a movement away from the usual beat led formula of DJ albums it still remains firmly rooted in the dancefloor – evolution rather than revolution of his individual and unique style.

Luca Bachetti will be joining him, the sometime Ovum and Wagon Repair recording artist famous for his defining role in the swing led sound of the Italian house scene. His musical style has gained an exotic momentum since his relocation to Barcelona in recent years, and an old school influenced jack gives his music a cunning edge that makes them all the more fiercely relevant in the modern field, and for his Circus debut is richly anticipated.

The remaining support cast is a strong smattering of some of the leading lights in modern electronica, not least Israeli beat technician Guy J who drops by. His trippy sonics have been stapled effervescently to warm textures to create a sonic palette that is both driving and elegant, an extremely rare proposition. Intec recordings artist Jon Rundell also drops by with his explosive ensemble of bass heavy house and techno, with Circus resident Lewis Boardman wrapping things up.

Circus London – ‘A Product of Your Environment’ Launch Party
Egg, 200 York Way, Kings Cross, London
23:00 – 07:00
26.10.2012

Circus | Tickets |

Wasted Heroes’ illustrator and graphic designer for the Circus…

Words: Natasha Stokes

If you’re gearing up for Circus X, the tenth anniversary party of Liverpool’s famed Circus club night, chances are you’ll have come across Russ Reid’s work. The graphic designer responsible for the ‘Pudlian party’s distinctive, surreal posters – definitely no clowns – has been its lead illustrator since the night’s inception, creating twisted mashup images around the iconic house names of Circus lineups. Now the night is turning a decade old with dual parties in Liverpool as well as London’s Egg keeping up the Circus motto, “serious music, fun times”.

Continue reading “Russell Reid – Imagery of Yousef’s Circus” »