| Despite DJ culture's dizzying mutation
from its original DIY aesthetic into today's multi-million pound
industry, Yousef is proof proper that the dreams of aspiring
enthusiasts can, in fact, still come true. From hours of practice
in the prosaic surrounds of a four walled bedroom to pumping
the crowd at Cream's annexe, from turning promoters heads across
the country to turning on the executives at Radio 1 (where he's
recently become a resident), Yousef has injected the UK's house
scene with an irresistible vitality.
And, as he shows on this wildly energetic segue, he's done
it by taking house back to basics: to a place where the kick
drum, bassline and disco hook go hand in hand with a hedonistic
attitude. Forget about posing in the VIP room or propping
up the bar, this is music built for basements, for losing
it on the floor, for getting sweaty and not giving a shit.
The club doors may have closed, but no ones going home until
the stereo shuts down. First, it's time to jack.
Like his hero, Derrick Carter, Yousef gives linear 4/4 grooves
a life of their own, building a relentless assault on the
senses by using little more than caustic beats, the ghost
of Chic and an infectious, palpable enthusiasm. From the psychedelic
West Coast house of Joeski and Onionz to the smooth grooves
of Ian Pooley, from the bumping FX-trickery of stripped-down
Chicago tracks to his own storming collaboration with Bobby
Peru as 10,000 BC, the mercury is constantly on the rise when
Yousef is in 'The Mix'.
Sean Bidder, Seven Magazine
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