UPFRONTBEATS

Tamango Records boss Yaya reveals his highly anticipated debut album ‘You Decide’ this November.

An artist known for fusing his African ethnic roots with his Italian upbringing, Torino’s Yassin Ligali Ali, aka Yaya, has emerged as one of the hottest names on the electronic music scene since being picked up by Loco Dice and Desolat in 2009, releasing a string of material via the likes of Cadenza, Be As One, Celesta Recordings, Roush and more to date. Building on early influences from his father, a singer and the leading voice of the ensemble ‘M’Bamina’, and his own personal experiences performing as a drummer around the city, late-2019 now welcomes his most extensive project to date as he readies his debut album ‘You Decide’, set to be released on home turf via his burgeoning Tamango Records imprint.

“‘You Decide’ is my debut album, and I’m super excited to release it on my own label, Tamango Records. It’s called ‘You Decide’ because I firmly believe that each one of us is solely responsible for their actions, choices and consequences. All the times of your life, you decide. This album was produced during this past year in different periods and different places: from India to Miami, from Peru to the Maldives, so I hope you can spot where each track takes inspiration from.’ ‘ Yaya

Opening via an amalgamation of rattling organic percussion and ethnic Yoruba chants provided by Karice, the package eases mysteriously into the slinking ‘Be Yourself’, again featuring vocals from his sister amongst whirring synths, broken beats and an infectious core groove, while ‘Black Mamba’ rolls with Yaya’s trademark percussion combinations including rich bongo and tom licks, woven together with deep strings to create a blooming sonic exploration that culminates into an epic dancefloor burner. ‘Ebi Awon’ features flashing synths, elegant organs, and a rough-edged rolling bassline, with further Yoruba vocals by Karice, ‘One Way’ introduces spacious kicks and refreshingly funky synths for a full high-octane ride, before ‘Lost Beach’ unveils a heady and rapid dancefloor brew with scattering percussion, crisp claps and darker synths. Rounding out the package, ‘Love and Hate’ features down-sampled and digitalised pads with thoughtful bass strokes and gently swaying drums, suspending you into a smooth and seductive lo-fi space over its 7+ minute ride, and on the outro, the mysterious Yoruba chants make their return, sanctioning, like an ancient prophecy, the end of this journey. The digital package also features four additional cuts, with Yaya demonstrating further impressive examples of rich textures, emotive pads and rich percussion across ‘Night And Day’, ‘She Is Not For Me’, ‘Trust Me’ and ‘In My Head’.

Drawing from his broad musical influences and diverse multicultural background, ‘You Decide’ offers an exploration into both Yaya’s career and journey to date, but also as a preview into his future evolution as an artist, combining brilliant percussive numbers that balance minimal roots with more avant-garde soundscapes, whilst introducing a close-knit, family feel across the package, often bringing his sister Karice to deliver vocals, in turn unveiling an excellently produced body of work from one of house and minimal’s brightest stars.

Yaya ‘You Decide’ LP is out on Tamango Records on 4th November 2019.

• FB: facebook.com/yaya_tamango
• Twitter: twitter.com/yayamusic
• Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/yaya_tamango
• Beatport: beatport.com/artist/yaya