07 August 2022 (free)
10 August 2022
Tracks such as “Narcotic”, “Supergirl”, “Please Tell Rosie” and “I Swear” have not only racked up millions of streams combined, but have reached top 3 placements in both the official German Singles and Airplay charts – Winning Gold and Platinum Awards round the clock. YouNotUs has become a solid “feat”. Consistently producing fresh, innovative productions with signature, deep house depth and atmosphere within the world of music, the allure of a pop song and the underground appeal of a throbbing nightclub. We caught up with the two to learn more…
hi guys how are you doing? So, tell us, how did you meet, and how long have you been making music together?
Greetings! Well the story of how we met is actually quite funny. Greg used to be a pizza delivery boy and Toby ordered pizza. We knew each other from our university but when Greg was standing in front of my door I was surprised to see him giving him pizza. We connected immediately, because we knew we were going to the same university and we were both producing music. I told him to come and listen to a track I was just making and we worked on that song for hours. Then Greg got a call from his boss and was fired. Later that night we started YouNotUs. And it’s been almost 10 years now 🙂
What was the moment you realized you wanted to be a DJS?
We always dreamed of becoming successful musicians. The idea of becoming a DJ grew when we became more and more into electronic music at a young age. So it’s amazing that it actually worked!
But playing DJ is not the only chord for you, you are a successful producer as well as a live artist. Along with a live band version of Unotas that includes a 16-person touring team. What is the difference between the DJ and live band version of Yunotus?
It creates a completely different relationship between us and the audience than just a DJ! We always have one or two vocalists, a brass section with trumpet, trombone and saxophone, plus a live drummer. We’re both playing instruments like guitar, synths and sample pads and it’s a lot of fun for us too! The crowd really appreciates the songs being performed live with the whole band giving so much energy back to it.
Are there any plans for a live performance this year?
Yes! Our festival heat is packed and shows are already in line for autumn. Some of them will accompany the band but most of them will be set as DJs.
What is your favorite festival or club to play for today?
Right now every gig is amazing! You can really feel that there has been no live event for over 2 years and people are going crazy. A few weeks ago there were moshpits in Lyon every two minutes. It was a crazy show. We had so much fun!
‘Samba’ is your new single and composes a classic melody from Bellini’s ‘Samba de Janeiro’. How did this single come about? Were you both growing up on this original song?
The original song “Samba de Janeiro” has been our all time favorite as well as the ear worm forever. Toby put it on our shared “ideas” note years ago and when we got permission to work on the song last year, we got our hands on it immediately! We’ve always loved the challenge of building a song around such a huge hook and after 47 volumes it’s finally out!
With the single ‘Samba’ it is a more radio focused track than your previous release ‘Darkroom’, which seems to have been made for clubs. How would you describe your musical direction as an artist or where do you want to go or say with your music?
We have always liked the mix of dance/pop and house music. We also want to get the right vibe for each of our songs. That’s why we try to give every song its own touch!
How does your own musical creative process work?
First of all there should be something that inspires you. A sample, a chord progression, a chord, it doesn’t matter. But it requires you to listen to something in your mind that you want to pursue and make audible. This motivation is not always present so you have to be patient and wait for it to hit.
ALLE Farben is an artist you’ve collaborated with and had incredible success with. What is the story behind working together?
We actually found out about Frans by participating in a remix contest for their first hit single, “She Moves”. In the end we actually won it and contacted them, visited their shows and also contacted their management. Everyone liked what we did so we started working together a lot and even became friends.
ALL FARBEN (“All” isn’t his first name, but the full name is a German expression for “all colors”) He’s not the only artist you’ve collaborated with over the years. You’ve worked with an impressive list of names that include Genek, Senex, Deepend, Amber Van Day and Martin Gallup. Is there an artist that is influencing you right now and who would you love to work with?
There are many artists we would love to work with. Unlimited list. But if we have to narrow it down to one specific person, we have to go with Dua Lipa. She is an amazing singer and a collaboration will be like a dream come true! And another one we would really love to collaborate with is Tiesto because we really love his latest sound, he has been on top of everything for 20-25 years and to be a small part of that journey is amazing Will happen.
Do you ever feel pressured to live up to past successes or the expectations of your fans?
Of course you want every release to be successful. But in the end we just love making music and you never know which song could explode. That’s why it’s not worth putting pressure on yourself on something that you don’t have that much control over. We just try to make the best music possible and hope people love it.
Out of all your awards so far, which one holds the most important achievement for you and why?
Everyone is special to us and makes us feel really grateful. And everyone has their own story. In the end we’ll probably go with the award for Supergirl because it was our first big song and it opened up a lot of doors! We were blown away by the response and success of this song and we have tattoos because of it 😀
Music is so prevalent today how do you differentiate a good track? What is the difference for you as a producer and as a DJ?
A song has to feel inspired. It’s important to us that it has something that makes it stand out and that’s usually what’s weird about a song that grabs the attention of the listeners. So there are a lot of very well written dance and pop songs out there but often they lack inspiration and so the sound is pretty much the same. We try to avoid it.
What are your future musical plans – an album?
No album planned yet but definitely someday in the future. It makes the most sense for us to release singles at the moment, but to be honest, we’d really love to make an album with a concept and take real time with it.
Lastly, will we see you performing in the UK this year?
Sadly, the show is now lined up in the UK. But we would love to play there. We are in London for songwriting, however we feel very close with UK music culture and love the way the island works and the vibe.
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