YHUMAN is part of the new generation of techno artists to emerge from Napoli’s superlative talent pool. His productions are totally on point and his first ever release almost just topped the Beatport hard techno charts! That’s a serious achievement right there.

Tell us about you.

YHUMAN: I’m 26, Italian & I live in Rome for 3 years but I was born near Naples, south of Italy. Djing has always been my passion since I was very young, like 14 years old. It started as a joke at that time, playing for my friends in little parties but the more I grew up, the more Techno has become my passion. But playing was not enough for me. I felt the need to produce my own music, to share to the others my fellings in my tracks. I do it professionally for 3 years. Thanks to the context where I lived, I was (and still I am) inspired by talents like Neapolitan Gangsta (Rino Cerrone + Markantonio + Joseph Capriati), Roberto Capuano, Luigi Madonna… you can imagine!

Can you remember your first gig and did you rock it?

YHUMAN: My first important gig was in a club called D3 in Naples, with Kyle Geiger and Bodyscrub. The last one is also big friend of mine. I was 22 at that time, and for me it was a big honour to do the warm up to 2 big deejays and producers like them. It was fantastic that night, the club was on fire!

How difficult was is it to start producing and how long did it take for you to get to the standard you are now?

When I started to produce at the beginning was hard, especially the hardest part was to put together all the ideas. I’ve been working night and day on my productions, till I was completely satisfied. It can take months sometimes for me to produce a track. I don’t like to do things in a hurry just to do something. I’m proud of what I’ve achieved and am still learning with each day!

What’s been your biggest achievement this year or the release you’re most proud of?

YHUMAN: For sure the release of my Ovedrive EP on Somatic Records! The second day of the release my EP was sitting at #13 in the Hard Techno Release charts, it is a very big achievement! No it’s at number 1 – i’m really lost for words!

https://soundcloud.com/changeunder/cupremiere-yhuman-lose-control-somatic-records

I am very grateful to Steve Pegram, he is not only the label’s owner, but a good friend who gave me useful advice. The label is doing great things!

Talk to us about the music scene like where you’re based plus how often are you playing?

I live in Rome and every weekend there is a big DJ performing in different clubs. This city adores Techno scene. I am originally part of the scene in Naples so most times I play there. In Rome I’ve performed quite a few times but when I came here I decided to dedicate myself to study and produce more than play out in clubs.

Tell us about your DJ setup when you’re performing

My DJ setup is composed by a mixer Allen & Heath Xone92, then I use 2 controllers: Kontrol x1 to control the tracks that I mix and Maschine Mirko Mk2 where I have all the sample that I’ve created during the years. I also use Kontrol f1 to control the volume and effects of the sample coming from the Maschine. In 2018 my setup will completely change but it’s a surprise, you’ll see!

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned from this industry so far?

The biggest lesson I have learned is to not listen to everyone’s opinions, follow your own intuition, feelings & emotions… because they are never wrong!

How difficult has it been in getting people in the industry to take you seriously and what strategies did you use to get people’s attention?

It is difficult because in this world there is so much competition and so much great talent that you have to do something amazing to get noticed. I never use strategies, I just put my heart in to what I do and i’m making it with the belief that people are gonna love it! Sometimes people here that passion, they like the music and the become a fan. So that’s how it’s working for me right now.

What new stuff can we expect from you soon

I’m continuously working on new productions and new remixes. 2018 will be full of news, I have some fixed dates around Europe and Italy, stay tuned!