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Yuksek Provides A Revelation With "Living On The Edge Of Time"

Rebecca Obadia |
February 17, 2012 | 12:07 a.m. PST

Staff Writer

Album Cover
Album Cover

Music producer, composer and DJ, Yuksek made Valentine's Day an even more important date with the release of his latest album "Living On the Edge of Time."

Originally from Reims, in the northeast of France, Yuksek has progressively built his own electric musical signature over the years. He was recognized more as a DJ at first officially remixing songs for big headliners such as Phoenix, Moby, The Gossip and many others, but Yuksek aspired to make further use of his synthesizer rather than solely pleasing the ears of his audience in clubs or working on remixes.

A free spirit and controversial character, Yuksek finally introduced his audience to his talent for music production in 2009 with the release of "Away From the Sea."

This first album included the song "Tonight," which was broadcasted on many radio channels and used for the ad campaign of a reputable French automobile brand in 2010.

However, Yuksek had not explored all of his potential and this second album comes out as the long-awaited revelation of a promising artist.

He explored a new genre of music that had never really been heard in his tracks before: pop music. One could argue that the use of pop may force the guy to fall into a mainstream audience and step away from his roots of the underground scene… Absolutely not!

Yuksek considers this album to be a very different one from"Away From the Sea." Although many of the songs on "Living On the Edge of Time" hold a significant pop influence, we can still recognize Yuksek's interest in electro and more specifically the use of dark and dramatic soundbites played by his synthesizer.

On this album, he not only created the music, but also put an emphasis on the lyrics. Additionally, this time he is the one singing all the songs.

Yuksek focused more on the writing of the tracks rather than on the electronic production.He chose to work differently on this album to overcome the challenge of performing his entire album on stage with the support of two additional musicians.  

"Living On the Edge of Time" could be considered a time capsule going back and forth from the 70s and 80s, mixing some disco-funk from the 90s-00s with the rise of electronic music wrapped in a layer of timeless pop melodies.

The opening song of the album, "Always On The Run," is a perfect hybrid of all these different musical influences led by Yuksek's vocals. This song is meant to start your day on a happy note or a good opportunity to show your moves on the dance floor.

"The Edge" and its sound recording of claps capture the listener's nostalgia of a naive youth just interested in letting the grooving pop take over one's body and soul.

In contrast, tracks like "Miracle" and "Fireworks" bring up a complete different style to "Living On the Edge of Time." "Miracle" almost depicts a rock 'n' roll Yuksek playing a huge electric guitar while "Fireworks" sounds like Justice made love to Yuksek, channeling the dark electronic tone of the French duet.

Yuksek actually invited some of his musician friends such as Guillaume from The Shoes, White Keys and others to record background vocals. They are heard on "On A Train," accompanying the melancholic story of a man who feels the urge to be alone at times and retreat to his own spirit, the train, to cut himself from the world.

"To See You Smile" is a first introduction to Yuksek's acoustic work, emphasizing his vocals at first and later fading in the divine background, which takes over and plunges the listener in a dream of a smile. "Dead or Alive" is the other acoustic song on the album, highlighting a strong bass line added to lighter synth-pop notes.

With "Living On the Edge of Time," Yuksek got himself a passport to prove his own musical identity and personality. Here is another French artist singing in English on beats originating from several different decades and who is able to show the fascinating eclecticism of electronic music.

Reach staff reporter Rebecca Obadia here.



 

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