Yousef is name synonymous with slick, jackin’ sleazy beats, edged with an aggressive and relentless groove. He is a DJ and producer that literally lives and breathes music and is always trying to improve his technical djing abilities. He is also a DJ and producer that knows how to put the fun into house music. Now one of the UK’s top DJs, Yousef began his DJing quest in 1991, messing around on a friend’s set of decks after a night out at the infamous Shelly’s in Stoke:
“I’d been to cheesy R&B/chart music clubs and a few local ‘raves’ before this, but the first proper night that stands out is when I went to Shelly’s. I was 16 and my mates rocked up one night saying they were going to this club and told me to come with them; saying it was amazing. Without a doubt, at the time Shelly’s was part of one of the five legendary clubs the UK had ever seen – it was definitely up there with Hacienda, Shoom and all of those - full on acid house raveness. I joined in with them and turned up in a really dodgy rave outfit. Carl Cox was playing and The Prodigy were on live (before they got big). I remember just standing and watching Keith Flint going bananas; it was like nothing I had seen or experienced before. A moment that definitely inspired me to do what I’m doing now.” - Yousef
As many DJs before him, he was originally influenced by Hip-Hop - until he developed a taste for house music. “There were a lot of local radio stations that began to play house, Hardcore and other early ‘rave’ music, and I was into this new sound.” He says. Early sets from Carl Cox and later Roger Sanchez were the first to ‘blow his head off’, whilst more recently Derrick Carter, Sneak, Onionz and Laurent Garnier are his biggest influences.
Yousef has DJ’d all over the world, in places such as Miami, Australia, New York, LA, Sao Paulo, Rio, Buenos Aires, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Paris, Madrid, Stockholm, Ibiza, Tiapei, Milan, Barcelona, Madrid, Zurich, Jakarta, Africa, all over Ireland and every major UK city.
His favourite clubs include Bodytonic in Dublin, Asylum and Basics in Leeds, Baby face in Guangzhou, Clubland in Buenos Aires, Space and Pacha Ibiza . The Arches in Glasgow and of course his residency at his own club night, the uk’s number 1 club (according the listeners of bbc Radio One) CIRCUS in Liverpool
On September 14th 2002 Yousef began promoting his own monthly club-night ‘Circus’, held at the Masque Theatre in Liverpool. Initially a 300 capacity venue and founded so that Yousef could play in his hometown and have fun with his friends, the night has since attracted the world’s highest ranking DJs – including Fatboy Slim, Sneak, Derrick Carter, Carl Cox, Soul Mekanik, Nic Fanciulli, Jon Carter, Groove Armada, Roger Sanchez, Timo Mass, Stacey Pullen, Steve Lawler, Laurent Garnier, Sneak, Darren Emerson, Phil Weeks and so many more. It won the House Rules Club of the Year on Radio 1 at the end of 2004 and has hosted a Live Radio 1 Essential mix. It’s now a 1200 capacity venue with a strong and dedicated following from across the UK and beyond after it’s first international outing in Miami in 2004 at Crobar with Carl Cox amongst others. Circus also hosted a tent at Creamfields in Liverpool in the same year.
Production wise, On Junior Records, Yousef cut the first ever 10,000BC release ‘Whatever’. Together with Paul Woolford, 10,000BC back in 2001 and have re-mixed the likes of Meeker’s ‘Come Together’, The Angry Mexican DJs’ ‘Rock Dior’ and Hubert Hudson’s ‘Maracana’ and Baracus “bijongo’s”
In 2002 Yousef also paired with Steve Mac (Rhythm Masters) as the Drum Bums; Their ‘I Like This/The Darkness’ on Dysfunktional was a big player with Tong, Roger Sanchez and Satoshi Tommie, gaining full support and becoming Dysfunktional’s most successful release ever. In 2003 they released the follow-up Drum Bums single, “Circus Parade” it rocked Ibiza with DJs including Erick Morillo, Roger Sanchez and Pete Tong and was jointly released on both Steve Mac’s Variation label and Yousef’s then newly set up label ‘Carioca’ with Yousef’s own remix which got in the top 100 in the UK nationals! (somehow…?). Part 3 for the Drums Bums is due out soon.
Although Yousef described Carioca as a labour of love it has now established itself as a hot yet solid independent record label covering all forms of house music.
Carioca releases include tracks from Jordan Fields, Onionz, Blakkat and Tyra, Lee Mortimer and Yousef himself (Sometimes under his Harry Monroe guise).
Recently Yousef released ‘Yousef-Friends, A Collaboration of Beats’. Cross between a heavy weight EP and an artist album it contained seven original tracks and one re-edit, all of which came from collaborations between himself and some of his “FRIENDS”, the people he admires musically. Including the lovely Paul Woolford, Nic Fanciulli, Steve Mac, Gene Farris, Justin Long and more.
Yousef’s remixes include Fatboy Slim “The Joker” (Skint), Jamiroquai “Electric Mistress”(Sony) , Kid Massive “Alright” (Slip n Slide), School’s ‘If’ (Virgin), Tim Deluxe’s “Less talk more action” (Underwater), Boris D’Lugosh “Keep Pushing” (Peppermint Jam), Moloko’s “Cannot Contain This” (echo) and Phil Weeks “Candela” (robsoul) amoung others.
He sites his biggest accomplishments as being true to his roots (after his Cream residency had finished) and keeping house music alive in his home city by making Circus an essential night out in Liverpool, his Radio 1 residency and getting signed as 10,000 BC to Junior Boys Own. Other achievements include winning the ‘Best Breakthrough DJ’ award at 2001\\\\\\\'s Muzik world dance Awards, mixing DMC’s 2002 compilation and writing a monthly column for Muzik, which he did so for two years. As well as appearing on the front cover on both IDJ magazine and Seven magazine.
2005 was a good year for Yousef, he completed a Renaissance mix and travelled the globe (again), promoting it. His Circus night also went from strength to strength with more of the uk‘s finest line up‘s.
Needless to say 2006 promises big things from Yos…
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