Le Youth Interview

American Dance music producer, Le Youth, has revolutionised club nights with his mix of R&B and
‘90s House. A hit with music know-it-alls and instant success with debut single ‘C O O L’, he will be releasing his next offering, ‘Dance With Me’, in February. We had a chat with the man himself to discover what makes him tick and learn all about the Le Youth process of creating music.

So, tell us who’s the man behind Le Youth and what is he about?
My name is Wes James. I’m a Dance music producer from Los Angeles, California. I take myself
too seriously most of the time.

What inspired you to start producing? And what is the whole process when you’re alone producing?
I’ve been making music for as long as I can remember. I grew up playing in bands, but always
preferred working alone, so I started Le Youth. For whatever reason, I like working on music in the morning; maybe it’s because I have trouble sleeping, so I’m always up early. I like to start with an idea of where I want a song to go and just try to bring it to life, without spending too much time on minor details.

When creating songs like ‘C O O L’ and ‘Dance With Me’, how do you know when it’s finished?
The important thing is not knowing when a song is finished, but knowing what’s worth finishing. I’ve never had difficulty with that. I’m super picky, so almost everything gets trashed. It has to be really special to get the finishing touches. ‘C O O L’ actually sat untouched for a couple of months until a friend inspired me to finish it. So I guess sometimes they do slip by me, but not often.

What was the first record you ever bought?
I’m too embarrassed to say…

Ok, we’ll let you off that one! How do you feel when bloggers and music journalists have referred to your music as the “defining sound of summer 2013”?
It feels good to have your art validated in that way. Bloggers and journalists have been vital to the success of Le Youth. I’m forever indebted to them for that.

When looking at your own music how would you describe it?
I keep it simple and just describe it as Dance music. I don’t get hung up on genres really; a good song is a good song. For the people that require some sort of reference point, I describe it as Dance music inspired by ‘90s House and R&B, which typically confuses them.

Why do you think this resurgence of ‘90s R&B aesthetic came back in music?
Everything seems to come back around, at least once. So I think this is just the right time for ‘90s music. R&B was hot then so it makes sense that it’s hot now. I think there are also a lot of samples that fit really well into current Dance music. There also seems to be a lot of acapellas from that time period that are available online. It would have been impossible for studio engineers, artists or record labels to know that 20 years later, kids in their home studios would be downloading them off the Internet and bringing them back to life in their own music. I think it’s really cool to think of it that way.

What do you think about EDM being the powerhouse genre in music at the moment?
I haven’t thought much about it. I feel so far removed from that genre of Dance music. It would be like asking me to comment on the success of Country music. They can have the big room.

If you could collaborate with any other DJ, who would it be and why?
Diplo. Judging by his Instagram feed he seems to have a lot of fun stuff happening around him (private jets, girls expressing themselves, etc.) I think we’d get along.

When touring, you visit different countries that all have a different understanding of Dance and House music. Do you find the crowds differ from place to place? And where’s the best place you’ve performed?
I have noticed a difference between the US and Europe. I think the idea of seeing a DJ play in the US is still pretty new to a lot of people. In Europe, they’ve been doing it for years so they sort of get it. The crowds have been great everywhere I’ve played so far so it’s hard to pick a favourite place, but Paris was a memorable one. Really looking forward to playing Australia soon.

Summing up 2013, what were some of your greatest highlights?
Touring Europe and seeing the impact ‘C O O L’ made over there was a big one for me.

What’s next for Le Youth?
The next second single ‘Dance With Me’ is out 9th February with Dominique Young Unique. We just
shot the video in LA so I’m looking forward to that dropping soon. I’m working on a record for summer 2014 and touring Europe in the spring.

Finally, if you were chilling in a serene bamboo clad beach hut, watching the tide roll in, and the sun dipping on the horizon, what beverage would you be sipping on?
Corona and Lime.

By Jordan Shepley