Hi guys, welcome to EDMNOMAD. Being that this is your first interview with us. Please can you tell our readers a little more about you? How did your journey in music start, what were your influences growing up and who/what inspires you now?
Hey Guys! Thanks for having us. So, we are Tobi and Greg and together we are YouNotUs. We live in Berlin, Germany and we are DJs and Producers. We would describe our sound as something between Dance and House with a lot of influences of the 90s.
Greg: We always wanted to make music, so we were always playing in bands when we were kids. And when we were older, we started to dive into electronic music, DJing and producing.
Moving to berlin was probably one of the most important steps in our career, because there we met each other and the team we are working with today.
Tobi: The story how we met is actually pretty funny. Greg was a pizza delivery guy and Tobi ordered a Pizza. Before that day we saw each other a few times at our university, so when Greg was standing in front of my door I was surprised to see him delivering the pizza but we instantly connected, because we knew we were going to the same university and we were both music enthusiasts. I was just producing a track and told him to come in and listen to what I did for a second. We ended up working on the song together for hours. Greg got a call from his boss and got fired. After that night we started our artist project together.
How did you end up with the name “YouNotUs”?
Tobi: When we were looking for the right name for our artist project, it was a really long brainstorming process and in the end we came up with that name because of the message behind it. We always say „it’s all about You, not us.“ So it’s about the people in front of the stage, the people listening to our music and for everybody who likes to be a part of our journey.
You’ve already achieved some impressive successes with your music winning numerous gold and platinum awards. Is there one moment with your music which stands out the most? Perhaps the first “wow, we’ve made it” moment?
Greg: Actually we never really came to that point, where we thought „wow, now we’ve made it“ because we believe, if you think you’ve made it, you will stop trying to become somebody. So it’s always a process and we grow with it.
Tobi: But of course there are very special moments like hearing your own song on the radio for the first time or playing in front of a huge festival crowd and everybody is singing along your songs.
Your new single is the hot party summer track ‘Samba’ which reminds us of the 90s hit „Samba de Janeiro“. Tell us more about the single, how did the idea come about?
Tobi: We are kids of the 90s and we grew up with the original „Samba de Janeiro“ song. It is an all-time ear worm of ours and the hook has such an incredible energy. So it’s an honor to get the chance and permission to work on a song like that.
Greg: And for us as producers it’s always a nice challenge to work on a track with such a big hook and to write and create a new song around that. We tried to combine the famous melody with our style and we think it worked out really well. But have a listen.
And what has the reaction to the track been like in your DJ sets?
Tobi: Crazy!! For our DJ sets we always do special versions, like Club or VIP Mixes and the people are going mad about the song. Everybody remembers the melody and is hyped when it drops! Such a great feeling to see people jumping and screaming to our productions.
Do you have any tips or guidance for up-and-coming producers?
Greg: Just keep on going and stay motivated. Try to become one of the best in what you are doing. And be aware of the fact that normally it takes a lot of time to become successful in the music business.
Tobi: And in the end it is always a mixture of a strong skillset, paired with a good portion of luck. But if you keep on working hard, there will be chances and if you see a chance coming, be prepared and take it! 🙂
Is an album something fans can expect from you in the future?
Greg: Not in the near future. It didn’t feel like the right moment for an album yet, but we think for an artist it’s always interesting to work on an album, because it gives you much more freedom in creating your music and trying new stuff. So maybe one day it might feel right to us to start working on an album. Never say never.
As well as your dj sets, you also perform your music in a live band setting. Can you please to us more about this set-up and how this is different from your DJ shows?
Tobi: When we are performing live, we perform with a whole band and play a lot of our own songs. We have a drummer, a brass section with trumpet, trombone and saxophone, as well as one or two singers with us.
Greg: I am playing keys and synths and Tobi is playing guitar and Samplepads/MPC. So it’s a proper live experience, but it’s also always a hybrid set. That means we always also have DJ performance parts in the liveshow.
Tobi: Yes, as being a DJ is such an important part of our musical identity, we always wanna create the energetic vibe of a DJ set. But we also always wanted to make it special and combine it with live elements. It’s just so much fun to perform our songs live with our gang! We love it!
Who would be your dream collaboration?
Greg: We’ve already been working with so many people and we love to collaborate. So we always find it hard to decide for only one artist.
Tobi: But if I would have to chose one artist…it possibly would be Dua Lipa! We just love her Voice. So working with her would be an absolute dream.
What’s next for YouNotUs?
Tobi: We are so much looking forward to a super packed tour summer, finally all the big events and Festivals are back in Europe, and we’ll be playing a lot. And we are honestly soooo happy about that… Because in the end, this is what we are doing it for. To celebrate together with the people on the festivals. So, looking forward to see you around 🙂
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