The Brvtalist is pleased to present a premiere plus an interview with Y2C, the collaborative project between the prolific artists Younger Than Me and Curses. The hard rave wave brothers have joined forces once again for their 2nd EP as Y2C. This time, in collaboration with 24/Hrs- the electronic concept label part of Milano's invincible Tempio Del Futuro Perduto collective, club and creative community space.
Dragging their rave roots into a rusty blender drenched in neon acid and metallic percussion heard in the tunnels of lost dystopian cities, their new EP ‘I Fiori Del Male’ goes from heavy hitting club tracks to a hypnotic ambient escape, rounding out furiously with an absolutely devious and destructive electro techno bomb of a remix from fellow Berliner, Infinity Division (ex Minimal Violence) and an electrifying remix from Tempio Del Futuro’s resident Industrial Romantico.
Out digitally + vinyl April 28th. Pick up your copy here now and read the interview by Melanie Havens with Y2C below.
Melanie Havens: Let’s start at the beginning - first I'd like to know a bit about your musical backgrounds. What is your first valuable musical memory?
YTM: I would say it's really complicated but for sure open. When I was a teenager I was into punk and rock music then it went in the direction of dancehall, reggae, jungle and dub. At some point this wide personal open view about music leads me into electronic music which is now basically my life. But also to be honest it needs to be mentioned I have a huuuge love for hip hop and rap music, I would rather not live without music of any kind, but it must be good.
I think having a broad vision of music without a precise genre but with the only difference between good and bad music helps me a lot to range in my sets as well as in productions.
Curses: When I was 7 I saw back to the future. The scene where, Michael J fox jumps on stage and plays johnny b goode and shreds a guitar solo, crowd going wild immediately ignited a want inside of me.
MH: Which music/rave scene were you connected to growing up and what impact does it have on your music?
YTM: Well surely the period of illegal raves, Spiral Tribe, Teknambul etc had a big influence on my way of conceiving a party. And also OFC with the 90's vein of the Italian clubs, these two scenes have been crucial for my current way to see a party and to my own music.
Curses: Growing up in NYC; the goths, skaters, punks and ravers all hung together. So, I was going to see bands at cbgbs and goth nights at Coney Island high during the week and then raves on the weekends in brooklyn and queens with Dj’s like frankie bones and Lenny dee or Dara and Diesel Boy. This mish mash of subcultures as a teenager still remains strong in everything I do today with music.
MH: Where do you draw inspiration from and has it changed over the years?
YTM: The inspiration for me personally comes from every trip and gig I do, from the people I meet around the world. I must admit that during the period of the pandemic lockdown after the first few months I had a long artistic block in which I realized that my main source of inspiration had been blocked precisely by the impossibility of playing in front of an audience. So, to me gigs and productions are closely connected.
Curses: I am always inspired by the fringe and underground of the past. Discovering new music from the 80s that brings out something new in the now in me. Over the years, hearing new artists in different cities who mirror a similar taste in blending the past with present, continues to be a big inspiration.
MH: If you could listen to only one song while being stranded on an island, what would it be and why?
Curses: Robert Görl - Mit Dir. Ironically, because I would be alone and it means “with you” haha… but this song is timeless romance to me. It was also my wedding song, so it holds a special place in my heart.
YTM: Something from The Smiths, I guess. But don’t ask me why, just guess if you will :) ( ask me why, and I'll spit in your eye cit The Smiths - Still Ill ) Lol
MH: Now that we know a bit about your influences and backgrounds, tell us about your new collaborative project, Y2C. What sparked the decision to start it and how would you describe its sound?
Y2C: Both of us grew up listening to a wide span of genres and subgenres of music. From punk and wave to rap to jungle/d&b to early Tekno with a K… the common thread between us was always the rave. We both also had this love for electro and 90’s uk hardcore. We wanted to step away from the usual 4x4 kick drum rhythms of Curses and YTM , and Y2C is a nice departure and entrance into more syncopated broken heavier industrial drums that also has the attitude of early rave and Tekno.
MH: 24H Records proposed a 24h immersive session in their on-site studio at Tempio to craft the new release. Tell us about your new EP 'I Fiori Del Male' - what are the concepts/themes behind it and how was the creative process?
Y2C: The project invites artists to come spend 24 hours at the on-site studio located within Tempio, and create music inspired by the energy and vibe of the multi-dimensional space. The day after DJng in the club, we jammed for hours in the studio recording feedback loops and granular chains, which eventually spawned “Malattia”: the Dark ambient drinking drones influenced us both to go a bit heavier and darker than our first release. So from there we built the others. We also immediately though, Ash of Infinity Division needs to remix this! Happy that also fell right into place, he was well up for it when we reached out.
MH: What's coming up next for Y2C?
Y2C: We are working on a new EP that stays in the direction of the 24h sound. Faster than what curses is doing and darker than what YTM does. It’s like a dual alter ego for us both, so it’s fun to do something different and out of our comfort zones, together.
MH: Just a few more Q's before we wrap things up - in your opinion, what is the purpose of music today?
Curses: To escape and bring people to a place away from any hardships and stress of everyday life. To inspire younger generations to carry that torch and make music better than you
YTM: It depends, the spectrum of responses is very broad. It's really complicated, I would rather not say nothing than being too generic.
MH: What have you learned about yourself through music?
YTM: I’m still learning something about myself. And to me music was, is and will be the center of my life because I live through that. Everything is connected with it.
Curses: Stick to your guns and stay true to your sound. Don’t be skewed by what’s trending. Don’t change to become popular. Keep doing what you love with confidence and passion, and people will eventually be drawn to that truth and celebrate it with you.
MH: Last but not least - if you had the chance to meet any artist from the past and have a conversation with, who would it be?
Curses: Alan Vega. The king of synth punk, the lord of acid in leather. Suicide was the band that inspired me to mix synth with guitars, the root of it all. Would love to just sit and have a coffee with the legend to hear what his influences were and what NYC in the 70s was like.
YTM: David Bowie, I think should be an interesting conversation with different points of views.