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10 Questions with ... Yolanda Be Cool
May 19, 2015
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/yolandabecool Instagram: https://instagram.com/yolandabecooler Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/yolandabecool
1. Who is Yolanda Be Cool?
Matt and Andy ... and we have been together as Yolanda Be Cool since 2009, when we did our first remix. We actually DJ'ed together under a different name in Australia for about four years before that, but unless you are from Australia you would not have heard of us before that.
2. How did you come up with the name Yolanda Be Cool?
It's obviously a reference from Pulp Fiction, which is one of our favorite films from Quentin Tarantino, who we love. We were just looking for some type of name and we threw it out there and it kind of stuck.
3. The song that most people know you for is "We No Speak Americano;" which one of you came up with the suggestion to do that?
It was a collaborative process from the both of us; we were just having fun in the studio and we loved the original one by Renato Carosone. We use to play it at our pool parties when they were different and you could play weird stuff like that.
4. Earlier this year you put out "Sugarman" ... how did you come up with the idea to do?
It actually is a song from a guy who became more famous after a documentary came out. The guy is Sixto Diaz Rodriguez and it's a crazy documentary. He put out an album in the '70s that they thought would be as big as Bob Dylan -- and it went nowhere. Then it somehow surfaced in South Africa and he became a hero in South Africa. He was back in Detroit not even knowing about this. It's an amazing documentary and we used the song because of that.
5. You recently did a song with Mayra Veronica, "Mama Yo!" What can you tell us about the song and how did it come about?
It's a song that kind of references Carmen Miranda. Has that '40s and '50s flavor to it and is very fun. Mayra and Joseph Fisher approached us about working on it and we liked the idea.
6. Your new song with DCup is a remake of "Soul Makossa." What's your thoughts on it?
We're very excited about "Soul Makossa (Money)." We have been playing it for about a year in our sets and we're really excited to get it out there for everyone to hear and play. The vibe is really good on this one.
7. Are you guys touring?
We'll be touring the States in August. We wanted to do more here but we had to attend a few of our friends' weddings, so we had to hold off. We have some European dates in July and also we'll be in Australia.
8. You do a series of parties called Sweat It Out ... can you tell us about them?
Sweat It Out is our label, and we do a number of parties with that name ... there's a "stretch it out before you sweat it out," which is our yoga class where Andy is going to be playing some chill-out music and I'm going to be attempting to lead a yoga class. I practiced on Andy yesterday and he said I was pretty good. All of the artists on Sweat It Out will be playing at these parties.
9. Is there one song that you play in your sets that your fans go crazy for?
It's actually "Soul Makossa (Money)," our current single. It works all the time because of that familiar vibe; most people only know the Michael Jackson song that had the sample in it, so when we play it, it instantly works.
10. Any advice for an up 'n' coming DJ/Producer?
It's important to try and be original and don't stop till you are happy with what you've done. Work hard on standing out in a good way and work on your sound.
Bonus Questions
Must-have travel items?
Really baggy pants for the plane and a mobile phone to keep in touch with family back home.
If you were home and we were going to go to a restaurant in Australia to eat, where would we go?
We'd go to our hometown Bondi and go to this restaurant called Bondi Icebergs Club that sits on a cliff overlooking the beach. It has a swimming pool and a sauna that overlooks the beach and it's a five-star restaurant. After a swim and a sauna, we'd eat some oysters and have some champagne.
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