Name: elrow NYC: The Rowmuda Triangle
Start: 2018-11-24T22:00-05:00
End: 2018-11-25T06:00-05:00

Releasing what we once were is the key to unlocking our full potential. Letting go of the past, shedding the limitations of what we once knew, and embracing growth with open arms is a transformative act of liberation, especially as an artist. Circus Recordings founder, Yousef, has never been afraid to explore beyond his comfort zone, in fact, he’s made a career out of it. It’s one of the reasons he is consistently in DJ Mag's Top 100 DJs. Unafraid to do what must be done to bring justice to his audible artwork, Yousef recently took a knife to his 2022 single, “Learn To Fly,” and emerged with a new remix bright with kinetic, glitched-out energy.

Free from the weight of orchestrated synths, this latest flip instead charges ahead on the back of thunderous percussion. While largely unchanged, Afronaut Zu’s vocals reach new heights as its layered support assumes new chordal responsibilities. The one piece keeping this track from total USDA all-organic certification is the digitized glints breaking the chains of preconceived boundaries and limitations. Classic Yousef—imbuing the sounds of the future with human connection while injecting progress into the sonics of humanity.

As a DJ, producer, label owner, and events organizer, the Liverpool native stays busy. Summer is right around the corner, and you know that means a world-renowned curator like Yousef will be making the rounds in Ibiza and the global festival circuit. While many artists slow their release schedule in these times, he and Circus Records continued to roll out new material last summer despite a hectic season. This comes as no surprise considering many of the world’s top DJs count on the latest material from Yousef and Circus to keep their sets on the cutting edge. Will we see another fruitful summer of releases from the camp? Time will tell, but be sure to check back here for news on that front.

Yousef Harnesses a Liberated Power on New 'Learn To Fly' Flip

Mason Collective present MVSON WORLD 2023

For those of you unfamiliar, get to know the Mancunian DJ trifecta taking the underground scene by storm. 

Made up of talented trailblazers Adam Myles, Blair Suarez and Omar Guedar, these three names are the dynamic trio known as Mason Collective.

Hailing from the north of England, Mason Collective have been putting their own stamp on the increasingly popular tech-house genre over the last few years. 

Esteemed for their explosive, high-energy sets, sleek productions and infinite swagger, the boys from Manneh have very much carved their own path to success - from humble beginnings, to quite literally jet-setting around the globe playing top-rated gigs most days of the week.

The close-knit group have been pulled across continents by different promoters and event brands from Europe, and both South and North America, meaning that spending time at their homes in the UK is now somewhat of a rarity for the trendy moguls.

Wherever they may land in the world, the sought-after collective bring their sprightly, yet cool and collected idiosyncrasy to each and every one of their skilfully honed sets. 

Often packed with stylish remixes from coveted producers, sexy Latin vocals and groove-worthy 4x4 beats, their distinct sets are always sure to emit their unmistakable energy.

From packed out clubs and festivals, to warming up the stages for some of the best DJ’s in house and tech such as The Martinez Brothers, Loco Dice, Marco Carola and more, it won’t be long before they're throwing their own nights at venues like Space Miami and DC-10, Ibiza. You heard it here first.

Now label bosses of their very own Whippin Records imprint, as well as event runners themselves, the modish young-guns have ventured into new territories in recent years, with their innovative "MVSON" party brand concept and experience.

Shaped around their signature sound and first-hand knowledge of how to throw an epic party, MVSON has rapidly grown to become one of the most renowned underground parties in their hometown of Manchester. 

With an army of loyal followers, the brand is expanding across the UK and hosting various venues, takeovers and most importantly their very own festival MVSON WORLD.

Debuting in their city last summer, MVSON WORLD sold out in record time. This year, they go again, bigger and better than before - Saturday July 15, 2023.

With every little detail thought down to a T, MVSON WORLD doesn’t miss a dime. The chosen location for the exclusive event is Manchester’s Barton City Aerodrome. A unique space that lends itself perfectly to what is expected to be another sell-out festival for the gifted trio.

Comprising of three stages, Mason Collective have carefully curated a line-up bursting with the most sought after tech-house artists in the game right now - most of which the boys have close bonds with. It’s a family affair!

Combining international artists with home-grown talent, the likes of wAFF, Luuk Van Dijk, SOSA, Mason Maynard, Fleur Shore, Jean Pierre, Music On regular Calvin Clarke, Max Dean, AJ Christou, and more are all set to perform.

With two stages predominantly built for all of you house and techno lovers, the third will cater to alternate sounds of afro house and disco vibes. We cannot wait.

Something a little different to what you'd see here in the states, raving with Mancunians on their home turf will be quite the experience. If one thing's for sure, is that they know how to party. 

Saying this, whether you make it to the UK or not, you're bound to see Mason Collective on an array of epic line-ups throughout the summer, stateside. Keep your eyes peeled.

Keep on killin' the game boys. Watch this space.



Tickets available to buy here from 03.31.23.



United Kingdom

Yousef



Yousef believes that you can will something into existence. This unique ability is central to his long career as a DJ, producer, event organizer, record label owner, and dance music activist. It played a pivotal role in pulling off The First Dance, the first legal, unmasked, and non-socially distanced dance music event held in the UK in over a year. He witnessed house and techno evolve from the illegal warehouse parties that birthed the UK rave scene. And 30 years later amidst the uncertainty of a waning pandemic, he organized the most covered event in dance music history. The First Dance received an unprecedented seven billion engagements across the internet.

Yet he says he'll only allow himself to linger for a moment on its significance.  “In my mind, I'm already looking at what's next. I'm already in direct contact with the powers that be in the government to make sure that electronic music is now going to be considered a legitimate art form in the UK, because at the moment, in essence, it's not.”

He insists it’s a travesty that, “They don't understand the 30-year history and the footprints and the cultural and economic exposure of what has happened from the UK [to] the world.” Especially to someone who has been around since the beginning of the movement.

Young Yousef was big into early hip-hop and electro. He was captivated by the culture similar to how he’s absorbed dance music into his DNA. Even before he was 10 years old, the DJ wheels were turning. "These albums called Street Sounds Electro. They were the first albums that were sequenced. And I was fascinated why the music didn't stop."



He was a seven-year-old breakdancer who discovered he loved to cut beats when his parents bought him a ghetto blaster. He was enchanted by the idea of playing two cassettes at once, almost in sync. Barely big enough to carry the huge boombox, he would drag it to breakdancing completions in his neighborhood. Not long after that, acid house began to envelop the Northwest of England.

“My older brother, who was maybe 15 at the time was going to illegal raves in these huge warehouses. And he’d bring in these little mixtapes and over a quite a short period of time I started stealing his tapes and listening. And these mythical 12-inch records would suddenly start appearing and was like, Okay, now I'm interested in that.”

 Like hip hop, dance music was counter-culture. And Yousef has always been interested in anything that's not mainstream. "Not to stroke my chin. I'm just curious about what else people are doing. I don't measure a record's quality in terms of its commercial success. I measure the record's quality if it makes me feel good."

He was enamored with a DJs ability to seamlessly weave records together into a story. His brother provided a pathway into a new counterculture that enveloped him fully.

“Then he introduced me to this DJ. And this guy was mixing on three decks instead of two. And I couldn't figure out two decks. I’d never looked at a set of decks at this point. This guy called Carl Cox. He was the first DJ that kind of blew my mind. And eventually went on to DJ at my wedding.” 

When he was around 15 fell into some glass on the street that resulted in a scar on his nose. Enough time passed that he forgot about it. And then, a friend asked him if he wanted to buy a pair of Technic 1200s from his father. Seeing them sealed the deal. “It was honestly like seeing Angel Gabriel. But at the time, it was 600 pounds, I remember. And it may well have been 6 million because I never even had six pounds at the time and never anything. We didn't have any money at all.”

He went to sleep hopeful, but with no clue idea how to get them. “And I woke up the next morning, and the first letter I ever received in my life was from the local authorities. It's an apology for the scar on my nose because I tripped over something and ripped my face to shreds on the glass. And it was 650 pounds. And I went off and bought those decks. It was literally the next morning.”

He always envisions what he hopes to achieve long before he understands how to make it real. He famously got his big break after winning Muzik Magazine’s Bedroom Bedlam DJ competition in 1998. It led to him scoring residencies with Ministry Of Sound and Liverpool’s super club Cream. Yet even before he played at his legendary hometown spot, he lost sleep over the logistics of DJing there.

 “Cream got renovated by Steve Dash, a famous sound engineer from New York. He is the greatest of the greats. He introduced the concept to the UK of floater turntables. Which was the 1210s on big, thick elastic bands. And bear in mind, I was just a raver at this point. So, I go every week. I used to go home, some nights, I couldn't sleep worrying about how I'm going to use those decks.”



Yousef had spent countless nights as a punter at the famous night club and when he was finally asked to play there was like, “someone from New York that's been hitting the baseball, and eventually got signed for the Yankees.”

It was there that he honed his world-renown talent for long sets. “Even though I thought I was quite an accomplished DJ and [could] do all these tricks. I listened to Carl Cox and Roger Sanchez and Derrick Carter and all these guys that owned the music properly. And what I learned when I started playing six-hour sets is that's when you become a proper DJ, you have to start again. Learn how to embrace the room warm-up, take it to peak, keep people entertained, and really explore music. I learned in The Annex at Cream. It's put me on to the rest of my career with confidence.”

During his six-year residency at Cream, he grew less connected to the sound of the club. He struggled with the thought of leaving a place he called home for so much of his life. But in 2006 Cream opted to give him a night to capture the spirit of what brought him to Cream as a wee raver.

The name Circus was born from a Miami afterparty he says, “I was in a crazy afterparty in a penthouse on Collins Avenue, Miami. And all the UK and Americans were there and it was going nuts. And it was just like a circus.”

While Yousef was on his first vacation in a decade he received the news that Cream was shuttered. He says, “I was obviously heartbroken. Because I felt like I’d been dumped by my girlfriend. Because the place was so personal to me.” But it also meant his event was no more.

Luckily a fellow Cream alum Richard McGinnis – the owner of Parklife Festival and Warehouse Project - insisted they turn Circus into a club.

On opening night, they expected 100 people and 500 showed up. And Yousef says it was beautiful, “Everyone had a great time. It had everything about the annex room. Great music, new house and techno and an inclusive atmosphere. That's everything that I really insist upon is that people are made to feel welcome.” 

The spirit of what’s made Circus a success started at Cream and continued that opening night. 

“You know I've always said, and it might sound like a bit of a corny cliche, but the people who pay to get in are the only important people in the club. So I've always tried to make sure that people feel included and have a good time together. The music's kind of serious. The attitude, it's silly. So that's the way it's worked.” 

Community has been so central to Yousef’s life. So he does all he can to give back as much as he receives. “I think that's my default setting,” he says.

"My attitude is it's really important that you contribute to the scene. Because if you are concentrated on taking out from the scene, It's not gonna serve you." 

His activist spirit is what led him to organize what may go down as the largest community organizing effort in dance music history. The First Dance arose from Yousef’s crusade to help people in dance music get back to work.

It led him to conversations with Liverpool’s political establishment, the UK government, and even Prince William. And because Liverpool had done such a great job with mass testing for COVID, the city was granted a license to run one of several test events in the UK to understand the efficacy of lifting COVID restrictions. With only three and a half weeks' notice, Yousef and his team turned an empty warehouse into an event site.

It was a complicated effort that put on display the best parts of dance music culture. When the world shone a spotlight on rave culture its best parts were revealed: community, love, and great music. And after 30 years it’s a signal to the powers that be dance music should be taken seriously. 

Yousef says, “It should be nurtured and cherished, and understood. We're working on it to make sure that within a short period of months, the government will finally have to take our what we do, seriously and permanently.”

The worldwide media attention that dance music received from The First Dance would’ve been unheard of 30 years ago. Yousef sees the positive reactions as a springboard to make the government understand that the music community are clearly professionals that should be protected. And he says, “If we pull that off, I'll give myself some props.”

Steve Lawler

wAFF

Acid Mondays

Spain

Andres Campo

The most talked-about theme in Ibiza and all around the world is finally coming to 🇺🇸

🐙 EL TRIANGULO DE LAS ROWMUDAS 🧜‍♀️

Get ready for elrow Craziness and bring your best dance shoes! DJ Steve Lawler b2b YOUSEF, wAFF b2b De la swing, Andres Campo and Acid Mondays will make you 🕺💃

elrow NYC: The Rowmuda Triangle

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