Today we’d like to introduce you to [yaku]
Hi [yaku], thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’ve been drawn to music since I was a little kid, from obsessing over 8-bit Pokemon music to playing guitar and bass in high school. But I didn’t start DJing until late 2022, when I got my first DJ controller as a gift.
I was laid off from my tech job at the start of the 2022 recession and had a few frustrating months job hunting, so DJing ended up becoming an escape for me where I was able to channel that disappointment and create the kind of mixes I’d want to hear at a club.
A few months later, I was hanging out at Juneshine on a Saturday and they had a DJ playing in the background. I was wondering how he booked the gig and ended up talking to the manager (s/o to Jay!) at the bar and he asked me to send him a mix. I started uploading my mixes to SoundCloud and booked the gig after that and that turned into me cold emailing bars around town asking if I could come play for a few hours on the weekend.
Things naturally progressed from there and I ended up playing at VYBZ, NOVA, and a few other spots in SoCal & NYC soon after.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
One challenge early on was just getting the first few gigs. Being a musician who’s just starting out, you’re going to encounter resistance with putting yourself out there and it can feel really deflating. I remember emailing tons of bars and clubs when trying to book my first couple of shows and getting ghosted or told to “come back when you have X amount of followers”, which makes the whole process feel transactional and makes me wonder if I’m cut out for this.
Luckily, I’ve also been fortunate to meet many supportive artists, promoters, and managers, which helps me reframe rejection as a natural part of the process. Another thing that helps me is remembering why I do this in the first place. I genuinely, truly love music – the feeling of playing to a crowd and seeing my music resonate, the joy of making my own songs, or the satisfaction of just putting together a great transition. In those moments, everything else just melts away.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I DJ and produce electronic music and I’m known for mixing several genres (UK Garage, Future Funk, French House, Tech House, etc.) during a set. I don’t like to box myself into a genre and usually build my sets around a feeling that I want to share with the crowd.
It’s tough to say what I’m proudest of, but I recently supported Said the Sky at NOVA this summer (love the team there, thanks for the opportunity!) and put together an energetic set that people could really dance and vibe to. After my set, I went to grab some water from the bar and a lot of random people came up to me telling me they loved my set, which makes me feel really connected to the crowd.
In terms of what sets me apart from others, I try not to think of music as a competition. There’s a lot of really talented DJs in San Diego right now (DEVIS, Kooya, and Kasto come to mind) and it’s easy to get caught up in comparison (“oh that guy played at this club, I want to play there too”). But I’m happiest when I stay true to what I love and honor those influences. For me, what’s important is figuring out how to take parts of what I love (japanese hip hop, indie edm, pop, etc.) and combining them in unique ways to create something new.
I’m working on booking shows across the US (Portland, Austin, LA, etc.) in the next few months with a potential international gig or two in Asia next year. I’m also excited to release some original music on Spotify soon, but I’m getting married in October so one thing at a time 🙂
Who else deserves credit in your story?
There’s also been so many friends who have gone out of their way to come to every show (even when I’m playing in Gaslamp and parking is a nightmare because there’s a Padres game) and seeing them on the dance floor always makes me feel immensely grateful.
Pricing:
- If you’re interested in working together, email me at yakusounds@gmail.com or DM me on IG (@yaku.vibes)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/yaku.vibes
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yaku.vibes/
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/yakumaku
Image Credits
Deanna Nguyen
