thebandplanetblog.wordpress.com http://thebandplanetblog.wordpress.com/2012/03/29/band-ofthe-month-yeah/ Band of the Month: Yeah! Oh, Yeah! Yeah. Yeah! Say it like you mean it, with verve and vigor. Say it like German electro-jazz funksters Yeah! (Christian Schock, Philip Lawall, Florian König, Leo Hilsheimer) intend it to be said, with an emphatic exclamation of agreement and excitement. The Stuttgart/Karlsruhe/Mannheim-based quartet have been making a name for themselves of late with their infectious, fresh and funky take on the electro/nu jazz genre with the recent release of their longawaited debut album, The Challenge. Bandplanet spoke to them recently to get the lowdown on their new album, as well as a bit of back story on the band itself. Congratulations on your long-awaited debut album The Challenge, released on 3rd March 2012. Why did you chose the title ‘The Challenge’ – was it especially difficult to make or is there another story behind the title? Being our first album, it was of course a big challenge for us. But as it says on our first song: “The thing to do is to relax, and to take on the challenge”. The next album will be much easier. We will call it “Just like that”. What was the best part about making the album? Eating pizza… Favorite track from the album? Still debating… Tell us about your writing/recording process – ie, is it a group effort in the studio, or does everyone work individually then bring their efforts together? We wrote all songs one week before our first gig. That’s not much time, but sometimes it’s better if you don’t think hours about each single note. Recording was quite different. Each one of us recorded our part on our own onto a demo track, and we assembled the tracks step by step. We could not manage to have just one big recording session, because we live in different cities, need to go to university, don’t like each other so much, etc… Tell us a little about Yeah! – How did you meet, and why did you decide start a band? In the first place, Yeah! was supposed to be an electronic music project by Chris and Flo. But it didn’t work out so well, so they decided they need some jazzy keys and funky bass. We already knew each other from other bands, so there was nothing much to think about. Musical influences and inspirations? Mainly love songs. How important is it to engage and actively encourage your fan base these days? How do you engage with your fans? Our fan base is not exactly huge, so we can give each fan a big amount of love. Social media is increasingly important for young bands and musicians these days – how much involvement do you have in the marketing/promotional strategy for Yeah!? We’re still waiting for that sudden, bomb-like success that comes with social media. Maybe Bandplanet will do the trick;) We’re trying our best! So, what’s on your current playlist? Robert Glasper – Black Radio. Heavy shit. Who/what motivates you? People dancing to our music. Best thing about being in a band? You can tell everybody that you’re in a band. What are your plans for the future for Yeah!? Currently we’re in the mood to become more “Techno”. Sounds exciting! We look forward to hearing more. Thanks for talking to Bandplanet! Thanks for asking;) Check out Yeah! on Bandplanet. Yeah!’s debut album The Challenge is out now on Beatbude.