We Need To Talk About Yue

Some might know her as the Liquicity illustrator, some might know her as the artist behind the tunes ‘Set Sail’, and ‘Hello’. But not too long ago, Yue decided to set sail for her own future. She packed her bags at Liquicity, packed up her stuff at her old place, and has moved to Amsterdam, the capital city of The Netherlands. 

Fear not, though. She has no plans to quit music or art anytime soon. On the contrary, with time to focus on her own career now, she’s got more plans than ever. Some of them include her upcoming show at UKF15 Drumsheds this weekend, and her debut US tour with Fox Stevenson. We had a chat with Yue and talked all about her inspirations, why she has decided to choose herself, and what’s more to come from her. 

Hi Yue! How are you doing? 

I’m doing well! I’m in the middle of moving house at the moment. I’m moving from Haarlem to Amsterdam in a few days. All the while I’m still making a lot of music, so it’s been busy to say the least! I recently stopped working at Liquicity to put all the focus on my solo career, which is a very exciting change. Everything’s coming together now. 

And how is it to have made the decision to focus on yourself?

Very exciting, like I said. I worked at Liquicity for seven years. It was amazing and I learned a lot there, but I felt that it was time for the next step in my career, to do it all on my own. I have had my own business for quite a while now, but it always seemed like a big step to take this full-time. It’s a little bit scary thing to dive into, but it’s also very fun. It really felt like the right thing to do. I’ve been walking around with the idea for over a year now, because I’ve been touring more, I’ve been releasing my own music as well… It got more difficult to combine with a full-time job. 

Talking about releasing your own music… In April you released your first track on Pilot, called ‘Set Sail’. When did you arrive at the point of releasing your own music? 

I’ve been thinking about releasing my own music for so long. I used to play cello when I was younger. Then I went to high school and I found out about artists like Skrillex and learned more about the whole electronic music scene. I remember thinking, wow, this is cool, and I started DJing around that time as well, I was around the age of 14. Around that same time, I’ve started playing around in DAWs and learned to produce little by little. It did take me quite a while to really master the art, though. My boyfriend, Fox Stevenson, was the one who helped me dot the i’s in the end. He gave me some final tips and this gave me the confidence I needed to put out my music. 

How did you discover your own sound? 

My sound is what I like to play, because I’ve been a DJ for a longer time than I’ve been a producer, so a part of my sound comes from that. I also really like a more girly, more poppy sound. But at the same time, I want to be cool and adventurous. I also really like classic drum & bass, like the really old stuff that you might not hear so much now. A lot of influences! My sound is still shaping, but I think that never stops. I think that’s something that always goes on, just like with my art. My sound is poppy and girly now, but maybe it will become ‘cooler’ later. I think that sound is a reflection of who you are as a person.  

And who inspires you as a DJ, as a producer?

Emily Makis inspires me when we’re talking about vocals. Koven too. I also really like old Camo & Krooked tunes. Another big influence for me was a snowboard game I grew up with, SSX. There are some Aphrodite tunes on that soundtrack. I think I must have been maybe eight or nine when I played that game. That was my first introduction to drum & bass. Some other artists who inspire me are Document One and Break, because I like funky sounds, the more classic drum & bass, paired with a nice female vocal, I think that’s cool. 

You said that you are also working on artwork next to your music. Now that you are focusing on yourself, is that something you’re going to keep doing?

Yes, I think both making music and making art are very important in my life. In a way they strengthen each other. I always make my own artwork for my releases, for my friends and for other people. I think art is just as fun as music. So for me, those two go very well together. And I also really like it when one day I can focus on making music, but the other day I can switch to creating art. I’m really looking forward to doing that.

Sometimes I wake up with a melody in my head, or something I saw on TV that inspired me and then I draw something around that idea. It’s very liberating work. A fixed job is also nice, but it feels so freeing to be able to wake up and decide, today I’m going to work on this and that. Which one came first, music or art? I wouldn’t know. My grandpa and grandma still tell me about all the drawings I gave them when I was little. But I’ve also made music my whole life. I think this is just the way it was meant to be. 

Any upcoming plans?

I’m going on tour again with Fox Stevenson and the band next year. We’re going to Europe and North America tour, which is really cool. It’s my first time in the US, so I can’t wait for the people there to hear my music and see my art.

Your first time in the US! What do you expect from that?

It’s exciting! I’ve been to New York once, but not to play. It’s really cool to get the chance to play there, and it’s also nice to do it together with Fox. I like that we both do the same thing. We can support each other and it’s amazing to be able to go to events together and play out together. 

You’ve also got your set at UKF15 Drumsheds upcoming soon. How are you looking forward to this? 
I can’t wait! Like many people of my generation, I grew up listening to UKF. I used to print out logos from artists I thought were cool. I had a huge UKF logo on my wall as well. I looked at it every day. If I could tell the 14 year old Fleur that this would happen, she would be very proud. I really look forward to it, I think it will be very fun. It’s really a dream that comes true. I’m going to play a set that is very much me. I haven’t played in London that often, so for some people, this is going to be the first time they see me play out. I’m going to play a lot of my music and new things. I’m just going to have a lot of fun and then I think that other people will also enjoy it.