Interview With Yardhaus - The Dynamic Duo
Author: Aon the Artist
In today’s interview we will be diving into the background of Yardhaus. Established back in 2016, Yardhaus a due of producers comprised of Michael Jack and Max Shaevitz.
Hi Yardhaus! How are you?
Michael/Max: We’re doing well! Hanging in there amidst all the Covid-19 madness. We’re all healthy and so are our families, so that’s priority #1.
Where are you two from?
Michael/Max: We’re both from America. I am from Philadelphia and Max is originally from Long Island, but moved to Manhattan 5-6 years ago. We met while in college at the University of Miami in Florida. Funny enough, we were pledging the same fraternity and in the same pledge class. That’s where it all began.
What is your greatest inspiration for your music?
Michael: It really varies for both of us. I know I like the more pop, electronic and dance-pop centric artists. EDM really was taking off while I was in high school and college in the 2010s, so it’s been great to see the space grow exponentially and become a truly recognized genre of music. It’s tough to nail down my greatest inspiration, though. I’d say my biggest inspiration to join the space was the Ultra Music Festival in Miami, FL. It’s where I saw the genre at full throttle for the first time.
However, my biggest live performance influence is Odesza. I’ve seen their show twice and it was the most captivating experience I’ve seen in a long time, if ever. I’ve certainly taken notes on what they do, how they do it, and how we can incorporate some thematic elements into our live shows. My biggest thing about performing live is making it an experience, not just a DJ or electronic performance. Hopefully, we can execute on that as we grow.
Max: M y dad played with Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band and other massive bands so classic rock has always been my main inspiration. But I’m a huge rap fan also so my inspirations would probably be like Van Halen, Mac Miller, Lil Wayne and Nirvana. Aside from rock, I consider myself a hip hop / trap producer. An artist that I strive to compare myself to and consider an inspiration would probably be Diplo. I love how he switches from producing rap tracks, to rasta tracks, to electronic tracks.
So what’s your ideal life performance look like?
Michael/Max: I typically run the technical side of it and Max is more of a frontman. Thematically, once we work in tandem in venues, the live shows will be heavily featuring film and cinema type visuals. I’m a film buff, and my side project, JUMPCUT, is evidence of that. I think that combining both audio and visually elite experiences will yield success for us. The right visuals and right song at an inflection point during a set is everything. Makes or breaks the experience.
Who are three artists you most want to work with right now?
Michael: Dua Lipa. Rüfüs Du Sol. F lume.
Dua is the queen of the world right now and has elevated herself to global icon the past
few years. Her voice carries every track and she has a certain allure to her image and music.
Rüfüs Du Sol would be wild. The emotional depth in their tracks is unparalleled. Their records are true works of art and I am a gigantic fan of theirs.
Flume really took the world by storm in the early 2010s. His style is so satisfyingly jarring and the sound design is elite. He is a masterful producer and I would love to pick his brain about his career and for ways to get creative in the studio.
Max: Greta Van Vleet. Lil Wayne. Future.
I’d love to collaborate with Greta Van Vleet because I think they have such a unique classic rock sound and it’s super rare to find a sound like that these days. We’d be able to make such a wild electronic track with those vocals and instruments.
Lil Wayne is my favorite rapper of all time so it goes without saying that a collab with him would be surreal.
Future has such a deep unique voice too that I think we’d create something really sick together. Definetly more trap esque but I can absolutely make a track for him that he’d go off on
What are 3 words that describe your music?
Michael: Diverse. Relevant. Eclectic.
Max: Really f’ing vibey.
What is the hardest subject you’ve ever written about?
Michael/Max: In “Talk Me Down”, those lyrics really tackle the idea of mental illness and the increasing relevance of it. As we become a more social media and appearance driven society, the long term tolls of that are rearing their heads slowly. Max and I are really passionate about supporting mental health and we reflect that in our philanthropic choice on Spotify.
What are the challenges of being an artist?
Michael/Max: The better question is - “w hat aren’t the challenges?”. As an artist in the 1900s and 2000s, you really only focused on your craft and potentially getting a record deal. Now, you need to be your own marketing agency, financial advisor, production house, and so on. The list of responsibilities is endless, but that’s what’s driven us to the industry. It’s immersive, it’s trying, it’s a grind. You reap what you sow and we like the entrepreneur aspect to it.
In terms of releases, the biggest challenge is to not overthink them. You can make something really dope, but be super critical about it and that can mess you up and ultimately lead you to not release it. I know Max has a folder of tons of projects, all unreleased so he (or I) are not excluded from this.
Are you planning on releasing new music soon?
Michael/Max: Absolutely. BLAME just came out on December 18th. We’re excited about that track as it really shows how our type of sound is applicable to all genres. Our main goal is to really dominate the electronic and dance pop space in 2021. I know Max has been working hard on some rap and hip-hop projects, so you can expect those at some point, too. We don’t limit ourselves to a genre and we want our catalog to be reflective of that while maintaining cohesiveness. BLAME is a real favorite of ours. It’s gonna be wild.
Check out Yardhaus Spotify Below:
