Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Yugs. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Yugs, thanks for joining us today. Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?
The first dollar I made as a creative was making a beat for my good friend and collaborator Jon Rubio for our song “Swerving”! I had met Jon at the Hi-Dive in Denver during one of his shows for the popular local Chicano Funk band Los Mocochetes. I offered to come and do a producing session with him. I came to his house and came up with a beat on the spot, and the rest is history – we’ve put out 4 songs together, including 2 on my sophomore album, “Nostalgia Ascending”.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Hello there! My name is Yugs (like hugs with a y). My real name is Yoni Gottlieb, I got that nickname at the JCC Ranch Camp back in the day but it has stuck as my artist name. I’m a Jewish artist, producer and performer born and raised in Denver, Colorado. My mom, Gabriela Kaufmann Gottlieb is a professional pianist born in Santiago, Chile so I always grew up with music in my house – I started guitar and piano lessons in the third grade. started composing classical music in high school and started producing lofi hip hop, indie rock, and other genres while going to college in Philadelphia. I came back to live in Denver after college in 2019 and jumped into the Denver music scene headfirst.
As yugs, I make music to close your eyes and dance to – I use lofi as a foundation for a lot of different genres I like to explore, from hip hop to indie rock to electronic music. Recently, I released my first ever drum and bass single “I Am One With The Force”, headlined at Lion’s Lair, and opened for the Big Dopes in Philadelphia on their Spring Eternal Tour across the Midwest and East Coast. I have played shows at Lost Lake, Your Mom’s House, and Underground Music Showcase, getting recognized as one of 303 Magazine’s Top 14 Favorite Sets in 2022.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Being able to perform and collaborate with so many other musicians is such a gift – it fills my cup every time that I do it. I love music with all my heart so every chance that I get to share it with a crowd, create it with another musician, or produce for another musician feels like it adds a little more light to the world. It’s worth all the nerves that come with it. The Denver music scene is especially collaborative and friendly – I’ve had the luck to work and collaborate with so many talented artists like Jon Rubio, Jay Triiiple, Trayce Chapman, Fun Machine, Pool Sharks, Grace Devine, The Mañanas, Big Dopes, and Silver Screen Fantasy. There really is something special going on in Denver right now – so if you’re not paying attention – start to!
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
My goal is to make music to close your eyes and dance to – what I mean by this is music that allows you to tap into your inner child and let go of the everyday struggles. Music can be such a liberating, powerful force – it’s like magic in a way), so I am driven to make music that makes people feel free and unburdened. I suffer from anxiety and OCD, so music is a powerful way for me to move through my mental health struggles as well as provide a meaningful escape. The more you grow up, the easier it is to lose touch with your inner child. The logo for yugs is a duck for this reason. Every show I perform, I throw rubber ducks at people because I make my music to remind you to loosen up a little, be yourself and never be afraid to be silly.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.yugsmusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yugs__/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=yugs
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/yugsmusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNHpLHleIMreoIOyDHjVPDQ
- Other: linktr.ee/yugsmusic
Image Credits
Preston Lee (Main Picture), Marcus Daniels (Sweet Dreams), Kevin Hernandez (Katiria Yugs Photo), Jason Edelstien (Sheeshmas), Celia Mendralla. (Lion’s Lair)