Interview: On a mission from Moscow with Yreane

This week we check out the deep driving melodic sounds out of Moscow with breakbeat producer Boris Prokhorov, aka Yreane. Here's an artist who first came to my attention back in 2009 with his superb remix of Mesmer & DJ Zinn's Thinking of you on Scarcity Records. Since then he's had some sweet sounding remixes and releases on Scarcity, VIM, Erase & XSSR.

Yreane's latest remix has just been released on Rune Recordings. This time he's taken on Freak Da Bass's Club District. You can check the track and an interview below

RUNE014BLACK: Freak Da Bass - Club District (Yreane Remix) [PREVIEW] by RUNE Recordings

For the people who have not checked you out, tell us about Yreane ...

Well ... I'm just a guy from Moscow (maybe some of the readers don't know this but it's in Russia). I'm 32, I have a beautiful wife and daughter who are inspiring me at all what I'm doing in my life. Including music. I have one track called Keira as this is my daughter's name. I'm really proud of my family.

How long have you been making music, and what made you start producing breakbeat?

Oooh ... it's really too long. I started to write and play music at 1996 I think. But that was with some rock bands - I played lead guitars. It's really strange 'cause I've been playing at Moscow clubs with my band at the end of the 90s and early 2Ks. And then in 5-7 years I have returned there as a DJ.
Breakbeats. I've listened to different styles of music all my life. In the beginning it was The Beatles I heard first time from my dad's old tape player. Then it was some Russian rock. Then metal music, after that some combinations of metal and electronic music, some industrial, you know, and The Prodigy of course.
I really liked all those electronic beats and bass, but I couldn't find the style I wanted to listen to. I liked some song of every genre. In 2002 I discovered Hybridized.org and it all began, that was exactly the sound I had been looking for, some rocky structure with kick and snare beats (not straight kicks that I hated), similar basslines (and sometimes live bass guitars) and all those electronic sounds, samples and vocals over it. I dived right into it and I am still in there.
If I talk about productions, my first breakbeat track was in 2007 when I created a remix for Christian Paduraru's Reality. He liked the remix and released it on his label's compilation and it was huge to spur me on. Wow! The first track I ever did in electronic music become my first release, some of my friends, Tom Clyde for example, still thinks Reality remix is my best track. So ... that was my start. Then I did a lot of shitty tracks before my second release. But now it's much easier to make the track from what I'm hearing in my head.

Tell us a bit about your background outside of music?

As I said my main background is my family. I don't have enough free time because of my job. And trying to spend it with my girls. The production is in the second place (so even less time). That's why I'm not making a lot of tunes and releasing my potential so slowly.
But almost all my life linked with IT and music. I have my own small IT company where we're creating web project for professionals in music. Some place where every profy (doesn't matter what he do in music industry - mixing, producing, dancing or maybe organizing events) can find a clients for his talent. There are no such project yet in Russia. So... I want to be the first and collect all the best musicians and others linked with music at one place.
In 2002 with my colleague MipH I've started breakbeat community at bbz.ru. And it's still alive. It has some loyal auditory. And for now it's the best russian breakbeat community becoming a brand for DJ school and Promo group. With guys from BBZ Promo I'm making Break Addiction party series. Last time we had Heflux (video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5s_uX-kdrDA). Break Addiction Podcast (some people tells us it's the best breaks podcast in russian) is BBZ Promo project too. I'm running it with another friend of mine - RIP.
In sports I love football, basketball and hockey. Trying not to miss games of my fave teams. From Pavel Bure times in Vancouver I love this team. Now they are in the Stanley Cup Finals. And hope they will get it. Another my weak point linked with sports and computers is "Football Manager". I'm playing this games already for 15 years (or even more). And can't stop.

What future production can we look forward to from you in future?

I have around 10 tunes in progress and some finished should be out soon. It's my tune Twisted that will be out on XSSR Music with absolutely banging remix from Access Denied. My remix for FreakDaBass's Club District is forthcoming on Rune Recs. And I've finished the remix for Peter Paul's Electrolia but long time not a word from Pedro. So I don't even know the details of this release. Also I have one cool collab work with Home Alone signed by Yellow Finger Communications. Waiting for the remixes.
Speaking about my unfinished projects, almost all of them are original tunes. For example, The Bells is already signed by the best new label of 2010 - Scarcity. It's a real pleasure for me, 'cause the track is around 60-65% done and already signed. I'm finishing a tune named Double Talking Jive which will be the second track for my release on Kick It Recordings (the first is Way Back Home). By the way, Way Back Home was originally pre-signed by En:Vision. But Glen wanted me to change the breakdown and I love it as is. The guys from "Kick It"  love it too, I tried to make something with that breakdown but it made the track only worse. so I decided to release it on "Kick It" as the previous version we both like. I'm working on one kinda indie dance tune, don't know how it will be named. Another collab, for now with RIP - guy we're running podcast with. And remixing house tune from Mazai & Fomin (top Russian house DJs).
So ... a lot of fresh stuff in progress. Just have to find time to work on it. Btw, recently I've made a guest mix for Nubreaks.com show Access Granted. And it mixed only from my own tracks, remixes and re-rubs. You may check it out at this link.

What is you studio set up and what is your favourite peice of kit?

That's the pain question. Cuz my setup is really poor. I'm a laptop producer. Yeah I have some old russian lamp amplifier, huge S30 speakers (4kuba uses it too in their production) and some keyboards. But almost 80% of my music making it's Ableton Live + Logic and headphones.

3 breakbeat tunes that is blowing you away at the moment?

Question nobody knows how to answer. I love different style of breaks. But I prefer music with live instruments in it. Guitars, pianos, bass and even live drums. When I'm hearing live instruments in electronic music it makes me feel the tune much better. For now, I think it's Hyper - The End (Beatman & Ludmilla remix). Some time back - Access Denied "Autostop (huge tune I'm still digging). And as I'm a tech breaks lover too I name one of the last tunes Dopamine made in breaks style - "Brand New World". You may notice that all these tunes have something in common. It's a tough beats (more straight to get more power from hits) and huge power basslines. That's what i love in breaks right now.

Final words .............

Peace & Thanks for the interview. It was a big surprise for me, to be honest. Not so much time ago I've been reading an interviews with Elite Force and Deekline. And now I'm answering your questions myself. Nice feeling.
And how we're ending every Break Addiction podcast... Break the beats and love the breaks.

http://soundcloud.com/yreane
http://www.facebook.com/yreane