Born In Michiagn – the birth place of techno, Rebel Boy tells us about his up bringings, switching from trance to techno, working with Moby on this new album and much more…
Enjoy
1. For those that don’t know you, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Sure! My name is Johnny Yono. I’ve been in the music industry for about 12 years now and started out DJ’ing and producing Trance music under my own name and just a short time ago made the switch to Techno under the Rebel Boy moniker.
2. You are originally from Michigan – the birthplace of techno… How has that affected your music taste and you overall?
Michigan is a state with real hard-working people and I am undoubtedly cut from the same cloth in terms of my work ethic and I think the music is a pure reflection of that. Even though I’d began my career producing Trance music, I’ve always had Techno flowing through my veins so, it was only a matter of time before the inevitable switch kicked on. My introduction to the rave scene was in Detroit many years ago going to abandoned warehouse parties and the music had that somewhat dark, industrial feel which later influenced my sound and my overall desire to eventually create Techno.
3. You have been doing trance music for a very long time.. What made you switch to techno and how do you compare these two genres of music?
I started producing Trance back in 2007 and like any art form in life, it was quite a challenge. Throughout the years I’ve traveled around the world playing Trance music in different countries and garnering support from the biggest DJ’s in the scene but, my passion had left me one night on stage during my very last gig. I was thirsting for a new challenge and something was always pulling me to the darker side of underground music…”hello Techno world”. Techno is a genre that I feel has not forgotten it’s roots and it certainly hasn’t compromised itself all that much in regard to it’s overall sound like many other genres have — music is always changing though. I’ve also found that the scene has no room for bullshit theatrics…it carries a sense of maturity. I do think that now more than ever though, Techno has portrayed an image of a mainstage sound with some of the labels out there which is a similarity of Trance.
4. How would you describe your style of production and DJing?
My production style is a blend of dark and aggressive with a nice twist of emotion and suspense through the melodies…I try to weave a story within the music and inject real-life experiences — I’ve always felt that a backstory will paint a more vivid image. Take my single, ‘Cerebral Mass’ for example — that’s probably the most accurate representation of who I am as an artist under Rebel Boy. You could say that a lot of my past life as a producer has carried over to Techno in that there’s an underlying tone of Trance in my productions. When I’m DJ’ing…you’ll never see me more alive than when I’m standing behind the decks on stage. I tend to gravitate towards playing high energy, dark, banging tracks and I make an effort never to have too many lull moments during my sets.
5. What do you enjoy more? Playing live dj shows or making music?
You know it’s funny… a couple of years back, I asked this question on Facebook and said if you had to choose only 1 forever, what would it be. For me it’s producing…the boundaries are endless!
6. How has coronavirus affected you and your career?
Well, music production is how I make my living so, things really haven’t changed all that much for me to be honest since I haven’t started gigging under Rebel Boy yet even though there was some talk about near-future gigs. Near the beginning of the pandemic, my production business actually picked up quite a bit.
7. Do you have a mentor in music and how important is it to have one?
I’ve had mentors over the years being a Trance artist and it’s a nice feeling and a sense of comfort when a veteran has taken you under their wing because they believe in you and your talent so, with that said….I think there’s an importance to it. I don’t believe it’s an absolute necessity though but it certainly helps.
8. How important is branding and marketing for a DJ in today’s electronic scene? And how much of your time do you devote to that aspect?
It’s monumentally important and it’s also half the battle in this game. Unfortunately…money can buy fame and success if one chooses to do so and this is the part of the industry that makes me cringe. I’ve always been a firm believer in that if the music is amazing, then it’s the best form of promotion. Unfortunately though, there is such a high volume of music being released nowadays that it makes it hard for even known artists to acquire the numbers and following they should have without the aid of financial investment for Spotify and other platforms. I spend a decent amount of time week by week on social media making posts, promoting…etc. Thankfully I’ve got a great handle in Photoshop so all of my promotional materials that aren’t given to me from the labels, are designed by myself.
9. You have a new collaboration with Frankyeffe called “Distorted Existence” coming out on 21st september. What can we expect from this release?
It was a great experience and a huge opportunity to work with Frankyeffe on this track! This is absolutely an awesome record that we are both very proud of making. It kicks hard…it rumbles…has a great melodic hook and an awesome little vocal. It’s included on the ‘Connections’ EP from Riot Recordings and also features Teenage Mutants and Dok & Martin.
10. You have been working with Moby on his latest album, can you tell us more about how it came about, and your experience in working with him?
Absolutely! Of all the accomplishments in my musical life, this one is hands down the biggest. I mixed a small handful of tracks for his new album, ‘All Visible Objects’ and it was a tremendous experience! I initially went to his studio for the first two sessions to mix a song titled, ‘Rise Up In Love’. I had found out that day that this job was between me and three other mix engineers. After finishing my work on the track, Moby liked what he had heard and I was officially hired and continued on from that point working in my studio for the rest of the tracks. This opportunity was made possible with help from a Synth Wave producer friend of mine who’s in a duo called Alpha Quadrant, and is also a client that I mix music for. He happens to be friends with Moby’s studio/tour manager and gathered all of us together for dinner one night…the rest is history!
11. You have a music production business, can you tell us more about it?
Yes, for the last couple of years, I have been working 1-on-1 with other producers in helping them improve their tracks via Zoom. The sessions are 2 hours long and are spent inside the clients project where we cover all aspects of production in detail from top to bottom, usually starting with the Kick and Bass relationship and working our way up from there. I go over anything and everything from the specifics of EQ’ing to processing techniques, sound design, melody writing, sample manipulation and arrangement. My goal is to always end each session with ultimately a much stronger track than when we started. My clients are based in Trance, Techno, Progressive House and have signed music to Tronic, Reload Black, Armada Music, Black Hole Recordings, Enhanced Recordings and many other labels.
Connect with Rebel Boy here:
www.facebook.com/rebelboyofficial
www.instagram.com/rebelboymusic
www.twitter.com/rebelboymusic
www.soundcloud.com/rebelboymusic
www.beatport.com/artist/rebel-boy/818494
