Mashup Exclusive Interview with Selector/DJ Yaadcore
Nothing lame, low quality or boring.
Selector/Dj Yaadcore is a cultured and humbled Jamaican selector that has already begun making waves on Jamaica’s music scene.
Yaadcore was exposed to the art of playing music at a young age, observing his father's Mandeville-based sound system, Love People International. For more than a decade, he has been serving choice music to fans at events across Jamaica. After a brief stint at a previous radio station, Yaadcore's new home on the airwaves is Hot 102 FM, where his program, Reggae Aroma, airs Thursday nights at 12:30 to 2:00am.
Presently, Yaadcore can be linked with international reggae recording and performing artist Protoje, as he clearly earned a place in his camp as Protoje’s personal Dj after creating the 7 Year Itch Sampler that was used to promote his debut album.
More and more youths, seeking to connect with their cultural roots, invariably come across particular names in the field of music. No doubt they eventually stumble upon Yaadcore. As his name suggests, he is at the center of Jamaica’s Reggae Revival.
Q) What are your musical influences?
Yaadcore: "My musical influences are every day life and musicians that are here today as well as the ones that are passed and gone."
Q) When did you first decide you wanted to DJ?
Yaadcore: "I first decided to DJ when I was 14 years old in 2003."
Q) Tell us how the connection with Delicious Vinyl came about?
Yaadcore: "The Delicious Vinyl connection came about through my manager, who is also a partner in that record label so it just worked out, you done know."
Q) Any projects currently in the works you can share with us?
Yaadcore: "Definitely we have some stuff in the pipeline as it relates to my productions and mixtape vibes. There's not much I can share at the moment but I'd urge the people to stay connected for what we have in store."
Q) What inspired 'No Fenke Fenke'?
Yaadcore: "No Fenke Fenke was inspired mystically. No Fenke Fenke means nothing lame, low quality or boring so when the artist Shanique Marie was vibing the whole No Fenke Fenke thing, we were all feeling the vibes so we worked with it."
Q) How is reggae captured in todays youth; And how do you see it continuing to develop for the future?
Yaadcore: "Reggae music is captured in today's youth, like everything else there's a balance. So for everything that's out there you know the youths will definitely absorb the vibration so what we really have to do is push it out there more, and expose the youths to this kind of vibration, cause you know it's really exposure that makes the youths understand and feel the vibes, that is definitely one way we can instill it in the future, by putting it in more places and keeping it relevant and upful. you know?"
Yaadcore's role in the movement is cemented by the fact that he was the first person ever to play the music of Kabaka Pyramid and Chronixx on Jamaican radio. In addition to that, he is Protoje’s touring DJ and has toured California & opened for Protoje’s band performances on his European fall tour, touching places like Italy, France, Portugal, Switzerland & Belgium. Also just recently opened for Protoje on an extensive tour of the west coast of US with reputable brand sponsorship from Leafly.
Growing up observing his father operate a sound system, Yaadcore naturally gravitated toward the same profession. As an adult, maturity urged him to decide what kind of music he would play at public events. He naturally opted for spiritually healing, organic reggae music and soon stopped accepting work in other genres.
Yaadcore settled into a weekly groove of selecting tunes at his increasingly popular Dubwise Jamaica event in Kingston on Wednesdays that has grown to become and international brand. Dubwise features a weekly vibration in Miami, Florida and have been to states like Washington DC, Atlanta, New York and California and has also sown the Dubwise seed in other countries like Puerto Rico, Trinidad & Tobago, Bermuda, Hungary, Romania, Malta, Germany, Kenya, & Ethiopia.
Those unable to have the Yaadcore experience in person need not go further than their computers. His SoundCloud page is a treasure chest of his globally acclaimed mixes, including the Reggae Aroma’s Volume 1 - 3 which have gained listens up to 210+ plays plus his official Protoje mixtapes that have over 100k+ hits along with a marijuana themed mix collaboration with the well renown VP Records that hits 240+ plays.