Yoav at the Cellars - Eastney - May 2008
Interview and article by Aline Giordano
"It's dark but it's beautiful. It's very deep and in music terms it's also very catchy. It hooks you right away, but there's a lot of depth to it." This is how Yoav describes Neil Gaiman's Sandman, and to be perfectly honest this is probably how I would describe Yoav's music.
A unique concept of making dance music using an acoustic guitar has earned Yoav a fair amount of media interest recently. But Yoav, as a true artist and like his role models Radiohead and Bjork, is keen to evolve his sound.
"The next album will have to be an evolution. I could take it further by making a library of sounds by just using the guitar, but I don't want to feel tied down to this". Alessandro Cortini from Nine Inch Nails has just been remixing Adore Adore and uses no guitar. I'm going to free up myself and start using other things".
But before thinking about the future, let's get back to Yoav's debut album 'Charmed and strange' which was recorded in Oxford before any record deal was signed. It was recorded at a 'human' pace, with rest days and proper nights' sleep in between recording sessions. The relaxed atmosphere enabled Yoav to do a lot of musical experimentation. With just his acoustic guitar, Yoav has managed to create an acoustic/dance musical experience which, to his audience's delight, includes an improbable live dance cover of Radiohead's Idioteque, and a dream-like version of Pixies' Where is my Mind.
The Cellars in Eastney, Portsmouth is a small corner pub set amid red bricked terraced houses. This working class suburb, complete with discoloured Pompey football flags, is an ideal venue for Yoav to put the finishing touches to his live set before embarking on his US tour. "There was some looseness but I'm excited about the set", Yoav confessed after the gig. He enjoyed the venue and the audience reception so much that he is hoping to be back in Portsmouth soon. "I'm not desperate to play the big venues". Nor are we! This kind of venue provides the perfect environment for the audience to witness and fully appreciate the depth of the musical and technical experience that is unfolding onstage.
For more details, visit… Yoav' website
Photograph © Aline Giordano 2008
