“Mash-up masters cause musical mayhem” by Alexandra Oke
The Yacht Club DJ's: Gareth Harrison and Guy Chappell-Lawrence
In a dark underground bar in the south-east suburbs of Melbourne, a concoction of plaid, leather and denim clad youths are congregating around the stage, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the second act. That’s right, the second act. Not the final, headlining act whose name takes up the majority of the ticket. The second act, in a timeslot generally reserved for lesser known performers. See, the fresh-faced foursome who appeared first did a successful job of geeing up the crowd; and the headliners are sure to please as well, due to showcase their repertoire of hits played repeatedly on Triple J; however it is the middle act, an odd looking duo with their 70’s inspired facial hair and kooky eyewear, that is set to stir the crowd into a sweaty, hyped up frenzy. They are the Yacht Club DJ’s by name, musical wizards by night.
Forming in the summer of 2007, the Yacht Club DJ’s – Gareth “Gaz” Harrison and Guy Chappell-Lawrence – have come a long way from their humble beginnings as resident DJs at Ballarat’s Karova Lounge. After numerous stints at university courses – as yet, none finished – the boys decided to have a crack at music. “We were sick of going out an not hearing the songs we love, and we both love super quick mixing which there is very little of”, Guy says.
The “local-heroes” quickly gained a reputation as the saviours of the mash-up genre after a stellar performance at the Meredith Music Festival in 2008.
The duo have now been catapulted to crowd-favourites for not only their electrifying party sets but their crazy on-stage antics which often result in nudity and crowd surfing. They have even been known to, quite literally, swing from the rafters. “Meredith Music Festival 2008 was surreal and ahhhhmazing (sic). We have a career highlight every time we get a room really moving and making idiots of themselves,” Gareth says.
“We have done so many bad gigs where we weren’t wanted. The worst for me was being punched at a house party for not playing ‘Rage against the Machine’ on repeat (laughs),” Guy says.
Their eclectic mixes are made up of recognisable songs from nearly every genre and era, transfused with old-school cartoon theme songs. In fact, it’s the inclusion of these popular melodies from our childhood that has put the boys on the map. “We both love metal – it’s the music we grew up listening to – and hip hop… anything you can party to. Oh, and T.V show and movie themes. We are both total movie nerds”, says Guy. Whether it’s the Rodger Ramjet theme being mixed into Regurgitator or the Mario Brothers tune being transformed into Marvin Gaye, YCD’s musical fusions are pulled off effortlessly. The boys are often praised for not sticking to the one genre, with their diverse sets prompting a surge of people to download their mixtapes and now, sell out a string of shows across the country.
Manager, Shaun Adams says it’s been a long time coming. “Gaz and Guy have been passionate music fans their whole lives. Fortunately, when they started producing their own stuff, the audiences latched on to it and couldn’t get enough. They feel extremely lucky to be doing what they’re doing.”
But it hasn’t always been that easy.
The legalities of sampling pre-recorded music have been an issue YCD has faced since surfacing in the music industry. Other mash-up favourites like US DJ Gregg Gillis – stage name, Girl Talk – have come under scrutiny in the media with some sources even calling the genre “a lawsuit waiting to happen”. Girl Talk, however, cite ‘fair use’ as a legal backbone for his sampling practices.
Despite the haziness of the ‘rules’ however, there’s no doubt the mash-up genre is surpassing its dance/techno/house counterparts. The day of persistent, monotone beats and lyric-less club anthems appear to be fading into the background, with audiences instead becoming enthralled by DJ’s who utilise familiar melodies.
Not only have YCD invented a brand new genre of live entertainment, they’ve broken down the barriers that once stood between the sub-cultures. No longer is the turntable reserved for Ed Hardy wearing, city ravers; YCD has smashed the stereotype and has created a sound that can be appreciated and enjoyed by all. Immersed in the heaving crowd of fans you will find a bunch of people with tastes as different as their hairstyles. Whether it’s rock, pop, dance, indy, alternative or all of the above that you’re into, YCD’s diverse range of material is guaranteed to satisfy – and fuel the party animal within- every single individual. “We will literally play anything that we love and will try to illicit a response from the audience. We treat DJ’ing like a fun party, like a rock show”, Gareth says.
And no longer do the throngs of fans have to pack into tiny pub venues.
The crowd at Parklife
The rise of YCD is propelling faster than the speed of lightning, with their most recent gig – fronting a crowd of 17,000 at Melbourne’s leg of the Parklife festival – a testament to their growing popularity.
Nick Shute, an avid festival-goer witnessed the antics of YCD for the first time at Parklife in Melbourne at the start of this month. “They were amazing. The crowd went off, especially when theme songs like Captain Planet got mixed in with other stuff. They have a way of making the entire crowd go crazy and feel connected with each other for sharing the experience. It was pure fun.”
And it’s ‘fun’ that seems to fuel YCD’s colourful sets. “Our aim is keep growing and playing to more people. We would love to see more acts like us emerge and have fun with playing music to people, because there really are no rules. You can play absolutely anything”, Guy says.
“We want audiences to walk away with a smile on their faces thinking, ‘I’ve never heard that song in a club/at a festival etc. I f***ing LOVE that song!’ We want them to walk away feeling like they have been on a three day bender of party music.”
It appears the boys have fashioned a new breed of DJ; DJ’s that these plaid, denim and leather clad ‘alternative’ youths are not ashamed to like. Or perhaps even dance to.
YCD are set to return to their old stomping grounds near Ballarat and play the Meredith Music Festival on December 11 – December 13. Tickets are now sold out.
Alexandra Oke
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Meredith Music Festival, Mt. Mercer Road, Meredith, Victoria
