Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1248303
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 17 MAY 2020 4 THIS WEEK MUSIC Singer-songwriter, sound designer and founding member of the Malta Women in Sound Network Yasmin Kuymizakis speaks to TEODOR RELJIC about shaking off her previous musical alter-ego Yews to make way for Joon - a more upbeat twist on her ethereal soundscapes, and which has scored her a spot on the cult US indie label Italians Do It Better, with the fresh single 'E.T.' now available to stream Launching into orbit You've been operating under Yews for quite some time, but your new musical alter ego is Joon. Why did you opt for this transition, and how would you de- scribe the shift in sound and approach? I had been meaning to change Yews for a few years… I guess I grew out of it. When I found out I will be starting fresh with a record label I figured it's perfect timing. With Joon I am evolving my music towards a more direct, fun and dancey direction. Could you talk a little bit about your – or to be more precise, Joon's – debut sin- gle 'E.T.'? What are the main influences you've brought to bear, and can we expect future music that's in a similar vein from Joon in the near future? 'E.T.' was written around three years ago, when [DJ and musician] Danje- li approached me to perform at one of his annual Christmastime 'Pudina' parties at Liquid Club, San Gwann. I produced a new set that would comple- ment the venue (as my previous work sure wouldn't have!). I genuinely can't remember my influences for this. I was just focused on creating tracks that will work in a club setting and had quite a tight deadline! 'E.T.' was the first one I wrote. I felt very 'light' while producing this whole set, it was a fun and refreshing process. I let go and allowed myself to go cra- zy vocally, screaming and all. The same goes for the production side of things: I wasn't afraid to experiment. Interest- ingly enough, people seem to love the bassline on this one, even though it's a loop with only three notes. My final stage was getting some feedback from trusted ears, a couple of production/ mixing ideas bounced off by James Bal- dacchino (of seesawsounds) and lovely backing vocals from Martha Vassallo (from local duo Keepsake). You can definitely expect more of this style in my album coming out in late June. I am also re-working some old Yews tracks for it! "I love watching weird free-spirited artists with their own unique identity. There aren't so many of these artists here…" Yasmin Kuymizakis, aka Joon, will be releasing