YATABE Spins a Funky House Mix for This Is Home

After the release of “Pretty Truth,” YATABE gifts us an exclusive mix for the This is Home series that is sure to get you moving!

Multi-talented artist YATABE isn’t letting any challenge stand in the way of sharing her music with the world. The London-based vocalist and producer released her debut single “No Reason” amidst the pandemic to the praise of tastemakers and fans alike. Then, earlier this year, YATABE followed that release up with her second single, “Pretty Truth,” which also brought a music video starring the artist herself along with it to further showcase her ability to bring visions to life.

YATABE has an undeniably exciting sound, so it is thrilling to have this rising star spin a mix for the This Is Home series that highlights her UK Garage influences. Throughout the mix she layers in elements from across the house spectrum, incorporating elements of UK garage, deep house, future house, and funk along the way. From the very first track onward your body will start grooving to the beat and it won’t stop for the rest of the mix.

Needless to say, you will want to take some time to listen to this incredible mix Yatabe has gifted us for This is Home, and we jumped at the chance to pick her brain and gain more insight into her life as well. So listen to this carefully curated offering of tunes on SoundCloud below, and read on for our conversation with YATABE!

Stream This is Home 016 || YATABE [London] on SoundCloud:

Hi Yatabe, thank you for taking the time to be part of This is Home! Growing up in Japan and now being based in London, how would you say your two distinctly different homes have influenced your growth as an artist?

Coming from a mixed-race family, my dad being Japanese and my mum being British, I had influences from both Japanese and British music. In my years living In Japan, I listened to J-Pop and Japanese Enka which is a traditional Japanese music form. Then when I moved to the UK and resided in London, I discovered the UK garage and house scene. Growing as an artist, I’ve taken the electronic sound of J-pop and the four on the floor beat from house music. My future releases will showcase the traditional side of the classic Japanese instruments.

London is a city that’s renowned for its nightlife. Where are some of your favorite places that we should check out? What makes the dance scene there stand out to you as special?

Living in London, I’ve been exposed to many genres of music so the nightlife scene that I’ve experienced has been vast. Some of my hidden gems I would recommend people to visit would be Kansas Smitty’s in Broadway Market, which is a jazz bar, for a chilled-out wine and cheese night with a unique experience. I highly recommend Gordon’s Wine Bar in Charing Cross and for those who want to party 24/7, check out Duck and Waffle in the city. In terms of the dance scene, I would recommend Printworks, The Cuckoo Club, XOYO, Corsica Studios, Basing House, and Electric Brixton.

Although 2020 is happily behind us, it was quite a big year for you. You released your debut single “No Reason” which later received a remix from Kelvin Wood, how did you stay motivated to create and, in a way, launch your project amidst the challenges?

2020 was a big year for me to release my debut single. I stayed motivated by being creative in the studio and concentrating on writing and producing music. Due to lockdown, I knew it would be a challenging time to launch my career in lockdown but I had a plan in place to showcase my music through digital platforms which is the new norm.

Now onto 2021, you recently released your most recent single “Pretty Truth” along with a music video. Can you speak more to the creation of the video and what it was like being the main character?

The creation of the video was produced by myself and a handful of professionals. Being the main character was fun and exciting but also challenging because I had to learn dance moves and learn how to work with the camera. I got to act out the five different sides to my personality, which are the Japanese school girl-growing up in Japan, and the influence of Japanese culture.

East London, living in East London, making my way and discovering the East London scene and its fashion, art, and music scene. The underground Berlin rave scene, which is a nod to the music I love and all the crazy nights in the clubs and parties there that I’ve experienced over the years. West London, which is more of my sophisticated side, represents my interest and love for high fashion and creative designers in the fashion industry.

And there is me in the spotlight, where there is a reference to my career, figuring my way to the spotlight and feeling empowered.

You are a creator through and through, can you talk about some of the other projects you have going on? Fashion, art, etc.

As a creative mind and into my fashion, I’ve decided to launch a small capsule of garments, which includes T-shirts, hoodies, and face masks. I’m currently designing the artwork so this is something I’m excited to share in the near future!

Finally, what goals do you hope to achieve in 2021?

My plans for 2021 are to release more music and collaborate with other artists. I’ve also got more live streams planned. If the world opened back up to the entertainment space, I would be looking at DJing and showcasing my music at live events around the globe.