Rising Stars: Meet Yannick Jones

Today we’d like to introduce you to Yannick Jones.

Hi Yannick, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I always had a love for music. I played the piano for about six years as well as other instruments like the trumpet and baritone from elementary school to high school. My love for music also sprung from my love for dancing. I did competitive tap, acro, jazz, and hip-hop dancing for ~ten years. I was always that person in the middle of a circle at parties, events, you name it. I wanted to bring both loves together and that’s when I got the interest to DJ. Funny story, I really started DJ’n during the pandemic. I wanted to learn a new programming language and develop a new hobby. So I bought a controller and literally after work, I would just DJ for hours. I did a weekend boot camp hosted by one of my DJ mentors, Proper Edakit and the rest was history. I would be in my room and DJ for my two best friends, Jamal and Diamante and they would give me feedback. My first official gig was at the Delancey in NYC. Shortly thereafter, I was DJ’ing in Antigua for Collin Devon Events (“CDE”), tech conferences, music festivals, celebrity parties and gigs all over the world. I’m actually the first artist to DJ at Coachella and Afrochella in the same year! I really wouldn’t be here without my friends and support system. Shout out to the other artists and DJs who inspired me and helped get me to where I am today – Proper Edakit, DJ Puffy, DJ Mixer, Jae Murphy, Brian Henry, Andre Power, AMH, DJ Quest, DJ Olo, Alberto Toreyes, Blaq Pages, Earry Hall, Mike Nasty, Vic B, and Silvasoundz, and my brother Etienne Maurice from WalkGood LA!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road to where I am today wasn’t the smoothest but all the struggles along the way made me better as a DJ and even as a person. I don’t have the biggest social media following, so a lot of brands, promoters, and major events were skeptical on booking me. On top of that, I’ve only been DJ’ing for a year or two. I would even sometimes get put on time slots when a lot of people weren’t in attendance. I recognized it was all a part of the game. So, when I got the opportunity on a larger scale, I took full advantage of it.

I’m also a computer engineer by trade. DJ’ing isn’t my full-time job. I’m currently a Product Manager at Twitter and sometimes it’s hard to balance, especially with traveling for gigs. And, without an official manager, I’m left with balancing it all on my own.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Engineer by day and DJ at night. It’s ironic because as an engineer, I’m very quiet and I typically keep to myself in professional settings. When I’m DJ’ing, I’m the total opposite- energetic, dancing, and interacting with the crowd. Whenever I DJ in LA, my goal is to really get people to dance and move their body. I try and bring my east coast energy to get people off of their feet. With my creative mashups, Afrobeats, and Amapiano, I really try to introduce the audience to music that they may not be familiar with hearing so often in LA.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
LA is an area of opportunity! I love the amount of creatives and artists I meet every time I step out. It’s a growing tech hub and it’s amazing to network with other individuals in tech who are doing great things. The weather also is undefeated.

Hmm. What I like the least about LA, I would have to say, is the lack of Caribbean food. I’m Jamaican born so I’m a bit picky about my Jamaican food.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yannick.jones/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohanyjones/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/YannickJones__
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@artsofmvmt
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-990599213

Image Credits
Tayo Kuku, Demar Watson, Felisha Carrasco, Diamante Astillero, Donovan Valdivia