From the opening of Young War’s debut song “Say That It’s Love” you know this guy is going to be amazing. Smooth and grooving tunes, with a voice that oozes emotion and captivates your ears, you will be wanting more from this Manchester-based musician. Playing his first gig on 3 May 2013 under the Communion Music umbrella, he is looking forward to getting ‘the ball rolling’ with an aim to release his debut EP in time for Bushstock Festival on 1 June 2013. As “Young War” is unidentifiable at the moment, and as fresh as a daisy, read on for a taste of his flavour…
SP: Where is the artwork from that accompanies ‘Young War’?
YW: The logo for Young War was designed by Barry Williams. I wanted something that reminded me of the Yankees logo, it’s worked pretty well for them and the Y/W letters fit together well – I’m into symmetry.
SP: Can you give us an insight into the process of producing your new sound? Who or what other artists have influenced you? “Say That It’s Love” is very smooth, will all your music be in this tone?
YW: The version of “Say That It’s Love” which is online at the moment is only at demo stage. The fully mixed version will be part of a four track EP I’m hoping to get out in the next couple of months. I’ve been working with a producer called Adam Bartlett in Manchester, we share a mutual appreciation for Justin Timberlake, Nate Dogg & Jai Paul so I guess that should give you an idea of the general sound we’re coming up with.
SP: You are under the umbrella of Communion Music. How did this come about?
YW: Ben who runs Communion is an old friend and the whole team there are brilliant. There’s no bullshit with them. They put on great shows and they work with what they love regardless of what or who it sounds like. Whether the relationship between Young War and Communion will go any further than playing shows is all dependent on how the EP and the gigs go down I think – I’m very grateful for all the support they’ve shown so far.
SP: Is the show on 3 May, your inaugural performance as ‘Young War’? Are you looking forward to showcasing your new music at this event?
YW: I’m looking forward to the show, it’ll be good to get the ball rolling. I love The Castle as a venue too, it’s beautiful.
SP: Are you looking forward to Bushstock? What venue are you particularly looking forward to playing at? Any artists you would like to see whilst you’re there?
YW: I love Bushstock. I have no idea which venue I’ll be doing yet but the church is pretty amazing, they’re all great really. I love Willy Mason so I’m looking forward to seeing him play and Ethan Johns had produced some of my favourite records, so him too. Everyone loves a bit of Bear’s Den as well.
SP: Are you working on an EP? Can you tell us about the plan you have for it? Who’s producing it? Are you working with any other artists? Will there be a Communion Headline Tour?
YW: Myself and Adam are in the studio working on the EP now and it’ll be four tracks. I’d like to get it finished in time for 1st June but we’ll have to see. No headline tours are planned but there will be a video for one of the songs to launch the EP in the not too distant future.
SP: Why should people listen to you and check out your music?
YW: I could do with the cash and the ego boost to be honest. Not really, I just hope people enjoy it for what it is. I want to get across that this is R&B/Soul music but it’s completely organic and there’s just one songwriter involved – this isn’t radio Euro-trash R&B, this is an attempt at R&B for people who like Ryan Adams as much as they like The Neptunes. De La Soul said ‘It might blow up but it won’t go pop’, that’s sort of a mantra for me – along with ‘Get Rich or Die Tryin”. Not really the second one.
SP: Are you excited for the rest of 2013 and what it may bring for you?
YW: Very, I’m not sure what to expect really, I’ll just keep playing shows and making records and enjoying it as much as I can.
SP: Describe your sound in three words.
YW: White Boy G-Funk.
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