'Oh Yeah', the slice of Swiss-made tomfoolery that's become synonymous with lust, is for many, the point of entry into Yello's voluminous discography of raucously inventive and kooky electronic music. The iconic record from their fourth album, Stella, went undetected by the masses until it became an accidental smash that's gone on to raid television sets and cinema screens across the globe, with features in The Simpsons, Glee, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, American Dad, American Pie, The Secret Of My Success, and Deadpool, among many others. We got the low down on the inspiration behind the track being from a moment Blank asked Dieter to imagine being at “the south sea, having a drink and a cold breeze,” which sparked Dieter to utter the “Oh yeah…” we've all uttered in reaction to something sensatory.
Thirteen albums sit in their discography, with the thirteenth, Toy, landing in October this year. Over their 35 years in the industry, the electro-pop duo have evaded capture by one single genre, and have instead constructed their own category through Blank's composition and manipulation of self-recorded samples, coupled with Meier's dark, crooning voice. Their success, both as a band and with solo ventures, has always surprised Meier, who said that “success has two sides. It's one aspect is nice and the other is that you have a monkey on your shoulder who cries for more.” He also added that being a victim of success is a difficult burden, and what they thought would be a hit, was always a flop.
Blank reflected that he's always had an affinity for all kinds of sound and noises, and has been collecting sounds since he was a child. When asked if rumours of him having a bank of 100,000 named and categorised sounds are fact, Blank modestly admitted that he hasn't tallied up his collection, but it must be a lot. Dieter weighed in on Blank's unique gift by likening them to domestic pets, and humourously stating “he can call them like dogs. He can recall them, which is the most amazing thing of these sounds. We should publish a book on how Boris calls his sounds – crazy, crazy names.” Unfortunately he couldn't recall an example of any titles, but he did let us into the mechanical process. Following on from Meier's animal comparisons, he said, “I'd like to compare these to little squirrels. When they hide the nuts, they know where the nuts are.” To know what lies within his hundreds of folders and know what fits to each track, is outrageously impressive and surely a sign of artistic genius.
While Meier has been occupying himself with a recycled watch line, his restaurant and an organic farm in Argentina, Blank has been working on Yello's first album in seven years, Toy. Offering a little insight into what listeners can expect, compared to their full length, Touch Yello, it will be more up-tempo and poppier, with typical Yello sound elements. Two female singers have both lent their vocal range to the album, and the reactions from their two record companies - in Germany and England - have so far been glowingly positive. Meier explained that the underlying creation of Toy has been reliant on Blank reverting to a childlike way of being, as if he was a child in a sand pit at the beach and he takes whatever he finds and builds on it. “When Boris starts, he allowed himself to be driven by what happens in the process, which is a very important factor. He starts with one brush stroke, he continues each brush stroke. At one point he thinks he's painting a rose and as he continues, suddenly he has a donkey there and he's surprised. That's why we called it Toy, because it goes back to the beginning of Boris.”
“success has two sides. It's one aspect is nice and the other is that you have a monkey on your shoulder who cries for more.”
Yellofier, an app created by Blank that lays down the tools for users to make anything into music, was given an expert showcasing by the main man behind the machine, before we got down to an audience Q & A quickfire session. When pushed for their opinion on the current electronic music scene, it was Blank who stepped up first to talk of him being laughed at 30 years ago for believing that every conventional instrument could be replaced with electronic equipment. In the present day, he's still open to new software and plugins that compliment his music architecture. Meier got the final word on the hot topic with his opinion that music has become “uniformed”, so perhaps it's time the industry creatives took tools to the sandpits and connected with their inner, curious child.
The closing question asked the Swiss luminaries to describe each other in three words. Meier couldn't be surmised in a nutshell, with Blank reaching over 50 words in favour of his partner in creative crime. However, it proved a much easier task for Meier, who described Blank as a “sound warrior”.
But, it didn't end there, as in what was a surprise to them both, they were deservedly presented with the IMS Legends Award, and to see them humbly claim their accolade was a heartwarming end.
WORDS l Aimee Lawrence PHOTOGRAPHY l James Chapman
