With one record, Yolanda Be Cool have gone straight to the top of the music industry A list. And really, it almost sounds like it could’ve been a fluke but it takes true geniuses to sample a 1956 song (read: “Tu vuò fà l’americano”), throw in some groundwork and rearranging, and then turn it into an instant hit.
We’re talking about their second single, “We No Speak Americano” – which might as well have been their first single judging by the immediate success that it achieved.
The track sold over 5 million copies and hit No.1 in 18 countries. It topped the British, Spanish, German, Mexican, Argentinian, Danish, Swiss, (inhale, exhale) Ecuadorian, Australian, French, Italian, Colombian, Venezuelan, blah, blah, blah charts respectively:
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Sorry, wasn’t trying to be rude but there are just so many charts and so many countries. Too many charts and countries! Needless to say, Yolanda Be Cool infiltrated radio waves, TV shows, and pretty much every dance floor in the world over the summer. You’d need to be a Tarantino assassinated corpse to have not felt its impact in some form.
So, Johnson Peterson and Sylvester Martinez aka Yolanda Be Cool demonstrated that with the panache and production skills to back it up, it’s possible to cultivate an international smash hit without the need for a major label vehicle.
We can’t agree any more – Yolanda Be Cool achieved all that and more with only the backing of an Australian indie label, “Sweat It Out“.
With over ten years DJing under their belts their musical influences extend far beyond their native Sydney, from old school hip hop, to Chicago house to techno to pretty much everything in between. Bondi beach locals at heart, when out of the studio or not playing at the biggest clubs in the world you’ll find them at the beach catching waves.
The distinctly tropical flavour to their productions and fiercely educational attitude to sampling (in the case of “We No Speak Americano”) combined with their big room pull to pack out festival stages and mammoth venues, as a dance act, nods more to creative sampling heavyweights like Switch than any of their more current peers.
With demand calling on tours in North and Central America, South America, Australia Asia and Europe in the first half of 2011 and their recent release of their anticipated single “Le Bump” featuring the effortlessly unmistakable vocals of Crystal Waters. And with an artist album in the pipeline while Johnson and Slyvester may be keeping their cool, they’re certainly not resting on their laurels.
Phew! Now we’ve said too much. If you haven’t caught them live then here’s your chance. Whee. Yolanda Be Cool will be making their way to Zouk Club Kuala Lumpur next month!
Deets are as follows:
- Date: 15th June 2012 (Friday)
- Venue: Zouk Club Kuala Lumpur
- Time: 10pm onwards
- Ticket Entry (Zouk): RM35 Ladies / RM45 Men (inc 1 drink)
- Bottle Entry (Zouk): RM351 / 4 pax All Night
For reservations, please call 03-2171 2075 (12pm – 6pm) or 0163323191 (after 6pm) or email Zouk Club Kuala Lumpur at [email protected].
For more information, visit Zouk Club Kuala Lumpur’s website or Facebook page.
