Head To Head: Yuksek Vs The Magician

French electro house producer & Kitsune alumni Yuksek and Belgium-based DJ The Magician recently sat down for a head to head for Dazed. Last year Peter & The Magician remixed Yuksek's track  Always on the Run. Here the pair question each other on everything from their first synth to their favourite cuisine and drinking haunts...

The Magician: Which games did you used to play in the playground?
Yuksek: I used to enjoy kissing girls.

The Magician: What was your first synth? And when did you get it?
Yuksek: It was a Roland Juni 106, I bought it ten years ago with Laurent, my former studio partner.

The Magician: If you weren't living in Reims, where would you live and why?
Yuksek: I guess in the United States, New York or Los Angeles. I am not a risk-taker but when I performed there I was really amazed. New York for the culture, music and encounters and Los Angeles for the setting, California and pacific palissades. 

The Magician: What is your favourite cuisine? and your favourite dish?
Yuksek: I am quite easy when it comes to food. I enjoy discovering new flavours and meals. Are you inviting me to the restaurant? 

The Magician: Do you remember the first time you dressed up? Yuksek: If so, who were you?
Yuksek: I was a smurf and it was for my kinder garden party.

Why 'The Magician'? Because I needed some lightness, humour and magic. I like playing roles and appropriating myself a whole new world

Yuksek: If you had to choose between recording and performing, what would you do ?
The Magician: It goes together for me/hand-in-hand. I wouldn't be creative if I wasn't able to perform and share my music on stage. And if I had to stop performing, I would probably produce a different kind music.

Yuksek: What's your favourite spot in Brussels at the moment?
The Magician: Right now I enjoy going for a walk in the streets of Brussels and admiring the Art Nouveau houses' facades. I have a lot of admiration for architects such as Victor Horta or Paul Hankar. When I take a break, I like to have a drink at Franz or at Delecta, both are located in Ixelles area.

Yuksek: Where and when did you perform for the first time?
The Magician: Back when my uncle was an amateur DJ, I used to come with him. The first time I DJed was in 1988, I was like 12 and it was for a neighbourhood party.

Yuksek: If you had suggest one record to me, what would it be?
The Magician: You probably know it already... "Breakfast in America" by Supertramp

Yuksek: Why "The Magician" ?
The Magician: Because I needed some lightness, humour and magic. I like playing roles and appropriating myself a whole new world.

Peter & The Magician - Memory (Le Crayon Remix)