Siavash is the mysterious Canadian legend behind the chart topping record label You Plus One. This eccentric artist is a 25+ year master DJ and an accredited innovator of the Northwest underground music scene. We sat down with him recently for a quick chat about how everything is in his world right now, and his recent collab EP with Pig&Dan “Get Down”.

WWD:Hey Siavash, how are you, what’s good and bad in your world?

I am eternally blessed! I wake up in disbelief almost daily. I think back, like how on earth did a little Iran boy born during the Iran-Iraq war to two completely deaf parents end up becoming a successful musician? Like what did I ever do right in a past life to be this lucky? Nothing is truly bad in my world if you look at the big picture of things, but If I was going to complain about something it would be the fact that my career, label, events brands, and venue are growing so rapidly that we are having a hard time finding staff to hire fast enough. With the limited, though incredibly dedicated, team that we have, we find that we have way too much work on our plate. Hey! If you are reading this and want a job, PLEASE don’t hesitate to hit us up! LOL

WWD: As a Canadian does that bring a certain style or perspective to your music that makes it unique?

YA! “Underdog”. Let’s be honest here, Canada, especially the west coast where I live, has never been a spot that anyone within the global dance music scene has ever taken seriously. We are not Berlin nor Detroit nor even a destination stop on a tour. So I feel we are deeply underestimated. That’s why it has been my mission for the past 20 years to try to put Vancouver on the global underground map. I have been doing this by making damn sure that we have consistent, true, and world class house and techno shows within the city and created a one-of-kind truly underground event that has made those top acts want to repeatedly make the trip. I have been the mentor and guide to many dozens of new upcoming artists, even giving them their first break. I’ve honored our veteran talent by giving them the respect and opportunities that they’ve earned for paving the way for our future generations. And most importantly navigate our proudly Canadian You Plus One record label to provide the world with truly top level original dance music. I have a good feeling that with all these efforts combined, we can finally make a big impression within our global dance culture and one day Canada will be a leading force in the underground.

WWD: Why did you decide to start working together with Pig & Dan?

Just like how I started my music/DJ career, working with Pig&Dan was NOT a conscious decision. The universe simply brought us together. I hosted Pig&Dan about a decade ago to play a You Plus One show in Vancouver. Igor (Pig) was next level kind and genuine towards me upon first meeting. He felt like a long lost childhood friend. I’m guessing it’s from both of us spending impressionable young years in Spain. Fast forward a decade and our bond has surpassed a business relation, we are real brothers. P&D are regulars now at my events and Igor stays an extended period to hang and chill. Only during the pandemic did we combine efforts in the studio. Ain’t gonna lie, I idolized their music for such a long time that I was very nervous sitting next to such a veteran in front of the DAW. “Try Again” was actually our very first time working on a tune together. He has tremendous speed of workflow – almost ruthless with his approach. So when it was my turn to hesitantly take over the helm it was a big moment for me. I will never forget the first thing Igor said “DAMN! You know your shit!!!” I think he was just being nice, but little does he know, those words gave me the most confidence in my production skills I have ever gained in a single moment.

WWD: How different do you sound together then when you are a solo artist?

Piggy and I challenged ourselves with making a track per day while he visited. With that level of pressure, even if we fell short, the results of our output were beyond impressive. So my goal with this project was to take the iconic Pig&Dan techno sound and meld it with my more groovy melodic vibes. Imagine techno hats and subs with some rich housey perc groove all under lush pads and epic melodies. A little bit for all types of electronic music fans. How could you possibly go wrong? I think it’s fresh AF.

WWD: Who does what? Do you each have set roles in the studio?

Igor and I just get groovin’, usually with a simple style concept or hook idea to start. Piggy is the assassin! He is unforgiving and relentless, always pulling the trigger by bouncing parts to WAV audio once we agree it’s solid. That way, we are committed and not flip flopping on our decisions. I have a strange ability to channel into the musical outer realms. I am the melody man, and can somehow come up with stuff that makes the tunes catchy and epic. Also I can grab a recorder and just belt out vocals on a single take and drop them on the track within minutes. We are really fast paced. Once we have beat our projects to death and we can’t see any more room for our contribution, we send off the stems to Dan for his almost godlike golden touch. Consider it a mixdown with diplomatic immunity. He has a magical way of taking our finished tunes that we think are great as is, and reworking them into something greater. This collaborative setup has been some of the most fun, aggravating, and fascinating production experiences.

WWD: How did you hook up with Get Physical? Did you make stuff especially for the label?

When I’m solo, strict plans in the studio are my worst enemy. Sometimes I like to simply fire up Ableton at my You Plus One office instead and play around while I juggle other work. This way I semi-fool myself into starting a new tune without the pressure of committing time to coming up with my next “big hit”. Likewise, I don’t really like the idea of making music specifically for labels. It’s too restricting to the creative flow. We have a boatload of material, and are each very connected in the industry. M.A.N.D.Y was given ‘Get Down’. They played it during their sets in Burning Man and loved it, and asked for 1 more tune to finish up the EP. We happily obliged from our collection of creations. We wrapped it up with ‘Try Again’ which as of today is already charting on the Beatport top 100 Melodic House & Techno Tracks.

WWD: What’s the inspiration for the new Get Down EP? What’s the aim with it?

‘Get Down’ was meant to be more of an upbeat daytime festival tune. I pictured hot girls on top of their shirtless buff boyfriend’s soldiers bouncing and screaming within a massive audience of a dope North American festival. A sound that is a bit far from both Pig&Dan and I as we are dark underground nocturnal creatures. ‘Try Again’ has that super late night afterhours vibe that really represents the HAUS – my You Plus One headquarters that we first produced all our tunes. It’s that perfect 5AM head down, eyes closed, moody number to take your mind to another place. The combo obviously worked well seeing as the release has risen to #11 on the Beatport top 100 Melodic House & Techno releases chart.

WWD: What gear do you use to make your music and does that matter to you?

Between the 3 of us we pretty much own all the nicest gear imaginable. From Piggy’s Moog One, to my Alesis Andromeda, to the infinite instruments that Dan possesses, the sky’s the limit. But to be quite honest with you, there is something to be said about the flow and simplicity of using in box gear as well like my never ending love affair with the DIVA softsynth.

WWD: What else have you got coming up?

You’re giving me anxiety with this question… hmm, maybe leave it over here in point form.

I am launching a project in Los Angeles – something exciting I don’t want to reveal too soon, to avoid killing my momentum. I’m soaking in the sunshine down there though – a nice break from the Vancouver rain clouds.
Even though I have a handful of Siavash original tunes, remixes, plus even more collabs with Pig&Dan, I’m not sitting still when it comes to creating music. I will never stop building my arsenal.

YPO record label is currently ready to come back with a vengeance, armed with a packed release schedule including Originals by our staple core artists as well as remixes and originals by some of the greatest talent on earth. We are really turning up the heat as we are aiming for the stars in 2023!

WWD: What hopes and goals do you have for 2023?

Health, happiness, + FREEDOM for all the good souls on this planet. Hopefully no secondary global catastrophe sets us back another 3 years! You know what? Looking back at the past 3 years, even if that happened again, I know I would find the blessing hidden within it all.

Siavash’s collab “Get Down” EP with Pig&Dan is out now on Get Physical. Grab it here.

Siavash: Facebook // SoundCloud // Instagram