YENS – Late Nights @yungoki
San Francisco’s YENS makes an effortless debut on “Late nightS” — a summation of his laid back sound that centers around the guitar, extending into dreampop, bedroom, and hiphop influences. Distorted hiphop vocals counterpoint dreampop guitar melodies on a track that provides a refreshing take on guitar-based music.
YENS focuses on how he’s speaking more than what he’s speaking, capturing the lighthearted yet depresed feeling of using intoxicated late nights to temporarily null emotional pain as he sings, “Why is everything so black and white. I guess it’s out of mind it’s out of sight.”
Entirely self-produced and engineered, “Late Nights” shows YENS at his best, creating vibe music that sounds equally at home alongside indie tracks as it does hip hop, an illustration of the Japanese musician’s roots in both acoustic folk and rap production.
Born and raised in San Francisco’s Sunnyside neighborhood, debut artist YENS grew up in a sea of musical influences. From the Japanese American folk of his father’s old band from the 70s, to the Bay Area hyphy movement, to the neighborhood punks, to the vibrant local math + post rock scenes — YENS centers his sound around the guitar, extending outwards.
The 23 year old self-produces his own unique take on indie music, equally comfortable on dreampop melodies as 808 drum beats, combining analog production techniques from indie to heavily processed vocal treatments from hiphop.
A product of the Bay Area, YENS grew up filming skate videos and writing graffiti, passions that later grew into producing, engineering, and filming music videos for local rappers. With guitar, the childhood instrument he taught himself off youtube, as his groundwire — YENS transports guitar music into a modern, genre-blending sound.
He describes music as the only outlet to articulate and release emotions coming from a Japanese family where vulnerability isn’t culturally compatible. The result is an introspective sound that is simultaneously lighthearted and brooding.
After just graduating from Harvard with degrees in film and music, he’s currently based in LA working as a music video director contracted by Interscope Records while independently releasing music.
MzOnPointPromo
Amanda Goldben, more commonly known as Mz. On Point has always had a love for music, growing up in a household filled with music. Over the years she found herself more involved behind the scenes, then in the spotlight. She realized she wanted to help other obtain their dreams not just live her own. After working in a professional office setting and capacity for over 10 years, it was time to find something new. She wanted to find something that would fully utilized her skills and abilities, while still allowing her to be not only the main provider but also caregiver for her daughter. Almost accidentally discovering her love for music and her business skills could be used together Mz. On Point knew this was she was meant to do and began her research and networking to build not only her business and brand, but also those of the artists and clients she would be helping along the way. In November 2012 she realized that online promotions, public relations, and brand exposure where her “nitch”, all those years of office experience and computer work were showing their true worth and potential became endless. In a few short year she has had the privilege of working with some very influential people within the industry. In January of 2013 she began with DJ Shalamar and became a part of Team Fuego and now handles most of Southern Fuego’s social media & promotions. Attending sometimes dozens of events a month Mz. On Point quickly made a name for her brand throughout Central Florida. Being sure to attend key networking events, and conferences to not only network but more importantly to expand her knowledge of the industry and perfect the services she offers. January 2014 Mz On Point had the privilege of becoming apart of the infamous and world renowned DJ coalition, Team Bigga Rankin & the Cool Running DJs. May 2015 Mz On Point was honored to learn that she had been chosen to receive the Hard Hitta Award at the the 7th Annual SCM Awards which took place in Memphis, Tennessee. While she wasn't able to make the trip to accept the award one of her mentors Bigga Rankin accepted it on her behalf.
