What started out as a party-promoting music collective has evolved across several verticals. Sandy Chu of Selective Attention caught up with the Yeti Out threesome to chat about their new clothing brand launch and the pleasures of crossing over. From music to satirical clubwear.
The Bray brothers and Erisen Ali in the late 2000s founded Yeti Out as a party promo series collective in East London. The brothers in 2013 then decided to make their move back to China as to bridge their Orient upbringing with sonic influences gathered through DJ-ing in the UK.
With headquarters now firmly vested in Shanghai and Hong Kong, the edge collective continues to bridge East and West through the introduction of new musical acts from the U.S. and Europe to China and Southeast Asia, all the while keeping a special spotlight reserved for local talent.
With sets blurring the line between garage, house, sino grime and rap, the collective is now blurring the boundaries between music and fashion, embracing a satirical approach to clubwear.
Welcome the highest altitudes of Yeti:All music, no myth.
About The Music Collective
Arthur: Yeti Out was formerly named Yeti in the Basement, a music blog-turned-party series founded in the pre-Instagram era. Eri and I met on Myspace circa 2006. We then lived together during our University years in the UK, and founded http://www.yetiinthebasement.com a few years later.
Eri: We were going to so many club nights and raves every week and wanted to document all the madness. Having a blog also meant that we could blag press passes and guest lists — we didn’t sleep much back in those days.
Tom: …We don’t sleep much now!
Arthur: Yeti in the Basement then became a party in East London, taking over basements in Dalston and Shoreditch. In 2012, I moved back to Hong Kong and Tom to Shanghai, and we revamped things as Yeti Out. In essence, the Yeti left the sweaty London basement and returned back to Asia – an analogy which reflects our own journey back to China. We wanted to bring the same vibes to these cities, so we continued booking artists and throwing club nights. With Eri in London, Tom in Shanghai and myself in Hong Kong, Yeti Out expanded to become a booking agency, planning EU and US artists’ tours around Asia.
Tom: The family also grew. Yeti Out is now a crew of DJs, graphic designers, photographers and editors, with a record label titled Silk Road Sounds and a number of subsidiary club nights: Yeti: Disko, South Canton Soul Train, Mean Gurlz Club and United Airwaves.
The Pleasures Of Crossing Over
Arthur: We’ve been doing flyers and artwork for so many years, so last year we started a brand as just another medium for us to share our visual identity. Hedonism, self-indulgence, late nights & early mornings are some of the aesthetics of the brand, alongside early 2000s rave flyers and visuals from the dial-up internet era which we grew up on.
Eri: We release limited piece on our online store and sell collaborations at our parties and pop-ups.
About Coach Collaborations, Shanghai And Under Armour
Arthur: We’ve always had one foot in fashion, I used to work at Hypebeast and Tom’s consulted for Dior and Nike. It’s nice to be able to turn our ideas into reality with the help of another brand’s expertise and resources.
Tom: For Coach, we connected with British creative director Stuart Vevers over a shared love for The Hacienda, so the rave-inspired capsule felt very natural, while the Under Armour collab stemmed from a Yeti & Friends Boiler Room party we did in Hong Kong.
Eri: We have a lot of friends who also have brands, so really, the fashion week parties are just an excuse for us to catch up and have fun!
For the full interview, you can circle back to Sandy Chu and her ueber-selective topics right here!
Yeti. Out.
China Under The Radar 