Back to the Re-Edit
Younan’s tribal sound has made him a global house favorite.


Published in the February 2006 issue of DJ Times Magazine
Volume 19 - Number 2
By Emily Tan

Once best known as half of the D.C.-based DJ/production duo, Saeed & Palash, Saeed Younan has become a global house favorite on his own in recent years. His signature tribal sound is on display again with Re-Mixed (Star 69), a bold, tasty effort that’s part mix compilation, part remix album—in fact, Younan had a hand in the production, remix or re-edit of each track.

Having been a DJ and producer since 1992—with remixes under his belt for Strictly Rhythm, Addictive, Yoshitoshi, Distinctive and Sondos, as well as two mix compilations—Younan now works primarily from his home studio. For Re-Mixed, Younan received nothing more than a cappellas with which to create tracks, and the results—especially on cuts like Patrocinio Beltran’s “Too Far” and Ariel G’s “Behold Malfuntion”—the results are outstanding. DJ Times spoke with Younan between gigs to understand his studio approach.

DJ Times: Tell us about the recording process. Where was it done?
Saeed Younan: I used my own studio, which has just been upgraded. I was using a whole different school of stuff. Now, I’ve got a Mac G5 dual processor. I got rid of Cubase altogether and now I’m using Logic.

DJ Times: What made you decide to switch?
Younan: I was on a tour in Asia for a month and staying with guys from Shanghai who were using Logic and it seemed to me that Logic was more advanced than what I had been using in Cubase.

DJ Times: How did you record and re-edit this mix?
Younan: First, I mixed it live with two Pioneer CDJ-1000s to see how it would flow. Then, I imported all the tracks into Logic where I mixed and edited the whole thing. I used Logic Pro 7.1.1. The only outboard gear I have is a [Clavia] Nord Lead to trigger everything I have with Logic. I’ve got the CDJ-1000s hooked up to an [E-MU] Xtreme Lead. I got rid of most of my outboards, like my sampler, because everything is so much easier inside the computer. Everything that came with Logic—the soft synths, the sampler—just blew me away.

DJ Times: How have the improvements in software affected your creative process?
Younan: What the software offers has a huge effect on what I produce. I’ve tried all the soft synths before, but I wasn’t looking forward to playing with them because I’m an outboard kind of guy. People are always saying, “Anything that comes with a soft synth doesn’t sound great.” But, after upgrading my computer, some soft sounds are even fatter than my outboard gear! Logic’s got some killer presets, like the ES2, and some nice pads. You have synth pads, rock, electro, anything. It has very much affected the way I produce, because I’m able to experiment with more rock sounds, classical strings and other sounds that I never had the money to go out and buy.

DJ Times: Other plug-ins?
Younan: I’m using lots of effects processors, like all my soft synths are plug-ins. I’m using [Cycling ’74] Pluggo, which has a bunch of crazy effects. Ohmboyz is another plug-in with crazy delays and effects. There’s a cool plug-in called Space Designer that’s a reverb monster.

DJ Times: What’s your ideal DJ booth set-up?
Younan: I’m using three Pioneer CDJ-1000s and two Technics 1200 turntables, but I’m playing 90-percent CDs now. I use the Pioneer EFX-500 effects unit, but I’ve stripped down to basics. I use the turntables to cue up a cappellas. I use Rane or Vestax mixers and a Korg Kaoss effects pad. I buy a lot of vinyl, burn it to CD and use Steinberg’s WaveLab or Bias Peak to edit it.

DJ Times: You edited every track on Re-Mixed?
Younan: Yes, every remix on this album is mine; I never got the parts from the labels. I only received a cappellas, with the exception of one—Celeda’s “The Underground” is exclusive for this album. A lot of tracks were tweaked from beginning-to-end.

DJ Times: What do you see as the future of the DJ?
Younan: A lot of people think DJs will be replaced by VJs. I always think there will be room for DJs to improve with technology. You’re always going to need the mind of a DJ to lead people, to know when to bring it down or take it up. There will be more people DJing with Final Scratch and iPods. Unless you’re a scratch DJ, DJing is not only about beat-mixing—it’s about programming.

Saeed’s Studio: Making Tribal Tracks
Aphex 207D tube mic preamp
Apple Logic Pro 7 digital audio workstation
Clavia Nord Lead synthesizer
Cycling ’74 Pluggo plug-ins
EMU Xtreme Lead synth module
Event Electronics Tria 20/20 studio monitors
Groove Tubes GT67 mic
Korg MS20 synthesizer
M-Audio USB Qauttro audio interface
Macintosh G5 dual processor 2.5 GHz
Macintosh Powerbook G4
Mackie MB32 recording console
Midiman MIDISport 8x8 MIDI interface
Native Instruments Pro Tools Edition plug-ins
Ohmboyz plug-ins
Tapco S-Series powered monitors
Waves Gold Bundle plug-ins