Yury

We sat down with Yury for our longest episode to date. We discussed his start in Pittsburgh, making the move to New York, and an unknown number of other topics. - Zeuswolf

In early 2014, a leaked audio recording of an unreleased Wiz Khalifa song, “All Day,” surfaced onto the web. The beat sounded like an ancient robot arising from slumber, its bells and meters calibrating themselves for the first time in centuries. Epic. Rampant fan speculation took place regarding the song, with some predicting it would be on “Blacc Hollywood.” The song was eventually released, not on Wiz’s album, but on the WWE 2K15 soundtrack, with a feature from John Cena and a different, watered-down instrumental. With only a sketchy cell-phone recording of the demo, it seemed like the original beat might have been lost forever — much to the despair of Wiz fans.

We never forgot the hype though. In 2016, we finally tracked down the high-quality version of the original “All Day” beat. It turns out that the producer, Yury, released a song, “Signatune,” with the instrumental in July of 2012. Back then, he shared an engineer with Wiz, and one day, he got a text from the engineer saying ‘Wiz Khalifa rapped on your beat.’ Because the original beat never came out, Yury agreed to make it an exclusive on Rapchat. So here’s a gift from Yury and us — go rap on the unreleased “All Day” beat right now by clicking the link below! - Rapchat

Yury, a New York City based producer and rapper, has released entropy, his latest EP that follows a career of consistently putting out new music in short periods of time. He's released 7 albums in the past 5 years, with one of them even reaching #2 on Amazon's most downloaded list. Listen to his new EP below with a free stream.


2016 might just be Yury's year, though you can argue that he's made his whole career worth every minute by staying busy as a producer and his own music.


It's no easy task trying to break into the hip-hop world, so it helps that Yury's production background is so strong. He's worked with a ton of artists that get plenty of accolades, so we're not surprised at just how much we like entropy.

His lyrics shine through the well-produced songs, embracing the electronica side of things while also embracing flow as a major art. - Music Times

New York artist Yury has been producing hip­-hop and electronic music since 2008, having released 7 projects within the last 5 years, with a Graduate degree in music production from Carnegie Mellon University. His career is getting bigger. With his latest EP, Entropy, Yuri has blended a slightly gloomy soundscape with electronic elements, employing a very satisfying flow throughout all 6 tracks. It’s evident in the two tracks below, “Growing Pains” and “Intrinsically Motivated.” - SWURV

Sonic innovator, Yury, effortlessly blends the genres of hip hop & electronic music into a brand new amalgam of artistic expression on his latest project entitled “entropy.” The New York production powerhouse is also equally at home spitting bars in the booth as he showcases rhyme flows reminiscent of envelope-pushing lyricists, Earl Sweatshirt, Logic & Childish Gambino.

“Moments” establishes the mood with a somber set piece that telegraphs Yury’s feelings of hopelessness and depression. The artist conveys doubts about his talent, relationships, and career in a succession of fleeting thoughts that make him instantly relatable to the listeners. We’ve all had periods of uncertainty in our lives. The difference between us and Yury is that he literally has a personal soundtrack in place as an emotional cushion. “Growing Pains” is a synth-filled masterpiece with cascading melodies and a tight rhyme scheme while “New Beginnings” flaunts a deceptively joyous soundscape with the lyricist hesitant to embrace situations that appear positive on the surface. The funky drum pattern at the end of the track soon transports us to “Intrinsically Motivated,” a downbeat production with a tribal yet futuristic vibe that proves to be more mind-altering than any narcotic.

“Unhidden Agenda” possesses a pleasant, laid back tone that conjures imagery of a late night drive through the city. The song is a musical stand out because it trades in the overlayered patchwork of bells and whistles(often associated with electronic music) for subtlety. Yury appropriately applies an understated approach to his delivery…and wins in the process! “Dogma” is the final track on the collection but definitely not the final time we’ll be hearing from this star on the rise. As the pulsating rhythms of the beat-heavy cut fade into the ether it becomes very clear that Yury is one of the few artists who is most definitely here to stay!

– Kevin Keith - Insomniac Magazine

NY-based, Grammy-nominated Yury has been producing hip ­hop and electronic music since 2008, and has seven full albums to his credit, all released in the past half-decade. His new self-written, recorded, mixed, mastered and produced entropy. is a solid bunch of tunes presenting a more-than-bleak worldview. From the slinky swirl bass bed of “Moments,” Yury is rapping hard about his tortured-soul present day. I love the semi-Moroder echoey backing keys of “Growing Pains” and again Yury providing a slightly bleak outlook. He slips in some arpeggiated key blurps here as the snap of this tune progresses, again reminding me of early dance synth work. “New Beginnings” hits harder with its snapping beat and roiling synth bass, though I’m not sure this one goes as far in lyric and layered musical production as the others here. I would have liked some more of just the high hat trilling and very low synth of “Unhidden Agenda,” not that Yury’s rap here isn’t spot-on (its one of his better ones, to be sure), I just like the sounds he creates on this tune. This song could have easily made a good instrumental, as Yury certainly has the ability to layer sound and use just the right beats in the right place. “Dogma,” my favorite, big, dark and bad, from the low-spoken vocals at its beginning, to what I feel is the most rockin’ beat here (a nice, layered percussion sound) and certainly Yury’s most adept rap of all of these tunes. Yuri certainly know his game well and has some very dark things to impart. - shortandsweetNYC

Exploring the darker impulses is the elegant smooth work of Yury’s “entropy.”. Atmospheric in nature these are songs that explore the emotional. Spacious sounds permeate each and every piece. Rhythms are kept low key letting the songs simply seep into the mind. Yury’s flow in particularly impressive letting his lyricism neatly match each one of his song’s moods. Production values radiate as he lets languid grooves unfurl ever so gradually. Within “entropy.” it is the small details that have the greatest impact.

Listen to “entropy” in full at Bandcamp:
https://yury.bandcamp.com/album/entropy

“Moments” opens the collection on a high note as the song comes in and out of focus. Percussion is kept to the essentials. An elastic bass line keeps the song together as all else swirls around that. Vocals are disembodied, floating in and out of the mix like a kind of consciousness. On “Growing Pains” Yury opts for a more active sound. A grandeur develops throughout the song as the melody grows ever more delicate. Blurred nostalgia dominates the warm tender sound of “New Beginnings” as the song has a satisfying driving rhythm as Yury plays with the tempo to great effect. On “Intrinsically Motivated” Yury taps into a strange, almost Boards of Canada like element throughout the piece as the sounds soar eerily. Ending the collection off on a mysterious note is the loose tempo of “Dogma” whose lyrics are the highlight as Yury’s flow is particularly tight nicely matching the introspective approach.

Yury’s “entropy.” uses an impressive palette of sound to create a deeply compelling collection.

http://iamYURY.com

Posted by Beach Sloth - Skopemag

Yury a New York native and Hip-Hop visionary when it comes to pitching and producing a new electronic vibe into a genre. He has released seven full and separate albums since 2011.

That is 7 albums in 5 years guys! And for most of his seven albums he boasts that they are self written, produced, recorded, mixed, and mastered.

You do not just wake up one day and write, produce, record, mix, and master seven albums and Yury is no exception to this rule.
He has one little thing going for him and that is receiving a graduate degree in music production from Carnegie Mellon University. With that being said this six cut album is a blissful journey into someone’s inner psyche. - RhymeJunkie

From New York, NY comes a veteran of the music scene, offering us a brand new album that will no doubt find its way into so many listeners’ favorite lists. This genre-bending artist by the name of Yury is an electronic hip-hop artist who wastes no time leaving his signature on each and every track that makes up his incredible new album entropy. The opening track, entitled “Moments”, is oddly charismatic and masterfully produced. Featuring some haunting female vocals and layers of synth sounds, Yury introduces us to his very smooth and compelling lyrical style. Reminding me somewhat of the great K-OS, Yury strings his rhymes together with a socially conscious intent. “Moments” is both a great song and also a bit off; it is catchy and composed well enough, but, as far as a musical journey, the song takes a bit too long to reach the big payoff that unfortunately never arrives.
Following the artistic “Moments” is the single-worthy song entitled “Growing Pains”. This song grabs some of its musical cues from another electronic band called Tycho, and, with Yury’s solid vocals, this is a beautiful pairing of sound. The song has both a vulnerable and raw message from Yury, and, for many listeners, this song will resonate on a truly deep level. Once again, the song stays safely within the confines of its opening layout, and this would have been a great opportunity for Yury to bring the album up to a faster speed.
The song “New Beginnings” is absolute musical gold, worthy of the level of Tricky, Lupe Fiasco, and Mos Def. With a catchy piano track and sick synth bassline, the instrumental part of this track sounds like something from the Linkin Park camp. It is dark, honest, and emotionally charged. If you listen to any track one song off of this creative and effective album, I suggest “New Beginnings” as your first choice.
The current single is entitled “Intrinsically Motivated” and doesn’t fail to give a proper introduction to Yury’s unique sound. The musical composition is not what you will expect, and it is exactly what it should be. The vocal line is proof that Yury has what it takes to stay hot in what is known as a very competitive genre of music.
It would be a shame for any hip-hop fans to miss out on this fresh album. In a world soaked and choked with the same hip-hop tracks making waves in the clubs, Yury braves the less travelled road and offers his audience something respectively different. The anthem-like entropy is an album many people will no doubt share, and it deserves all the accolades it receives. - PopWrapped

Yury finds himself in a pool of entropy.

Entropy – a logarithmic measure of the rate of transfer of information in a particular message or language.

New York ever-rising artist Yury delivers messages all throughout the release of his album, ‘entropy.’ Yury’s message arrives deeper than just the music, scanning through relatable topics that many can connect with. Yury forms Hip-Hop and the Electronic sound pretty well, not overdue neither genre. Not exactly sure if his plan was to set the instrumental in the background at a low level, but it works out just perfect, letting his voice rise to success.

‘entropy.’ is incisive and as clear-cut of a project as we’ll receive from a lyrical artist. In a five year-span, Yury has released a total of seven albums, One of those albums sat on Amazon’s “most downloaded” list at number 2.

Barely arguable, Yury’s lyrical composure deserves the top grades; shedding out a massive amount of stories, relevancy, and critical thoughts. We listen as he finds himself stuck in dogma, landing in the Principal’s office at school, and misjudgment.

Ripping my way through the six-track project, Yury gave me a lot of clarification to who he is as an artist and human being. Then again, on “Hidden Agenda,” he reminds us all that we don’t really know him “like that.”

The Hip-Hop aspect of his music was highlighted strongly. The instrumentation was toned down, giving his voice the proper platform to be heard all the time without complication.

A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University with a degree in music, he mixes, masters, and produces his own work.

His single “Growing Pains” has accumulated over 121,000 plays.
The success of ‘entropy.’ will continue to grow as time moves forward. -

For this week’s edition of Music Monday, we reached out to Yury Merman. Known to the music community as simply Yury, he has defined his career from making left-field choices as a musician allowing him to stand out at a time where the amount of newcomers with each passing day becomes overwhelming. Infusing his own experimental influences into hip-hop, Yury continues to bend the rules of composition which has allowed him to become one of the hottest up and coming indie producers in the music industry.

In anticipation of his upcoming debut at Brooklyn’s Knitting Factory on June 24, we sat down to talk to this emerging artist.

First, tell us a bit about yourself. Where did you grow up? What inspired you to pursue music?

"I was born in Belarus, moved to Israel, then Toronto, Canada for most of my childhood. I then lived in Little Rock, Arkansas for a few years before landing in Pittsburgh, PA two weeks before my freshman year of high school. I just moved to New York City three months ago to pursue the music more intensely.

I’ve honestly always loved music ever since I was a kid. So it was honestly a very natural progression. I remember buying movie soundtracks as a kid; Spawn was one of the first ones I remember, actually."

In the span of 5 years, you’ve managed to accomplish a lot. You’ve worked with artists like Wiz Khalifa, released 7 albums, and managed to crack the top 10 most downloaded albums list on Amazon. That’s insane – especially for an artist whose music continuously blurs the lines between hip-hop and other genres. What’s your secret?

"Consistency and perseverance. Everyone has talent to some degree. It takes less time for some, longer for others. I guess I’ve accomplished a decent amount, but I’m not necessarily content, so maybe that’s my secret. Being jaded beyond a doubt. I’m only half-kidding."

How do you keep yourself grounded amid so much success so early in your career?

"Being grateful for what I’ve accomplished, but also being aware of where I want to be. Having both long-term and short-term goals is key. If I ever get down on myself for certain timelines of long-term goals, I take a step back and look at what I’ve accomplished, maybe this week, or even just today."

You have Knitting Factory right around the corner where you’re preparing to perform a live set. At a time when the music industry seems to lean more towards DJ sets, especially in electronic music, this is an incredibly noble feat. What brought you to wanting to perform this way?

"I love both 'genres.' And I use quotes because in a sense, without sounding too cliché, music is music. So that’s fine that people define it in certain terms, but to me it’s quite seamless. It’d be like asking a guitarist why he wants to sing vocals over his strumming."

Do you feel that your merging of live hip-hop elements and dance music elements is what sets you apart the most from other young musicians in the rap game?

"That and just being genuine about it. It wasn’t a conscious decision, it was more of making the music I wanted to make, and then adding a label to it afterwards."

From the looks of things, it seems like you keep trying to find new barriers to break down. What’s the next big thing you think you are going to achieve?

"I’m just hoping to take it to the next tier. More musical growth, more exposure, more shows. I love what I do, so I just want to keep everything growing, organically."

Let’s talk about your fanbase and where you categorize yourself. Especially in rap music, there’s a divide: there’s Top 40 hip-hop which has been growing increasingly trap heavy; nerd and blogger rap like MF Doom and Run the Jewels; and hip-hop which is much more soulful and almost classical in its composition. Where do you like to think you align yourself? Where do you feel your fanbase fits in? Or is there even a divide anymore – is it all just make believe?

"It’s all absolutely make believe. I consider my fans to be more aware, but at the same time, I don’t ask for a specific type of fan. If there’s someone who just loves the music and couldn’t care less about lyrics, that’s cool. Vice-versa as well. I feel like people who like RTJ and people who like Drake can find something to associate with. My next album will have beats that I could see a wide spectrum of people on. I struggle to define it, which I don’t find to be a bad thing."

What is the biggest struggle, do you think, for up and coming artists who have a unique vision like yours?

"Finding your lane and pushing through with it. For example, when Kanye started, people were like, 'A producer who raps?,' but we all know how that’s going for him. So it’s about taking risks – and finding people who adapt and understand your vision. I’m not here to reinvent the wheel, but I am here to create what I hope to be timeless music."

With over 5 years under your belt, what’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned? Any advice you can give to young artists looking to live their art?

"Consistency and perseverance. All else will come. Don’t get too down on yourself, and don’t ever coast along the way. I read an article recently about two violinists that were both first-chair. The top two violinists of their orchestra. They found that one of the two had to practice literally twenty times as much. But they got to the same spot. And what I also took away from that is, essentially, if the violinist who needed to practice 20 times less practiced as much as the other violinist, they’d be twenty times ahead of them, aka four hundred times better. I’m sure there’s a curve on the rate of return, but you get the gist of it. So that goes to show talent is important, but getting to your craft, whatever it may be, and just working on it is how you yield results." - Ross Management

Wait until En-Why-See's this. NYC artist Yury's seventh official album "Entropy" debuts with not one but two impressive leadoff hitters, the synth-pop bounce rap "Growing Pains" and "Intrinsically Motivated," which feels more like a sound journey. On the latter track which the artist also produced, Yury spit-fires: "See the dark side/ like Apartheid/ even part-time/ slanging' got mine/ scheming offline." Yury is lyrically inclined with a depth and delivery that merges his lanes somewhere between Bone Thugs-n-Harmony and Daft Punk, his content palate ranging from old school Regal to new cool rebellion.

As a producer Yury has already secured as stone solid a foundation as any in the industry, graduating from Pittsburgh's prestigious Carnegie Mellon University with an advanced degree in Audio Recording Production. The artist also DJ's and has performed at more than 60 live shows, and one of Yury's projects reached as high as #2 on Amazon's most downloaded albums list. As his latest album title may suggest, much of Yury's work is forewarning that our collective neglect of creation and embrace of true art is in fact aiding our gradual decline into disorder...Yury, a visionary with a unique outlook on the world; an animated worldview in-house suspended in music. - Pure Dope Magazine

Yury's "Curriculum Vitae" in 2012 was a good (and free) introduction to the latest Pittsburgh rap sensation not named Wiz Khalifa. He's been steadily releasing mixtapes ever since then, resulting in us covering "Still Life" today, his 4th to date. There's a time and day I would have called that level of output prolific, but these days Odd Future and their imitators seem to release an album or two every month. That's not to say Yury isn't out there hustling though - 4 albums in a year is still going hard - and he's got a very helpful publicist reminding us when each of the new ones drop. That's what it takes to get your name out there.

"Still Life" varies between self-produced and outside collaborations, including a familiar name from the last review - Big Jerm teams with Yury to lace up "The Chase." Coincidentally or not it winds up being one of the best tracks on "Still Life." The bass provides a strong backdrop for the symphonic instrumentation, and there's a sly 70's groove to the middle part of each verse, until a drum break pleasantly jars you back into the chorus. It's this kind of mult-layered backdrop that really suits the mellow and laid back Yury best. He sometimes seems too chill for his own good, but this song brings out his competitive spirit, shit-talking about other emcees and his female prowess:

"The business is rough; best to be thick-skinned
Rappers actin all tough switch to some thick brimmed
with some skinny jeans, and they sippin lean
Only thing they missin right now is the Maybelline
[...]
Every single time that I write rhymes
I don't bust nines, but I bust dimes
Not a misogynist, but I be on some shit
with the girls in the world that be on my dick"

As for self-produced tracks, Yury does have a few worthy of praise, including the understated minimalism of "Let It." He almost overdoes that in "Worry" but the music has a certain 8-bit or 16-bit feel and appeal - not an actual chiptune but something video game remixers could relate to. Black Diamond may be the collaborator that does Yury the most justice on "Still Life," turning in four tracks that are all outstanding. "DeLorean" could be heard on a Saigon or Talib Kweli album, "Fleeting" has a quick melody that's hard to get out of your head once the bass blends in, and "Subjective" has a pulse-raising intensity that causes Yury to spit faster.

"Mind your business, don't wanna sound harsh
But I guess you can't tell yours apart
And everyone slips at the start
Still persevere, then make this art
Don't know what else I do - being super honest
Only fit in with a few, and you know that's true
Ride or die for my crew"

That last line is indicative of one of the few major complaints I have about Yury, and that's his occasional tendency to adopt rap cliches that don't seem to suit him especially well. His best fit does tend to be as a weed-smoking Pittsburgh emcee, which is hard to do without getting the Wiz comparisons, but considering his success Wiz is far from the person to be mad about being compared to. Quiet as kept the scene in P-Town is on the rise, and underground artists like Yury will be on the forefront if they avoid rehashing tired themes and signing shady major record label deals that keep them from being as prolific as this. - Steve 'Flash' Juon