Ever-changing artist Yarni’s new EP is now available to pre-order after a collaboration with Stroud’s Sound Records and owner Tom Berry.
The ‘Albers EP’ will be the second release from Sound Record’s own label, after ‘Patched In: Sounds of the Stroud Underground’ was put out in 2021.
Albers, which features artwork from John Pedder and liner notes from Joe Muggs, will be a four-track EP exploring the sounds of hip-hop, footwork, IDM, Balearic and techno.
Yarni, AKA Benjamin Harris, began his career as a drummer in a band before deciding to branch out and explore production across different genres, settling on the name Yarni in tribute to a former Croatian footballer in 2015.
Albers is the fourth release in just two years for the Sheffield artist after three LP’s, Boro (2021), Pigna (2022) and Parenthesis (2023) helped him to amass over three million streams across Spotify and Apple Music, whilst being impossible to pin down to one sound.
Harris said: “I’d had a growing urge to explore sounds from funk to house and soul and reggae. I launched Yarni in 2015 as an outlet to showcase my eclectic tastes and I’m very happy with the momentum so far.
“When I was at primary school a lad joined our class who’d moved over to escape the war in what was then Yugoslavia. He was Croatian and we bonded over football. Whilst we were growing up there was a player called Robert Jarni, pronounced Yarni, and it was his name that stuck with me when searching for a Google-able artist name!
“Albers EP is mine and John Pedder’s tribute to Anni Albers. Anni suffered from chauvinistic behaviour whilst at The Bauhaus but still managed to produce some incredible weavings. It’s exactly the idea of weaving that John and I did when creating the final piece of multi-media art.”
Sound Records have backed Harris for their second release, with a friendship immediately drawn up between him and Berry following the well-received debut ‘Boro’ in 2021.
“Tom is literally one of the soundest (pardon the pun) guys I’ve met along this journey. Tastemaker & fellow Sheffielder Luke Unabomber was singing the praises of Boro and it is because of that record Tom sought me out. We started a natural friendship from that point.
“Tom put out the first in-store label release ‘Patched In’ and I really loved the personal touch and aesthetics. It resonated with my ethos, so we’ve kept an open dialogue about making this happen. We’re both learning from each other and it’s a great project which is led by fun and passion for releasing music in a physical & organic way.
“I’ve never visited Stroud but there’s a few ideas being floated around at the minute. I was meant to play for Sound Records’ birthday last year, but the gig was cancelled. Watch this space, though!”
Albers promises to be as different a listen as any of Harris’ previous works have been, with a focus on dancefloor anthems whilst staying on to of finer details of production.
“My whole ethos is ‘The Unpigeonholeable Sound’ and I always say to new listeners, if you don’t like my current work then listen further back,” said Harris.
“Each new record explores different sonic territory and I’m using my releases as a way to document where I was in my life at that point in time.
“The visual side of my work is 50%, I am a huge fan of Factory Records and the need to consider every single fine detail. Most people won’t pick up on these details, but it matters greatly to me and my output.
“Finding a balance of functionality for DJs but also having enough finer detail for closer listening is a tough nut to crack. For those who are into electronic music, I think there’s something you’ll enjoy, be it on a dancefloor or via your streaming platform whilst walking the dog!”
Tom Berry added: “We’re really proud to work with an established artist like Yarni. His genre shifting sound is exactly the sort of thing we want to champion and we can’t wait to share the record with the people of Stroud and beyond.”
You can pre-order a copy of ‘Albers EP’ via Bandcamp (www.yarni.bandcamp.com) or in-store at Sound Records in Stroud. The full EP will be released on 1 September via Sound Records and in a select number of stores across Sheffield.
