10 Yeah or No Questions With Ardalan

Dropping heavy bassline house bombs from on high, Claude VonStrokes’s dirtybird doesn’t let just anyone in its nest. So when label hot-shot Justin Martin took newbie Ardalan under his wing back in 2010 for the Vulcanized bounce of “Mr. Spock”—played by everyone from Jesse Rose to Diplo—it was a clear message that they were nurturing a fresh, like-minded talent. Justin and Ardalan’s second collaboration the following year, “Lezgo,” was equally pumped, tearing up dancefloors and providing one of the standouts when an edited version also appeared on Justin’s celebrated debut album, Ghettos & Gardens, in 2012.

Now, 25-year-old Ardy is spreading his wings to deliver his solo debut release (out now), The Yeah/No. Nested among the label’s best releases, the EP is hatched from dirtybird’s distinctive DNA. A-side “Wake Up” is all bumping, bassy tech-house with a garage shuffle in the drums. On the flip, “The No Yeah” marries free-range bass mechanics with a sweet, hypnotizing vocal for another straight-up floor-killer.

In the spirit of the release, we asked Ardalan a series of “Yeah/No” questions.

Are you as energetic when you “Wake Up” as your new single sounds?
Yeah. In San Francisco, we have street cleaning every Tuesday, early in the morning. I have to wake up and move my car, or else I get a ticket. So this song was based on those experiences. It has helped over the months, except for last Tuesday. Oh, the irony.

Would you be here today without the help of Mr. Justin Martin?
This is a “Yeah/No” situation! Without Justin, it would have been harder for me to have this beautiful opportunity. I guess I was quite lucky to have him see my potential early on, because it definitely helped my career musically and experience-wise. I am forever grateful.

dirtybird just released your debut solo single. Is it true that label boss Claude VonStroke has more of a business than bird brain?
I can’t say yeah or no to this one! He does a very good job not mixing both but doing everything perfectly side-by-side, keeping it fun—musically and business-wise. In many ways, Claude is the mother bird.

Was The Yeah/No title inspired by Vicky Pollard from Little Britain?
No. I had to research that and fell off my chair laughing. It could have had that inspiration, though! The Yeah/No was inspired by my indecisiveness, where I would say, “No… yeah… or yeah… but no” to questions from all my friends ranging every subject. But I have gotten better.

Your breakthrough track was the booty-bouncing “Mr. Spock.” Are you a secret Trekkie?
No, sir. I was a fan of old-school television intro themes such as Star Trek and Dr.Who. Thus why “Mr. Spock” loosely took that inspiration.

Recently, you gave away a free track called “Make You a Pie.” Could you bake us something?
Yeah, I’ll make you a pie!

Your heritage is Iranian. Have you been to visit the country recently or even played there?
Yeah, I was born there. I also lived there while moving back and forth to the USA, until I permanently moved [to the US] in 2007. I actually learned about underground house music in Iran. There were these illegal parties in a ski resort called Shemshak, which would go for days. They called it “Shibiza, the Ibiza of Iran,” ha ha!

Are people surprised to find out that Ardalan is your real name?
Yeah. People usually wonder where it’s from and how I got it. I figured I was lucky enough to use it as an artist name.

Will there be some shows to celebrate the single?
Yeah! I’m currently getting ready for my launch party at Monarch in San Francisco, followed by an insane warehouse party for New Year’s Eve in Chicago with the whole dirtybird gang.

Is your next release already cooking in the studio?
Yeah, I’m always cooking!

Follow Ardalan on Facebook | Twitter