Founder & CEO
Babël
Years with Company: 11
Web: babelmusic.co
Email: [email protected]
Publicity: Shelby Pinckard / Listen Up, [email protected], 858-864-8986
Clients: Silencio Group (Silencio Paris, Silencio des Pres, El Silencio Ibiza, Wanderlust, Fvtvr)
BACKGROUND
Frenchman Waël Mechri-Yver is a world traveler since youth, giving him a unique advantage in his quest to reshape the nightclub scene. Since arriving in New York City in 2011, he’s been creating spaces and shindigs that exist outside normal expectations, in part by incorporating a wide menagerie of multicultural artists and performers.
A Biblical Mission
As a Frenchman, I was drawn to the multicultural side of N.Y.C. It felt like a place where everybody could live together in peace, speaking a language that everybody understood. I thought about the biblical story of Babel and the misunderstanding between people. I realized that maybe the curse was over. Maybe we could finally speak the same language and be in unity. So I used that name to represent the universal language that is music.
Out With the Old
I realized that nightlife needed an upgrade. It felt a bit like the end of the bottle service model, where you had to buy a table and stay put. It felt empty and not enough. My experiences at Burning Man and around the world made me understand that a lot of people were interested in experiences. So I wanted to re-infuse New York nightlife with culture. I’ve always worked dancers, performers, artists and painters into our events.
Changing Genres
We brought the house music scene to the forefront of the Champs-Élysées. That was groundbreaking, because only the underground clubs were playing that. We had to educate people. In the beginning, people were mocking us, saying that was the same record playing over and over. I had to learn how to educate, be soft with the crowd, and bring them that music.
When I moved to New York, it was kind of the same thing. The music we loved and championed was only in obscure clubs in Brooklyn. For a while, it was mostly hip-hop and EDM. I was not satisfied with that. Today, we have house music everywhere in New York.
Going Live
More and more DJs are involving singers, playing keyboards, and all of that. We are going towards a new phase where people are bringing back live music into the electronic music scene. People are not satisfied with just DJs anymore.
Creating Flow
In the beginning, we started with mediations at our events, then we had live music and DJs. That’s how we used to do it. When we opened Gospël in SoHo, we did the same thing. We followed that formula. We like to create a flow.
Soul Man
I have a passion for everything soul music, from disco to funk, house… Anything soulful. If you understand what soul means, send us your music. Send us your press kits and videos. If you like to steer emotions, make people feel better, give them joy and make them dance, smile or feel something, that’s what we’re into. We respect all styles of music, but we try to focus on soulful music.
Music Life
[Music is] my passion. Music fuels me and makes me wake up in the morning. In 2015, I went on a silent meditation retreat and realized that it was time to express what I’ve learned throughout life [by making my own music.] I’ve been a bartender, club owner, doorman, booker, curator, DJ, producer... I’ve been in every single angle of the business. I’ve spent so much time observing not just the best DJs and electronic artists but also the fans, how they react to the experience and what they are looking for. So I have a different perspective.
Breaking Through
We’re living in strange times, where music is not enough. [Musicians] have to spend countless hours on social media crafting an identity and a brand. They have to spend lots of time making mixes, doing interviews, all of that. They have to become kind of an “artrepreneur” and sell themselves. It’s not for the faint of heart.
But if the music is great, people are going to support them. To get a record deal in the '70s, you had to be James Brown. Today, anybody can have a record deal, because you can create a label in five minutes. So you have to be a really good performer and adapt with the trends. I’m not necessarily the happiest about these transitions. But if the energy is good, it’s going to break through all those obstacles.
Authenticity
I’ve failed more times than I’ve succeeded. The master is just the one who’s tried more times than the students. You have to do events and create a community. And the community has to be real. The only way to succeed is to be authentic. People gravitate towards authenticity and truth.
Stepping Into His Shoes
Do events for 10 people, 20 people, 100 people, 200 people, 1,000 people, then 5,000 people. That takes years. You have to have a certain type of magic inside yourself to bring people together, and it has to come from the heart. You could use your birthday to [create] an amazing event. Start by hosting events for your friends. Do it over and over to understand what works and what doesn’t.
Finding What’s Next
New York is an extremely competitive place. You have to always bring something new. That is exhausting. Everybody wants the best next act. Everybody is fighting for the same things. You have to have a good eye, a good ear, and constantly look out for what people are looking for. You have to have a nose for those things and see in advance what is going to be next. It’s constantly trying to understand the climate and what people are touched by.
An Emphasis on Safety
After I moved to the U.S., I started to become more and more sober. When I opened Gospël, I decided to be completely sober to put the safety of our community and business at the forefront. Safety is paramount. When you’re responsible for events with 5,000 people, you can’t make mistakes. And for that, you have to be extremely clear and present at all times. I had to sacrifice my desire to party to offer the party to our people. That’s my gift to the world. You can’t eat and be the chef at the same time.
Partying Hard Work
The misconception is that I’m partying all the time. It’s the exact opposite. I see Babël as a service of celebration, freedom, healing, and togetherness. We’ve counted so many people getting married, doing business deals, becoming friends for a lifetime. That’s the magic of my work and why I fell in love with creating a platform for coming together.
Destination Everywhere
I’m excited to bring Babël outside of New York. We are building our international team of believers who want to make the world a better place through soulful experiences. If you have magic in your heart and mind, please join us.
