When I got word of DJ Yolo Bear playing a set at 285 Kent in Brooklyn I had to be there to finally witness the unmasking of this enigma. For those who don’t know, Yolo Bear first made his debut with jersey club delight "Make U Touch My" on Day 09 of Lucky Me’s Christmas compilation giveaway entitled 12 Days of Lucky Me. After a few months of stewing across the web and in DJ sets curiosity sparked as to whom the hysterically titled DJ that made this banger could be. Twitter hype sparked a flurry of rumors surmising Yolo Bear could be Cashmere Cat, Doctor Jeep or the masked totting DJ’s Paypal or Depressed Teenager. Regardless I had to be sure, so I made my way down to Brooklyn the night of his show...

I can already hear the sounds of adrenaline bumping Jersey club before I round the corner to 285 Kent; neighbor to Glasslands and a hell of a space for shit to go cray cray. The street is packed with hipsters and dance snobs who scoff at my curiosity of the set times.

“Have you even been here before?” mocks one dweeb who falsely assumes my anxiety as a red flag for noobishness.

I flick my cigarette at his feet and cut him in line cause f*ck bullsh*t.

I walk in and immediately realize 285 Kent is the place to be tonight. Local celebrity Subset is here, Philly club cat Swizzymack is chillin, and what’s that my boy Mike Smiroldo just texted me that DJ Sliink is playing a last minute set? Could the brick bandit be my guy?

Subset

Swizzy Mack in custom Mad Decent jacket

Sliink DJ Tiga

I try and make my way backstage to snoop around but the crowd wont permit me.

“Dance Mofo!”

Ok.

We get buck to what’s now Brenmar back to back with DJ Uniique, as they drop Brenmar’s "Naughty Girl" remix into a slew of other pop sampling jersey/bmore/philly/f*ckacitycauseitsallgood club bangers.

DJ Uniique and Brenmar

Nadus and Sliink DJ Tiga now take the table and put on more brick city club tracks with a smidgen of trap.

Nadus

Nadus takes the mic, “THIS HOW WE DO IT IN JERSEY!”

I’m in it. This party is the definition of turnt, but not in a way that’s too overwhelming. A mix between the space, music, and bubbly crowd make for a dance experience that focused less on the figures on stage and more on their own two feet. Hell I doubt most of the people in here have even heard of Yolo Bear to care enough; but I still do so I make my rounds.

I slide back near the entrance to spot none other than Cashmere Cat, his long blonde hair an ambiguous statement of playful charm.

“Aha! It’s you!” I yell in his face with a thrilled annoyance as the mystery of Yolo Bear has now been solved.

“Uh, who are you?”

“I’m reviewing your gig for Daily Beat.”

“Oh sh*t, leave. It’s gonna suck, seriously get out.”

?

He looks at me with dead seriousness.

I pat his shoulder, “Just f*cking YOLO bro.”

Cashmere Cat as YOLO Bear

Fittingly, "Bring in the Katz" is now blasting on the speakers till we hear a “Bring in the” – cut into the "DJ Yolo Bear Mantra". “You are now listening to the sounds of DJ Yolo Bear,” echoes throughout the club as Cashmere Cat is now on stage sporting the Yolo Bear headpiece pictured in the Yolo Bear caricature. YB/Cashmere leads into "Make You touch My", to our expected delight and continues on till 5AM filling the house with melodic juke a la Drake Remix, Yolo Bear tunes, and Cashmere cuts (i.e. "That Good Good, "Whitney VS. Brandy", "Mirror Maru").

My legs sore and eardrums blown, I leave satisfied yet troublingly underwhelmed. All the hype to discover who Yolo Bear is, and my answer was amidst the petty rumors? I slept a dreamless slumber that night.

A few days later a friend sends me this pic.

While Cashmere was fronting as Yolo Bear in Brooklyn, Lucky Me’s Eclair Fifi AND Obey City performed under the Yolo Bear moniker in London and Edinburgh respectively that very same night. This doesn’t make sense. To truly YOLO one can only live once, not three times. Could this Yolo Bear be a mere construct, a running joke with the Lucky Me family, a troll-o bear if you will? Or is he (she?) a mysterio mastermind who has something bigger hiding behind his secret? Time will tell, but for now I’ll take a break from pondering on who the f*ck DJ Yolo Bear could be...till the next track.

- Nick Momeni

Check out more photos from the party here, via Razberry Photography