The Populists—the alias of Yan Wagner—are about to unleash their latest assault on the dancefloor with the hotly anticipated EP, Extrême Intensité, dropping on Deadbeat Records this July. When these demos landed in our inbox, we instantly knew that we needed to release it. This couldn’t be more Deadbeat if it tried; ravey, playful, serious, silly, banging. With the singles Git Gud and Bear Knuckles, you can expect this to be on heavy rotation throughout this summer and beyond.
Extrême Intensité is produced in the vibrant heart of Marseilles, France. It is a raw, unapologetic salute to UK rave, early dubstep, electro, and acid. These are the sounds that make your head spin and your jaw shake. Yan describes the project as “probably the most heavy and ‘brainless’ (in the best way) bunch of tracks I’ve ever created; the most UK sounding too.”
This new EP was produced in Yan’s home studio in Marseilles in March 2025. This happened amidst a fierce USBJ digging craze. It emerged as a most welcome breath of fresh air. Yan was immersed in the production process of another, more sombre project. Packing hallmark breakbeats, gritty samples, and vintage Roland synths, all wrapped up in a playful, confident package designed to obliterate the dancefloor.
And to cap things off, Mr Ho, one of the current scene’s biggest producers and close friend of the label, has delivered a sick remix. All guarantees to keep dance floors ablaze.
Artist: The Populists
Release: Extrême Intensité
Label: Deadbeat Records
Release Date: July 18, 2025
A1. Bear Knuckles
A2. Git Gud
B1. Extrême Intensité
B2. Git Gud (Mr. Ho Remix)
Here’s a polished artist bio based on deep research:
About The Populists (Yan Wagner)
Yan Wagner was born on June 8, 1983, in Paris. He is a Franco‑American singer‑songwriter, producer and composer. He seamlessly bridges pop, electro, new wave, EBM, and club-oriented sounds. Releasing his debut solo album Forty Eight Hours in 2012, he cemented his place as a formidable voice in modern electronic music. Follow-up albums This Never Happened (2017) and Couleur Chaos (2021) demonstrated his evolution. He moved from dark-wave crooning to disco-infused pop sung in French.
Since 2014, Yan channels his club‑obsessed alter‑ego The Populists. This project is inspired by Detroit electro, European new beat, and acid house. His early EPs—Soft Power (2014) and Lipdub (2015)—debuted on respected labels like Space Factory and Days of Being Wild. Notably his 2015 remix of Bagarre’s “Le Gouffre” exploded years later on dancefloors worldwide, picking up support from DJ heavyweights like Solomun, Dixon and The Hacker. Vinyl reissues on Detriti/Zone followed, praised as “future new‑beat classics”.
Under The Populists, his sound is a heady mix of vintage synths, gritty breakbeats, acid squelch and sense of humor—all with a satirical nod to political populism in club culture (soundcloud.com). Based between Paris and Marseille, Yan is also an in-demand collaborator: vocalist on Gesaffelstein’s 2024 LP Gamma, co‑director of a Portishead tribute at Printemps de Bourges, and composer for the Cannes-selected film Animale.
Marrying his love for crossover sounds—from drum’n’bass to 90’s chemical‑brothers‑style genre-bending—Yan Wagner continually pushes boundaries (tsugi.fr). With Extrême Intensité, he returns with The Populists to deliver unapologetic, rave‑ready tracks that recall the spirit of UK dance culture and acid‑electro aesthetics.
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