With an impressive three decades of lighting up our dance floors, UK producer, DJ, Circus party promoter and label boss, Yousef, is still evolving and staying true to the art of making house music. Yousef’s contribution to dance music has been huge and he is one of the true innovators and pioneers of the scene. With a plethora of single and album releases to boast on his own Circus Recordings, Yousef has also graced labels such as Cocoon, Desolat, Crosstown Rebels, Defected, Bpitch control, Moon Harbour, Knee Deep In Sound, FFRR and more.
This Autumn, Yousef’s fifth studio album, ‘I Operate In Purple’, lands on Circus, hailing a momentous personal and sonically rich reflection on 30 years spent immersed in dance music culture. Across these 14 brilliantly penned original new tracks, Yousef draws from past and present to deliver one of his most uplifting albums to date, full of warmth, energy, and real connection.
“I Operate in Purple” stands as a heartfelt thank you – a celebration of the journey, the community, and the music that shaped me”. – Yousef
The album features a superb lineup of vocal collaborators including Kuuda, Bodacious Thang, Alexx, Yasmin and Baby Girl, each bringing their own identity to the project, as well as Tim Hutton contributing his expertise and live instrumentation throughout. From start to finish the album delivers one upbeat cracker after another – ‘Loving is Living’ (ft Kuuda) and also ‘Higher Place’ (ft. Kuuda), which found support from Carl Cox, Michael Bibi, Marco Carola, and more. Calvin Harris, who created his own radio version of ‘Higher Place’ and sent it back to Yousef as a gesture of support. That rework now features alongside the original on the album.
Elsewhere, on the album, on ‘In My Shoes’ Bodacious Thang offers a sassy tribute to the roots of house with her rhythmic spoken word, the album title track, ‘I Operate In Purple’ comes with an impressive horn section from Tim Hutton, and Alexx belts out a fabulously uplifting soulful vocal on ‘I Feel Good’… oh there is so much to discover and enjoy here! Compared to the more melancholy tone of 2019’s ‘9 More Drive’, Yousef leans into much brighter colour palette and delivers on so many levels. There’s an ease and maturity to his production, the kind that only comes from years of putting in the work, yet he’s sounding fresher than ever as he continues his unique conversation with music and the people around it. Thirty years in, that counts for a lot!
‘I Operate In Purple’ Album will be released on all platforms on September 26th 2025 on Circus Recordings