I’ve been wanting to speak to Los Angeles based ambient / neo-classical producer Johnny Yono ever since I first heard his amazing Child of the Clouds album A Journey Into The Light (reviewed here at This is Darkness back in October 2024). His music is ambient / dark ambient / cinematic soundscape, full of emotional depth with a wonderful dreamlike quality running through it.

Interview: Rich Dodgin

Interviewee: Johnny Yono

Hi Johnny! First of all, a massive thank you for this opportunity to interview you for This Is Darkness, and to give our readers a chance to learn more about you and your music.

Hey, thank you so much for having me! Excited to be here.

Can you start by telling us a little about yourself. For those who aren’t familiar with your music, can you provide a brief overview of your musical project(s) and the music you have released.

I’ve been producing electronic music for over 17 years, ten of which were spent focused on trance, releasing under my real name, Johnny Yono. In early 2018, I transitioned into techno and began releasing music under the alias, Rebel Boy. Just over two years ago, I decided to take a step back from the club scene to explore a more introspective direction. That led to the inception of my new ambient project, Child Of The Clouds, under which I’ve released an album and several singles that focus on mood, space, and emotional depth.

Do you have a preferred approach to creating your music, and what techniques and / or equipment do you use?

Yes, I work entirely in-the-box and produce using FL Studio. When it comes to ambient music, my creative process is quite different from how I approach club tracks. For me, it all begins with the chords—they’re what I consider the “fabric of the music”. A strong progression lays the emotional groundwork and sets the tone for everything that follows. Once that foundation is in place, it opens up a world of sonic possibilities to build around it—textures, atmospheres, and subtle movements that evolve naturally from the harmonic core.

As with every piece of music I create, I try to draw deeply from my own life experiences. I believe that the most meaningful music comes from a place of honesty, and I aim to infuse each track with a sense of personal truth that resonates beyond the surface and truly tells a story or shares a message. The works released under Child Of The Clouds capture the most honest and vulnerable emotions I’ve ever translated into music.

Do you perform your music live? If so, how do you find that experience, and do you prefer it to studio work?

Before fully immersing myself in electronic music production, I was a drummer and had the opportunity to perform live with several bands I was involved in. Later, as a DJ playing trance and techno, I travelled to places I never imagined visiting to play clubs and festival gigs. It was an incredible chapter in my life, and I feel truly grateful for those experiences. At the same time, the lifestyle could be quite lonely, which made me appreciate the comfort and grounding of home even more. Today, I’m focused primarily on studio work.

Can you tell me about your own journey of musical discovery and experimentation?

Sure, I guess that calls for a rewind to my early years and how I first connected with music. When I was a kid, my parents had a cassette tape in the backseat of their car—it was a Tears For Fears album and that became one of my first musical memories. Alongside that, I grew up listening to a lot of new wave: Depeche Mode, New Order, and others. The sound of the ’80s had a huge impact on me and really shaped my musical identity. That foundation eventually led me to discover trance music, and I was immediately drawn to the emotional depth and the powerful connection it had with its audience. It set me on the path I’ve been following ever since.

I had been casually listening to ambient music for a long time, but only occasionally. One of the first tracks I ever heard was ‘Rhubarb‘ by Aphex Twin. Then, just over two years ago, I went through a difficult period—a deep depression that took a serious toll on my mental health. My life and career in techno were falling apart, and what once brought me joy had started to feel empty. I felt jaded and disconnected. I needed an outlet—a way to process everything I was feeling and channel my pain—it’s what motivated me to write an ambient album which came together over a two-year period.

I released the project independently in October of last year and it’s called A Journey Into The Light, which consists of 11 tracks and it followed my debut single, ‘Forever Is Now‘. That album was a deeply personal and cathartic experience which helped me begin to move forward and heal.

After releasing the album, my sound started to evolve into something darker, more dreamlike and nostalgic—many are referring to this sound as “dreamscape”. It’s a style that’s quickly gaining momentum, and I felt naturally drawn to it. In February of this year, I released a track titled ‘we are floating in space‘, which was added to Spotify’s editorial playlist Movements on the day of its release and it just reached 100,000 streams this past June, which has been incredibly encouraging as I continue to grow in this new direction.

Aphex Twin has been a major inspiration to me since the late ’90s and early 2000s—his ability to push sonic boundaries left a lasting impression on how I approach music. In more recent years, the duo Hammock has probably been my biggest influence. Their blend of post-rock and ambient is incredibly moving, and in my opinion, no one captures that intersection better than they do. When it comes to dark ambient, I’m also a big fan of My Head Is Empty. His work has a distinct, emotionally charged sound that really sets him apart in the genre.

How would you describe the current state of ambient / dark ambient / drone music?

The scene is definitely growing exponentially, which is exciting to see. But since it’s still a neo genre of ambient in it’s infancy—I think that some of the labels could be more open-minded in terms of what they’re signing. Each week, I hear a lot of tracks that sound very similar, which can feel limiting. It ends up overshadowing artists who are really pushing creative boundaries and bringing something fresh to the table. There’s so much potential in this space, and I think embracing a wider range of sounds and approaches would only help the genre evolve and thrive.

What are your future musical plans?

Well, I’m really interested in moving into film scoring and the world of sync licensing. Ambient music feels like a natural bridge into that space—it’s emotionally driven, cinematic by nature, and I see a real future there. At the same time, I plan to continue running my music production mentorship business, along with my mixing and mastering service. Both allow me to stay connected with other artists and help them bring their own visions to life, which is something I’m truly passionate about You can also expect to hear many more Child Of The Clouds works in the near future.

Absolutely! Please check out my latest single, ‘through my childhood eyes‘, which just dropped on July 18th via the amazing Neverland Records. I’ve got two more releases coming up—one on July 25th on Virtual Perception and another on August 1st on Darkstate Music, so stay tuned! Be sure to follow me on Spotify, Instagram, and all major platforms to keep up with my journey.

Thanks so much for having me, Rich—this was a real pleasure. And thank you to everyone reading this!

Thank you so much for your time Johnny !!!

Johnny Yono Links

Instagram
Spotify
YouTube
SoundCloud
Bandcamp
Linktree