Bolting Bit’s latest premiere comes to us from Yokotai (soundcloud), appearing on the intimate and shadowy collective Pater Noster Ltd.’s newest tape. Titled “Priest”, this limited edition cassette features some of the more brutal and experimental sides of the techno/house spectrum. Every track on here sounds like its spent the better half of a century buried under ground and has just been dug up for our pleasure.
[soundcloud url=”https://soundcloud.com/boltingbits/premiere-yokotai-silk-stalkings”/]
The tape’s A3, ‘Silk Stalkings’, appeared on Soundcloud over 4 years ago (!!!), yet sounds remarkably fresh given how in vogue analog house rhythms are in 2017. Yokotai started as a collective of visual artists in the mid 2000’s, combining gritty drum machines and synthesizers with cinematic soundscapes; however, the project is now mainly helmed by techno visrtuoso Windom. Dreamy and melancholic pads wash over the tightly-wound and labyrinthine drumwork; meanwhile, a sneakily catchy synth wiggles its way into the mix about halfway through, breathing further fantasy into this stomping affair. It’s one of those tracks that has an ineffable quality that’s very tough to pinpoint concretely, but when played out it’s instantly clear why it stands out.
The rest of the tape—both preceding and following Silk Stalkings—feels even further submerged, complete with 80’s electro and proto-techno workouts dripping in reverb, distortion, and industrial ooze. You could try to imagine the full impact of the “Priest” tracklist on a pair of excellent headphones, but these exercises truly demand the wattage and energy that only a proper system and crowd can lend. In the wild, “Priest” might actually put you the dirt from which it came :)
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05nPCIKftXg[/embedyt]
Danny
