Yatta! Is the new album from Maastricht band YĪN YĪN who manage to balance an eclectic range of musical styles from the spaced out sounds of Italo Disco, to library music, psychedelic synths, and guitars that can be surf in one track, sitar-like in another. The quartet of Kees Berkers on drums, Remy Scheren on bass, Erik Bandt on guitar, and Jerry Scheren on keyboards are able to keep all these plates spinning without breaking any crockery.
The opening track ‘In Search of Yang’ feels like a disco overture from Public Service Broadcast with it’s voice over about the search for Yin and Yang. Sliding strings punch in and the harmony guitar riffs dart around on Asian scales with the whole feeling like it wouldn’t be out of place in a nightclub scene in Saturday Night Fever or The Stud.
From track to track the blend of styles is effortless. It conjures so many images from light-up dancefloors, glitter balls, laser shows, and projected film of travelling through space. Songs like ‘Spirit Adapter’ and ‘Yata Yata’ would make any nightclub jump while tracks like ‘Lecker Song’ suggest cruising Hong Kong’s neon streets at night but in the seedy part of town while the drums keep solid time over big chords and the swagger and twang of some monumental riffs.
The woozy menace of ‘Night In Taipei’ is pure spy film and you can imagine the hero’s cigarette glowing in the dark alley across from the gangster’s nightclub. Equally ‘Golden Lion’ feels like pure Lalo Schifrin with soft electric piano chords punctuating a hi-hat driven beat with the synth and guitar trading riffs. It wouldn’t be out of place on a Khruangbin album.
YĪN YĪN were influenced by Southeast Asian psychedelic guitar music compilation albums from the 60s and 70s, and wanted to create their own version of that. Drummer Kees Berkers says, “All the producers were using new recording techniques and effects, but there are not many pictures or videos of how they were creating things in the studio. You have to use your own fantasy and create your own story about how that music is created.” Guitarist Erik Bandt adds, “Yatta! is our most organic album to date, we recorded together as a team in the studio instead of recording separate tracks for drums, guitar, bass – it’s all live and that adds a certain feel.”
Yatta is a Japanese phrase meaning ‘We did it, we accomplished it!’, something the band felt perfectly matched the sense of achievement they had pulling the project off so successfully, and I couldn’t agree more. If, like me, you are a fan of spy film music, the soundtracks of Angelo Badalamenti (Twin Peaks) and Lalo Schifrin (Dirty Harry, Bullitt), top quality Library Music, and spaced-out psychedelic disco then I suspect you will love Yatta! every bit as much as I do.
Yatta! Is released through the amazing Glitterbeat Records
YĪN YĪN: Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram | YouTube
If you are a fan of library music or want to learn more about it then I can highly recommend The Library Music Film which can be rented on Prime Video and Four Flies Records who have a great selection of what they describe as ‘Italian golden age soundtracks rescued from oblivion & brand new music with a cinematic feel.’
YĪN YĪN are on tour in the UK in April:
Mon 13 April – Norwich Art Centre Norwich
Tue 14 April – Belgrave Music Hall, Leeds
Wed 15 April – Band On The Wall, Manchester
Thu 16 April – The Lantern at Bristol Beacon, Bristol
Sat 18 April – EartH (Hall), London
Review by Paul F Cook
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