O YUKI CONJUGATE レコード& CD

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


Following on from the excellent "Scene In Mirage" reissue that broke O Yuki Conjugate to a whole new crowd, Emotional Rescue return to the archives of the over-looked Nottingham "dirty ambient" outfit. Their second LP "Into Dark Water", originally released in 1987, is just as powerful as the first - a hypnagogic journey fuelled by a global stew of sound, feeding into elegant, evocative pieces. Fans of classic Jon Hassell will find much to enjoy here, but equally those appreciating the exotic post punk undercurrents of 23 Skidoo et al will easily find themselves drawn to the likes of "Ba-makala". Stunning, borderless musings from a hidden treasure of the UK's post-industrial heritage.

Review: Following on from the excellent "Scene In Mirage" reissue that broke O Yuki Conjugate to a whole new crowd, Emotional Rescue return to the archives of the over-looked Nottingham "dirty ambient" outfit. Their second LP "Into Dark Water", originally released in 1987, is just as powerful as the first - a hypnagogic journey fuelled by a global stew of sound, feeding into elegant, evocative pieces. Fans of classic Jon Hassell will find much to enjoy here, but equally those appreciating the exotic post punk undercurrents of 23 Skidoo et al will easily find themselves drawn to the likes of "Ba-makala". Stunning, borderless musings from a hidden treasure of the UK's post-industrial heritage.

Review: Despite what you might assume, O Yuki Conjugate are actually an English duo. Hailing from the country's renowned hinterland somewhere between ambient and industrial, the pair - better known as Roger Horberry and Andrew Hulme - first started the project in 1982, a time in the nation's history that was particularly fertile for sonic experiments of the synthesised kind.

A Tension of Opposites is proof they have lost little of their imagination and creative spark, even decades later. Born in the first year of the pandemic, 2020, both artists worked in isolation and therefore both had different ideas about how a sonic response to the most batshit crazy situation in living memory should sound. The result, then, is a lush, intoxicating, and thoughtful journey through tonalities, resonance, and deep refrains that offers two sides of the same terrifying, traumatic, and life-changing story.

Review: RECOMMENDED
First released in 1995 via the Staalplaat imprint, Equator has Paul Schutze to thank for its exceptional production standards, who is also credited with percussion and keyboards. A veritable journey into another world, or at least soundscapes that feel far removed from the Britain outside our window, at times the tones here create an icy sensation, for example the subtle chimes of 'Umbra', in other moments we're picturing tropical images in our mind.

'False Prophet' is a case in point. Wooden percussion and reversed waves of synth create a sense of magic and ancient mystery, as if exploring some Aztec ruins alone at dusk. 'Departure' uses distorted bird tweets against huge refrains of harmony in a way that invokes a sense of huge vistas, sunset or sunrise colouring the air in reddish hues. Evocative stuff to say the least.

Review: Their first album in 10 years, O Yuki Conjugate's Sleepwalker receives a welcome vinyl edition here courtesy of Alex Egan's Utter imprint. The album documents the British dark ambient project's live performances between 2017 - 2019 and is also the soundtrack to an accompanying film by band member Andrew Hulme. All in all there were 24 concerts that Roger Horberry and Hulme performed at, across nine countries. The music and images were conceived together and the resulting vinyl release comprises 10 tracks, plus additional live recordings such as the hypnotic sound tapestry of 'The Air Is Alive' and the haunted dub of 'The Madness Below' - both from their Flesh and Bones live session on NTS Radio in 2018.

Review: Nottingham duo O Uki Conjugate have been delivering their own particular brand of "dirty ambient" (as they put it) since way back in 1982. They're in a more immersive mood in the Artefacts EP, which brings together a quartet of alternately foreboding and intoxicating compositions that perfectly capture the ongoing dread of the last 12 months. Lengthy A-side suite 'Forgotten Summer II/Endless Heat' re-frames and repurposes a 2019 album track co-produced by Colin Potter, with the duo wrapping fluctuating, pulsing electronic motifs, dense chords and glistening guitar textures around an ever-evolving, hypnotic groove. Over on the flip you'll find 'Empire', a distant dark ambient chugger that's hallucinatory in tone, and the twisted textures and creeping k-hole chords of 'Debauchery'.

Review: The astounding discography of O Yuki Conjugate continues to be re-examined through some choice reissues, following on from the LPs on Emotional Rescue with this incredible 1991 album brought back to life by B.F.E. Records. Peyote finds Roger Horberry and Andrew Hulme taking their Fourth World interests further afield on the likes of "A Darker Belief", while sinking into a more ominous kind of ambient quicksand on "Earth Loop Fragment" amongst others. It's evocative, proudly gloomy music, but electrifying in its depth and detail too. The sound worlds O Yuki Conjugate build are quite simply astounding, and if you loved your journey into their other recent reissues, you certainly won't want to pass this one up either.

Review: British dark ambient legends O Yuki Conjugate return with their first album in over twenty years. The material on their new album entitled Tropic was actually recorded in the mid nineties and is said to be a follow up to their last album Equator, released in 1995. The three remaining members of the collective are Andrew Hulme, Rob Jenkins And Roger Horberry who over the years released on such esteemed labels as Staalplaat, Soleilmoon and their own Final Image imprint.