Some DJs are celebration starters; some are storytellers; some are historians, keepers of dance music’s flame. ¥ØU$UK€ ¥UK1MAT$U will be all of those, however he’s additionally one thing like a mix of shaman, warrior, and trickster. Typically shirtless, sweat-slicked, and enviably ripped, the Osaka native (aka Yousuke Yukimatsu) brings an unusually livid versatility to the decks. Or is it an unusually versatile fury? Within the first 13 minutes of a particular Boiler Room Tokyo session in late 2020, he kicked off with Moby’s 1993 hardcore anthem “Thousand,” whose apocalyptic stabs and accelerating rhythm—its 1,000-plus beats per minute as soon as landed it within the Guinness E-book of World Data—counsel the earth is about to swallow the dancefloor entire. From there Yukimatsu feinted sideways right into a stretch of squelchy, insouciant bass music, earlier than diving headfirst into the extreme-noise hellscape of Nairobi steel duo Duma’s “Lionsblood.” Over the complete hour and a half, he switchbacked throughout classic breakbeat hardcore, cutting-edge Tanzanian singeli, the Weeknd’s Daft Punk collab “I Really feel It Coming,” and the theme from Rocky earlier than closing with Jamie xx’s dreamily optimistic “Good Occasions,” the polar reverse of Moby’s hymn for the tip of days.
However for all of the seismic instability of the terrain, the aura Yukimatsu conjures in his wide-ranging units is as enveloping as probably the most linear techno. Completed improper, self-conscious eclecticism can have a approach of jolting listeners out of their trance, however Yukimatsu lowers you proper down contained in the fault line and leaves you vibrating. On his new combine album for Singapore’s Midnight Shift label, Yukimatsu tightens his focus and burrows into his contemplative aspect. A hypnotic descent into ambient, drone, and noise, Midnight Is Comin’ is likely one of the most immersive DJ mixes in latest reminiscence. There are not any breakbeats, no rave stabs, no pop curveballs. All however one of many tracks, most by comparatively obscure Japanese experimental musicians, are unique to the combo. The temper all through is shadowy and pensive; sounds vary from dentist-drill buzz to acoustic guitar and angel choir, however they share a slow-burning depth.
There are hints of Yukimatsu’s noise inclinations within the opening monitor, “Nagel,” by Orhythmo, a duo with punk and grindcore roots: Ominous clanking and shuffling footsteps lead us right into a chamber of quickly oscillating frequencies, and deep within the combine, a terrifying voice emerges via white-hot distortion, half whisper and half scream. However the temper steadily mellows because the cello-like tones of Ryo Murakami’s “Memory” bleed into the body, establishing what is going to change into the dominant themes and textures of the combo: lengthy, held tones; swish, arpeggiated counterpoints; and a foggy, virtually mystical air. At any second, you sense that some fantastical form may materialize from the murk, but by and huge, there are not any main occasions, no sudden revelations. The ambiance merely thickens and churns.
