Ole Lukkoye - Dyatly. 2015 Russia

Dyatly is Ole Lukkoye's 7th studio album (not counting the various compilations), and their first one since Kumeneira over nine years ago. And for me, this is the first Ole Lukkoye album I've heard since Crystal Crow Bar, nearly a generation ago. And it's probably been that long since I last heard this band at all, but my recollection was that Ole Lukkoye played a modern space rock style similar to Ozric Tentacles, with copious amounts of Central Asian indigenous music, somewhat like Korai Orom (Hungary) or the modern Russian band Vespero. But Dyatly is definitely more geared towards a mix of electronica and folk. The kind of folk one might hear on an Atman or Magic Carpathians (Poland) album. And it is here I learn of a new genre, but one I wholeheartedly agree with: Folktronica. Wikipedia defines it as such "a genre of music comprising various elements of folk music and electronica, often featuring samplings of acoustic instruments—especially stringed instruments—and incorporating hip hop or dance rhythms".

And yes, Dyatly definitely projects this club like atmosphere. Chill out music for nomadic tent dwellers on psilocybin.

Given my initial expectations of Ole Lukkoye's sound, 'Kommuna Ra' was a bit of a rough start for me. I kept waiting for the space rock parts, but they were never to arrive. Perhaps it wasn't the best way to start the album, but then again, it's possible I've been way too out of touch with the evolution of the band. But by the title track, I was completely absorbed. This is the highlight for sure, with so many ethnic sounds and psychedelic trimmings, I felt myself being swept away to another world. When 'Bela Dama' opened with the female vocals in an almost prayer like chant, I fully expected to be blown into orbit. But here they chose to introduce the club beats, and it suddenly was all too familiar. But then again, Ole Lukkoye are from the (relatively) western European city of Saint Petersburg, which is a long way from the music the band is emulating. 'Just Wind' continues in a similar manner, at times reaching the highs of 'Dyatly'. The album closes pleasantly with 'Veni, Vidi, Vivi'. And at only 4 minutes, it occurred to me that this is one of the problems with the album: The other songs are just too long (all between 14 and 18 minutes). Perhaps a nice mix of 10 different compositions would have made for a better offering.

All in all, a very solid work. One that has me excited to revisit the Ole Lukkoye albums that I already own. This album comes highly recommended to those who would like to hear a band like Atman take their sound to a psychedelic night club... at 2 in the morning.

Ownership: CD: 2015 Trail

8/3/15 (first listen / review / new entry)