DPRP: Dyatly

Ole Lukkoye – Dyatly

This latest recording by the St Petersburg-based Ole Lukkoye is an attempt by the band to capture their live sound in the studio, with only additional percussion and the vocal lines being added afterwards. As far as the sound of this CD is concerned, it is full of verve and has a live acoustic that makes me feel that they have achieved their stated aim. On this evidence I would really like to see them in a live setting.

Each of these four long tracks has an individual mood and some lovely touches that repay close listening. The music is a mixture of full-ahead space rock and psychedelia. The songs build to circular, hypnotic grooves employing chanted and characterful dual male and female vocals. It is all underpinned by looping, dub-like bass and inventive percussion. The use of bassoon gives a warm and organic tone above the underlying, pulsing electronics. It is as if Hawkwind, Ozric Tentacles, Jah Wobble and Magma decided to get up and jam together.

Ole Lukkoye push the music way past any ambient wallpaperiness, into a shamanistic, whirling ethno-trance dance music. My wife defines prog as “music you can’t dance to” but on this particular branch of the prog tree you most certainly could.

The only criticisms to be made are that as a whole the full 67 minute experience does get a bit breathless and a little wearing. Whilst the closing track Veni, Vidi, Vici is a piece of ambience with tinkling water, hummed vocals and burbling synth, which seems unformed and out of place compared to the other tracks. This is an album I will return to play individual tracks in isolation, and I will end up dancing around the kitchen. It is for this reason that this album just misses out on a DPRP recommendation.

Martin Burns
DPRP – Dutch Progressive Rock Page, Issue 2015-65, 3 September 2015