Album Review: YNV - Golden Hour Ritual
Album Review: YNV - Golden Hour Ritual LP
July 6, 2021
Brennan Ko
Washington DC-based Lurid Music welcomes Belgian producer YNV for his debut album entitled “Golden Hour Ritual” that showcases his entrancing blend of avant exotica, Middle Eastern mysticism and cabaret electronica.
There’s been a lot of great music released just this past year. Perhaps, it’s that wave of stay-at-home creativity that everyone was supposed to have had while quarantining - who can say? Does knowing even matter? After all, ignorance can be bliss and it’s fortunate enough that our arts have the enchanting ability to take us away to places remembered or unknown. While stories do this literally, music is more abstract. It’s fantastic to ponder that brilliant minds think in such wonderfully abstract ways as to create such environments. If you also think along these lines then you’ve stumble upon a very likeminded corner of the worldwide web.
Born in Brussels, YNV moved to California in 2013 and has so far released tracks on Invisible Inc. and Emotional Response. You may know of them from being a video artist and music curator for the Vague Terrain nights in San Francisco, a monthly experience at Underground SF. Ever heard of liminal spaces? Well, YNV’s music and videos seeks to explore them, as well as, the many emotional states and states of being that make everyday life more interesting than even the most fantastical fiction.
So what does the album sound like? Well the album notes state:
“Carrying the torch of his Euro roots, you hear the influence of his homeland with some California sunshine and a palm tree thrown in for good measure.”
Having never been to Belgium I don’t know exactly what influences carry over to YNV’s music, but there is certainly Middle Eastern mysticism and avant exotica in spades. It’s a listening experience that can be enjoyed as private meditation or collaborative exploration - just make sure your companions are in an adventurous mood beforehand.
The Golden Hour Ritual LP for Lurid Music features nine original tracks and if you can’t already guess from their names they are laid out to a setting of glowing sands, shaded riads, and corporeal pleasures juxtaposed with ethereal displacement. Perhaps, there is a bit of hyperbole in my description, but once you take a listen I think you will agree that I am not far off. In fact, I wish I had this album when I was last traveling - it would have matched the atmosphere wonderfully. My personal favorite track has been “Celestial Spirits”.
Tracklist:
Golden Hour Ritual
Ronin
Astral Delight
Desert Mirage
Estuary of Light
Moon Tides
Sanctuary
Celestial Spirits
Loose End
Golden Hour Ritual (Anatolian Weapons Remix)
Available today on Bandcamp, releases worldwide on all digital platforms and record stores on June 25th.
Written, produced and sequenced by Yaniv De Ridder. Synth apparitions by Janina Angel Bath on "Desert Mirage" & "Estuary of Light". Mixed by Laurent Delforge. Mastered by Dietrich Schoenemann. Artwork by Yaniv De Ridder.