Yagya

(This article’s English version was produced with AI-assisted translation)

In Iceland, techno is a serious affair. Or at least, it once was, considering the vibrant club scene that emerged between the late 1990s and the early 2000s. Back then, artists like Thor, Exos, and Ozy, all under the guidance of the seminal Thule Records, reinterpreted minimal techno with a cold, icy edge, marking a transitional era between the analog fervor of the last millennium and the digital, algorithm-driven sequences that would define an entire scene.

In this context, Yagya found his dimension, emerging as a pioneer in the genre. His contributions are essential, though driven by different intents: while others focused on reductionist structures meant for sterile clubs and synthetic nights, Yagya chose to explore a more intimate aesthetic, building ethereal soundscapes reminiscent of the chill-out era ("Vor 3"), recalling those rooms where 90s ravers, exhausted from the relentless dance, could find a musical refuge that was no less hypnotic but far from abrasive.

"Rhythm of Snow" and "Ringing" are just two examples of the producer's body of work, previously part of the Sanasol duo alongside Thor, oscillating between the more physical dub techno and a deep house tinged with dusk-like shades. His career, shaped by the sounds of DeepChord and the Echospace project, now brings us his eleventh album, "Vor", a project that reconnects with his stylistic roots. This choice follows "Faded Photographs", which tried to blend ambient chill-out with ethereal female vocals and pop influences, but failed to recapture the immersive depth that Yagya had previously cultivated.

Faithful to his dreamy vision, this full-length unfolds across eight tracks divided between seasonal evocations. On one side, tracks that seem to celebrate the rebirth of spring ("Vor", which in Icelandic means "spring"), and on the other, compositions that reflect the melancholy of autumn, marked by the title "Haust." Enriched by vacant field recordings, the tracks weave slow, enveloping melodies, developing a techno that draws inspiration both from the oceanic drifts of cv313 and the surreal echoes of Gas ("Haust 3", perhaps the album’s culmination), though stripped of its hazy drone undertones to embrace idyllic soundscapes that recall the coldness of his native land ("Haust 1").

Delicate in its arrangements and dense in its textures, the album floats gracefully between club-music and flashes of space-ambient, at times touching, and other times veering toward the slightly saccharine. However, these are minor discrepancies, almost always overshadowed by the grandeur, depth, and almost visionary beauty of its impalpable and otherworldly paths.

13/02/2025