Oide Oide is something “Leftfield” from the Lyon-based label, Jarring Effect. The EP is a collaboration between Brain Damage – a producer from Saint Etienne who’s been delivering dub for over 20 years – and Osaka-born Emiko Ota – who began making music in the 1980s, as part of the post-punk female trio, Oxz. They’ve teamed up for 5 tracks, all with Japanese titles, that place Ota’s lyrics and vocals in experimental musical settings. This is more music inspired by Japan’s traditional shape-shifting monsters, known collectively as “Yokai”. 

Katsura Otoko , so called after a irresistibly handsome, seductive man-in-the-moon, mixes traditional temple woodwinds (the nokan) and scratchy strings with a new wave B-line and rock guitar chords. Tremolo twang and soundclash sirens accompany Tenome’s mutant steppers. This tribute to a beast with eyes in its palms riding on distorted, digital bass. Isogashi, named after a restless, busy spirit, is appropriately pace-y, and switches between fuzzbox-ed power pop riffling and bursts of bionic bottom end. The track’s words are chanted. Ota in call-and-response with herself. All of the above feature combinations of muted horns – trombone and trumpet – while Azuki Arai, a spook spotted by the sound of red beans being washed, is a Golden Brown-like organ-led waltz. 

The singing on Baku, dedicated to a bad dream / nightmare devouring demon, serenaded by sweeping orchestration, sounds like a shinto prayer. Each piece, perhaps, has its origins / roots in performance art. There’s a sense of the traditional theatrical forms / norms being played with in a similar fashion to folks such as Frank Chickens, Amaryllis and Phew.

Mad Professor and Joe Ariwa then complete the package with a collection of corresponding dubs. Stripping tracks back and mischievously manhandling the vocals. Voices are sped up, slowed down – sometimes simultaneously – or limited to sinister snatches of echo. Rhythms are reduced to snare, booming bass and the space in between. Their crunchy, compressed beats marching to moody near subliminal symphonies. Toward the end, the duo adding touches of Mad Prof’s trademark tight inside-out twists and turns. 

Oide Oide can be ordered directly from Jarring Effects.