Biography
In the mid-'90s, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Jim O'Rourke teamed with bassist Darin Gray and drummer Thymme Jones inside the ambient and experimental rock unit Brise-Glace. A modest lineup expansion in 1994 prompted the three musicians to launch the side project Yona-Kit, which incorporated Japanese guitarist and vocalist Kazuyuki K. Null, also known as K.K. Null and recognized from his noise-rock trio Zeni Geva. The resulting quartet functioned as a cross-cultural supergroup: Gray already belonged to Chicago's post-hardcore outfit Dazzling Killmen, Jones had founded the experimental prog-rock ensemble CHEER-ACCIDENT, and O'Rourke was earning recognition as a sought-after producer within underground circles. O'Rourke and Null had previously worked together on the album New Kind of Water, a set built around extended improvisations and multiple guitar duets. Yona-Kit pursued a markedly different identity, steering clear of both Zeni Geva's customary heaviness and Brise-Glace's comparative lightness while adopting a set of puppet mascots tied to its debut release. The project found a natural home on Skin Graft Records, the same imprint already associated with numerous bands featuring the quartet's members and known for its roster of puppet mascots, among them Hot Satan. In June 1994 the group entered a Chicago studio alongside recording engineer Steve Albini, who had previously handled sessions for outfits such as the Japanese-Chicago noise collective Shakuhachi Surprise. During those dates Null adopted a more restrained approach, coaxing trebly Shellac-style textures from his guitar instead of his usual high-velocity assault, and Melt Banana's YaSuko Onuki contributed guest vocals to several tracks. The self-titled album surfaced on July 25, 1995; its artwork, created by Skin Graft founder Mark Fischer, displayed an assortment of puppets that included Chiller Whale, Serious Brown, and Hot Satan. The imagery later inspired an outlandish origin tale claiming the musicians had joined a Skin Graft cruise near the North Pole, suffered a shipwreck, been swallowed by Chiller Whale, and emerged clutching the songs that formed the record. After the release, the track "Skeleton King" appeared on the label's September 1997 fiftieth-anniversary compilation Camp Skin Graft: Now Wave, which gathered Yona-Kit alongside thirty-two additional Skin Graft acts that included the Flying Luttenbachers and Lake of Dracula. The compilation marked the project's final outing, as Gray and Jones soon shifted focus to the new side project You Fantastic!, whose sound stayed aligned with Yona-Kit's direction. Jones continued his primary work with CHEER-ACCIDENT, Null resumed activities with Zeni Geva, and O'Rourke went on to produce and collaborate with artists such as U.S. Maple, Sonic Youth, and Loren Mazzacane Connors.
Albums