- Apparently inspired by Jaakko Eino Kalevi's realisation that confrontation and patience are equally important approaches to dealing with life's challenges, Yin Yang Theatre is evenly split between downtempo tracks and upbeat disco tunes. Regardless of the alternately joyous and reflective moods, every track on this EP is vibrant, with a rich seam of funk underlying all of Kalevi's analogue jams.
"XO-tic Grlz" is the best track of Yin Yang Theatre's upbeat side, with scrambled spoken Finnish vocals and pretty synth loops atop a wobbling bassline. "Speak Out" offsets the soft vocal wash with warm piano chords, strings and a deeply funky synth line. It's nothing wildly original, but it's deeply pleasurable nevertheless. Of the more introspective tracks, "Tecno Souvlaki" is rather staid, a spare track that gradually builds outwards from a three-note bassline into something that never feels quite finished. The dubby, drum-led "Let The Energy Be Your Teacher (Part 1)" works better, wielding a subtle energy that fizzes just below the surface. Yin Yang Theatre doesn't contain any great surprises, but its tracks have a colourful stickiness to them, with Kalevi getting the balance between elation and reflection just right.
TracklistA1 Speak Out
A2 Pass The Cat
A3 Sensaatio
B1 Tecno Souvlaki
B2 Let The Energy Be Your Teacher (Part 1)
B3 XO-tic Grlz