Yona-Kit was a
math rock
Math rock is a style of progressive and indie rock with roots in bands such as King Crimson and Rush as well as 20th-century minimal music composers such as Steve Reich. It is characterized by complex, atypical rhythmic structures (includi ...
quartet active in 1994.
Background
A U.S.-Japanese collaboration, the group consisted of
KK Null
, known by his stage name KK Null, is a Japanese experimental multi-instrumentalist active since the early 1980s. He began as a guitarist but learned how to compose, sing, play drums, and create electronic music. He also studied Butoh dance at ...
(electric guitar and vocals),
Jim O'Rourke (electric guitar), Darin Gray (electric bass guitar), and
Thymme Jones
Thymme (pronounced ''Tim'') Jones (born 1962) is the drummer for the Chicago, Illinois-based band Cheer-Accident. Jones frequently appears on the local public-access television cable TV program ''Cool Clown Ground''. He has appeared on a number of ...
(drum set). All but Null were contemporaneously members of the group
Brise-Glace
Brise-Glace (French for " ice-breaker", as in the type of boat) was a 1990s instrumental avant-rock " supergroup" composed of Jim O'Rourke (guitar, organ, tape and "razor blade"), Darin Gray (bass guitar), Dylan Posa (guitar), and Thymme Jones (d ...
, which featured a similar sound to Yona-Kit but were somewhat less aggressive and more experimental.
Yona-Kit released one album, ''Yona-Kit'' (1994) on
Skin Graft Records
Skin Graft Records (officially capitalized SKiN GRAFT Records) is an independent record label specializing in no wave and noise rock, originally based in Chicago, Illinois. The label is largely responsible for spawning "now wave" genre, an upda ...
. The album was recorded by
Steve Albini
Steve Albini (pronounced ; born July 22, 1962) is an American musician, record producer, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman and Flour, and is a member of Shellac. He is the founder, owner and principal en ...
in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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in June 1994. The album's cover photography, featuring gigantic stuffed animals of various sorts, as well as bizarre lyrics (dealing with such subjects as dancing sumo wrestlers), lend a whimsical character to music that is often fairly brutal and complex.
Yasuko Onuki
Yasuko Onuki (often known simply as Yako, Yasuko or Yasuko O.) is the singer from Japanese band Melt-Banana
Melt-Banana is a Japanese noise rock band that is known for playing extremely fast noise rock mixed with experimental, electronica an ...
, the singer for the Japanese band
Melt-Banana
Melt-Banana is a Japanese noise rock band that is known for playing extremely fast noise rock mixed with experimental, electronica and pop-based song structures. Since forming in 1992 the band has released ten albums and toured worldwide extens ...
, contributes vocals for one song on the album, "Franken-Bitch."
{{Authority control
Math rock groups
American experimental musical groups