Yôkaï opens a new chapter with "Yôkaï Humboldt"

With Humboldt, Yôkaï opens a new chapter. The Belgian six-piece continues to explore a unique blend of jazz, psychedelia, dub, experimental rock and cinematic soundscapes, while embracing a more direct, tense and instinctive approach.

Following the Coup de Grâce period, the band stripped things back and developed new material through improvisation during a series of residencies. Recorded in Brussels in September 2024, Humboldt captures a group in constant motion, combining hypnotic grooves, dub-infused rhythms, analogue synths, sharp guitars and cosmic textures.

Inspired by themes of transformation, fragility and uncertainty, the album moves through dystopian landscapes and fragmented realities while leaving space for something brighter. Its title refers to Venezuela’s Humboldt Glacier, one of the last tropical glaciers, echoing the album’s reflections on a changing world.

Far from the band’s early ethio-jazz influences, Humboldt establishes a territory of its own, where groove, repetition and texture create a cinematic journey. Mixed by Pieterjan Coppejans and mastered by Matt Colton, the album brings together six musicians in a collective sound that is both raw and expansive, offering a possible soundtrack to our uncertain times.

TRACKLISTING

01. Humboldt

02. Iguazu

03. Lalo

04. Fortunino

05. Dewey

06. Federico

07. Waaktaar

08. Fortunino #2

09. Mocassins