watch the original short film:
https://youtu.be/Ij2Jxjxyth8

pre-order the audio-only EP:
https://tinyurl.com/uyarefusal-bandcamp

---

From the dense rainforest of memory, strange images and sounds present themselves. Our uyafaafuji (ancestors in Okinawan language) appear to intervene in our daily lives. They refuse to let us forget, refuse to let us compromise and refuse to let us live restrained by the laws of the nations that seek to claim us. This audio offering combines uta-sanshin, spoken word and elemental soundscapes to invoke a dialogue with our uyafaafuji, known and unknown. We inhabit this place in hopes of better understanding our responsibilities and to increase our capacity to choose relationships that are grounded in mutual reciprocity and respect.

---

shō yamagushiku
spoken word スポークン・ワード
https://shoyamagushiku.com

yana-imi
uta-sanshin 歌三線, soundscapes サウンドスケープ
https://linktr.ee/yanaimi

---

オーディオ録音
audio recordings:

yana-imi at
Sueyoshi Park in Shuri, Okinawa Island
Tamagusuku Castle Ruins in Nanjō, Okinawa Island

tatsuo fukuchi at
Painagama Beach in Miyako Island
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)
freesound.org/s/125204

additional Uchinaaguchi voices:
Bruna Mariko Oshiro

---

作曲 original music: yana-imi

song 1 lyrics from “Aha Bushi” (traditional)
歌詞：安波節 (琉球古典音楽)

沖縄語 編集
Uchinaaguchi (Okinawan) editing:
Chogi Higa, Brandon Ufugusuku Ing

---

Uyafaafuji's Refusal: An Ode To The Yanbaru (EP)

teaser trailer | Uyafaafuji's Refusal: An Ode To The Yanbaru

watch the original short film:
https://youtu.be/Ij2Jxjxyth8

pre-order the audio-only EP:
https://tinyurl.com/uyarefusal-bandcamp

---

written and sung in Uchinaaguchi, one of the indigenous Ryūkyūan languages

English translation:

The Yanbaru wind
divorces itself from the island,
to a distant place.
Which direction will it go?

The Yanbaru wind
divorces itself from me.
I want to go together.
Which direction will it go?

---

作曲 original music and lyrics:
yana-imi

沖縄語 編集 Uchinaaguchi (Okinawan) editing:
Chogi Higa, Brandon Ufugusuku Ing

---

original sanshin song | maa mutii ichuga? (translation in the description)

improvised home recording experimenting with sanshin, a traditional Ryūkyūan lute

October 1, 2021

sanshin horror demo | October 1, 2021

improvised home recording, 10/2/2021

October 2, 2021

horror demo | October 2, 2021

improvised home recording

October 3, 2021

sci-fi demo | October 3, 2021

"episode 1" of the Creeptober Club challenge hosted by Tragic Girls (except with original songs instead of artwork). https://instagram.com/creeptoberclub

this prompt is "blood mania."

I've never successfully kept up with these kinds of month-long challenges, so we'll see what happens. 😅

artwork by Katie Mansfield
https://instagram.com/tragicgirlsco

live instruments, drum programming, and mixing by yana-imi on GarageBand

horror punk demo | #CreeptoberClub 2022 challenge, episode 1

"episode 2" of the Creeptober Club challenge hosted by Tragic Girls (except with original songs instead of artwork). https://instagram.com/creeptoberclub

this prompt is "hotties from hell" and my mind immediately went to Twin Peaks (possessed Agent Dale Cooper fits this prompt, right? 🤣)

I've never successfully kept up with these kinds of month-long challenges, so we'll see what happens. 😅

artwork by Katie Mansfield
https://instagram.com/tragicgirlsco

live instruments, drum programming, and mixing by yana-imi on GarageBand

sirens at the Roadhouse (Lynchian demo) | #CreeptoberClub 2022 challenge, episode 2

"episode 3" of the Creeptober Club challenge hosted by Tragic Girls (except with original songs instead of artwork). https://instagram.com/tragicgirlsco

this prompt is "🧠🧠🧠!" which is fitting because my brain was falling back into perfectionist habits, forgetting that the point of these challenges is to have fun and to simply show up to create.

I took a short noise loop that I produced earlier this year, expanded upon it, added more automation and layers, and tried out some new EQ/mixing tips.

original audio assets from Ghosthack and Glitchedtones sound packs
altered/manipulated/layered in GarageBand using standard plug-ins as well as purchased plug-ins from Impulse Record, Polyverse, Waves Audio

artwork by Katie Mansfield
https://instagram.com/tragicgirlsco

the title is a translated quote from Shinya Tsukamoto's "Tetsuo: The Iron Man" (1989)

we can turn this world to rust (horror soundtrack demo) | #CreeptoberClub 2022 challenge, episode 3

"episode 4" of the Creeptober Club challenge hosted by Tragic Girls (except with original songs instead of artwork). instagram.com/tragicgirlsco

this prompt is "afterlife of the party" and my mind immediately went to something goth-y and new wave-y. I hate to admit this, but it took days to finally export the demo, completely defeating the purpose of this creative challenge. from writing/recording and re-writing/re-recording the bass tracks to accidentally deleting the re-re-recordings and having to re-record them again... what a nightmare.

artwork by Katie Mansfield
https://instagram.com/tragicgirlsco

live instruments, drum programming, and mixing by yana-imi on GarageBand

post-punk demo | #CreeptoberClub 2022 challenge, episode 4

"episode 5" of the Creeptober Club challenge hosted by Tragic Girls (except with original songs instead of artwork). instagram.com/tragicgirlsco

this prompt is "Rewind or Die!" I also wanted to record something in memory of my late Auntie who would've turned 60 yesterday, so a rendition of the opening theme of "Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction" – a 1990s crime/supernatural anthology show that we used to watch religiously – seemed to fit in both respects. (just imagine Jonathan Frakes narrating over this track and your listening experience will improve at least ten-fold.)

artwork by Katie Mansfield
https://instagram.com/tragicgirlsco

softsynths (using plugins from FrozenPlain.com / soundcloud.com/samwindell) and mixing by yana-imi on GarageBand

VHS audio recordings from https://freesound.org
(users 607freesound and flacfile)

Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction theme song (cover demo) | #CreeptoberClub 2022 challenge, episode 5

"episode 6" of the Creeptober Club challenge hosted by Tragic Girls (except with original songs instead of artwork). instagram.com/tragicgirlsco

this prompt is "Killbots From Outer Space," so I wanted to have fun with something that was unabashedly sci-fi-horror-campiness.

artwork by Katie Mansfield
https://instagram.com/tragicgirlsco

softsynths (using plugins from FrozenPlain.com / soundcloud.com/samwindell), guitar, drum programming, and mixing by yana-imi on GarageBand

the title is a quote from Alex Proyas' "Dark City" (1998)

then came the Strangers (horror soundtrack demo) | #CreeptoberClub 2022 challenge, episode 6

ヤナイミ 𝘆𝗮𝗻𝗮-𝗶𝗺𝗶, "𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒆" 𝒊𝒏 𝑼𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒂𝒈𝒖𝒄𝒉𝒊
Ryūkyūan (Okinawan) x Japanese roots
music, noise, soundscapes, video

yana-imi ヤナイミ

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