Mental Butoh by Yvonne LeBien
Yvonne LeBien is a trans poet and performer currently based in New York City. Yvonne has published several books including Scores for Performance Poetry, Betraying Authority: Fragments on Queer Art, and cumflower with Wendy’s Subway.
Popnihil is proud to reeease Mental Butoh, a beautiful collection of vocal improvisation and punishment, on cassette. A powerful through-line can be drawn from Kurt Schwitters, Charlie Morrow's work on the "New Wildnerness Chanting Collection" and on Diamanda Galas - leading you on a collision course with Yvonne's 12 improvised works on this album.
Make no mistake, this is uncompromising work, but this album is also profound and affecting. Is Mental Butoh a challenging listen? Perhaps. But this could be seen as a personalized mirror of the challenges of living as a trans person in 2024 America lurching towards fascism.
