'Exalt The Horn' by The Oroonies is one of those obscure mid-80s cassette releases that feels more like a rumor than a widely documented record. Put out in 1986 through the small, DIY-focused Better Days Distribution label, it exists in that hazy space where post-punk experimentation and home recording culture overlap. Better Days Distribution operated more like a conduit
than a traditional label, helping circulate music within a network of
like-minded artists and tape traders. Releases were often produced in
very small quantities, dubbed by hand, and shared through mail or
personal connections. It’s likely that 'Exalt The Horn' only ever reached a relatively small audience in its original run
There’s very little concrete information circulating about the project, which only adds to its intrigue -but there is a bit more to grasp when it comes to The Oroonies themselves. They were a British, largely instrumental outfit operating somewhere between psychedelic space-rock and folk fusion, forming in the early 1980s and remaining active for roughly a decade. Their sound leans heavily into disorientating psychedelia, often blurring the line between structured composition and freeform exploration. They also have some interesting connections: a couple of members were involved with Ozric Tentacles, which helps place them within that broader UK underground psychedelic scene. There was even a sideline acoustic project under the name Cheapsuit Oroonies, suggesting a more stripped-down counterpart to their more cosmic excursions. After years of relative silence, the band resurfaced in 2012 with three original members -Joie Hinton, Tanya Horn, and Boris Orooni- going on to release several CDs and eventually returning to live performances around 2017. That later activity adds an unexpected second chapter to what initially felt like a fleeting cassette-era project.
What is evident from 'Exalt The Horn' itself is its raw, unpolished nature. This wasn’t built in a professional studio environment- it carries the imprint of limited equipment, a lot of creative freedom, and no real concern for mainstream appeal. The sound leans into that distinctly lo-fi cassette aesthetic: minimal drum machine rhythms, warped or drifting synth textures, and occasional guitar elements that feel more atmospheric than structured. Vocals come across as distant and abstract, sometimes closer to spoken word or ritualistic phrasing than conventional singing. Tape hiss and uneven levels aren’t distractions -they’re part of the character.
A listener once summed it up pretty bluntly: “Usable tribal space music.” That description isn’t far off. 'Exalt The Horn' opens with what feels like a collage of didgeridoo-like drones, whale-like calls, and drifting cosmic textures -hard to pin down exactly what the sources are, but undeniably evocative. It’s immersive and unusual, though largely rooted in soundscaping rather than structured composition.
Things shift slightly with “Oinkoi,” where a more defined pulse emerges through tribal-style drumming and hypnotic bell tones that hint at Eastern influences. It builds a mysterious atmosphere, though it can come across as a bit familiar in its approach. The title track stretches into a longer tribal space-rock jam -engaging at first, but its length can make it harder to stay fully absorbed, especially as it leans more on repetition than development. From there, the tape continues in a similar vein: a series of loosely structured jams exploring psychedelic, otherworldly textures. There’s a clear avoidance of traditional rock forms -no bluesy solos or relaxed grooves- leaning instead toward something closer to industrial-tinged ritual ambient. The pieces are relatively short, but taken together they can feel somewhat continuous, like variations on the same sonic idea.
That said, the appeal lies precisely in that persistence. It’s less about individual standout moments and more about sustaining a mood -strange, echoing, and slightly hypnotic. 'Exalt The Horn' stands as a quiet, peculiar artifact from a time when making something this odd didn’t need justification -and when a band like The Oroonies could drift between obscurity and rediscovery without ever fully settling into either.
Label:
Better Days Distribution – none
Format:
Cassette, Album
Country:
UK
Released:
1986
Style:
Folk Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Ambient, Space Rock, Ritual Ambient
Tracklist:
A1 Exalt The Horn 5:54
A2 Oinkoi 7:34
A3 The Raising And The Subsequent Plunging Of The Lance Of The Fisher King (From The Film "The Royal Martyr") 7:04
A4 October 23rd 6:59
A5 Nursery Thyme 9:28
B1 Emporer Norton's Revenge 11:56
B2 Eclipse Celipse 5:06
B3 Guinea Fowl (Queen Eats Rat) 2:50
B4 I Fondled The U Bend With A Rubber Glove 3:19
B5 Inbetweenit 0:35
B6 Shadwok 3:19
B7 Dance Of The Deekshitars 5:06
B8 Derraneanig 3:45
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