Oneohtrix Point Never Isn't Interested in the Dancefloor

Often, when one thinks of the phrase "electronic music," images of bombastic raves, fist-pumping DJs, knob-twiddlers behind laptops, and similar clichés are conjured up along with memories of deafening bass timbres, hard-hitting beats, and various warped sound effects from the last time you stepped into a nightclub. But there are many other niche electronic genres made by artists who are far less interested in the dancefloor.

One such musician is New York's oddly named Oneohtrix Point Never. Born Daniel Lopatin, this artist's interests lie in interstellar textures, droning synth melodies, and subtle changes in direction. His epic ambient compositions range from the gratingly distorted (à la Wolf Eyes) to the sublimely serene (like Brian Eno's ambient albums). He crafts all of his music using hardware: analog synthesizers, effects pedals, and a little digital cutting and pasting.

Lopatin recently released a new album entitled Returnal, which follows a double-disc collection of six years' worth of music he produced called Rifts. The Brooklyn-based sci-fi enthusiast has since been lauded by many esteemed music publications, and this post is meant to urge you to uncover something fresh and interesting from the electronic music world. Oneohtrix was recently interviewed by UK-based website FACT (which also commissioned him for one of their regular mixes). Over on XLR8R's website, you can stream the synthmaster's expansive new album. Here's to discovering new music!

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